A cornucopia of local pork;Pig Mountain Two features vegetables, too

Posted 9/30/09

“One of those things that people are drawn to, as we know in the food world, is pork. People who love pork love it with a certain level of love that only compares to, say, chocolate or beer. Those …

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A cornucopia of local pork;Pig Mountain Two features vegetables, too

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“One of those things that people are drawn to, as we know in the food world, is pork. People who love pork love it with a certain level of love that only compares to, say, chocolate or beer. Those are the three things that, in the food world, we sort of know that, if there are events surrounding those things, it moves things. And there are pigs there, and vegetables.”

That bit of wisdom comes from Heather Carlucci, who is a chef at Print, a farm-to-table restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen. The pigs and vegetables she’s talking about are in the Upper Delaware Valley and will be featured at the second Pig Mountain event in Narrowsburg on August 11. There will be 10 pigs, 10 chefs and enough locally grown vegetables to satisfy the hungriest vegetarians. The pork, vegetables and other side dishes will be available from 12 noon to 4 p.m.

Last year, the first Pig Mountain feast was held on a farm in October on one of the coldest and rainiest days of the month, and still more than 400 people turned out. So why the change of venue from a farm to Main Street?

Carlucci said, “Rather than have a bunch of people standing in the middle of a field somewhere, [co-organizer Matthew Solomon] felt it would be better for economic stimulation if all the merchants were open and we could bring people in.”

Carlucci said she is expecting about 1,000 people to attend.

The 10 pigs that will be prepared have been purchased from local farmers and will be roasted in pits at SkyDog Farm.

Carlucci explained the process. The pit is dug, and a fire is started in it that burns for about eight hours until it has burned down to embers. As that happens, “you season your pig, stuff it or do whatever else you want to do to it—and every chef is different—wrap it in banana leaves, then wet burlap, then chicken wire. Then you put it in the ground, cover it with another piece of burlap and throw dirt on top of it,” and then, let it roast.

Proceeds from the event will go to FarmHearts, an organization dedicated to helping family farms in the Catskills prosper. Go to www.pigmountain2012.com for more information.

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