Houde Family Farm

Starting July 2008, they will offer home delivery only (no depot pickups), once per month, to Woburn, Winchester, Medford, Somerville, Cambridge, Lexington, Arlington, Melrose, Andover, Reading, Wakefield, Stoneham and Malden.

You can buy Houde’s meat products through the purchase of a CSA Membership (CSA shares) or by purchasing either a half or whole animal and specifying the cuts you’d like. They don’t sell individual cuts at this time, however, CSA members can order extra hamburger, stew meat, or sausage when available to be delivered with your share. All meats are USDA inspected and frozen.

CSA share memberships run January through June and July through December. You can join at any time; the cost will be pro-rated for the remainder of the season provided there are enough remaining shares. CSA Share prices for 2008 are as follows :

$6.50 per pound for a 10 pound share for a total of $390 for six months ($6.50×10x6)

$6.50 per pound for a 15 pound share for a total of $585 for six months ($6.50×15x6)

$6.25 per pound for a 20 pound share for a total of $750 for six months ($6.25×20x6)

The shares are made up of veal, pork and beef consisting of approximately 50% better cuts (steaks, cutlets, hams, bacon, etc) and 50% lesser cuts (hamburger, stew meat). (No-veal shares are available upon request.) The shares will be different each month. Sometimes it will be more pork, sometimes more veal, etc. CSA shares are delivered once per month or you can pick them up at the farm. Individual shares are packaged in heavyweight paper bags to help keep the meats frozen during travel.

They also sell beef and pork by the half or whole when available. Lambs are available as whole only. All prices are hanging weight and include cutting and wrapping. Hanging weight is the meat hanging on the rails at the butchers. There is some loss due to bone, fat and gristle; anywhere from 25 to 40 percent loss depending on how it is cut (bone-in or not) and how lean the animal is. Prices for 2008 are as follows :

Beef $3.50 per pound — approximately 600 pounds whole, 300 pounds for half

Pork $3.50 per pound — approximately 200 pounds whole, 100 pounds for half

Lamb $6.50 per pound — whole only

Houde also has free range poultry for sale as available. Because of Vermont regulations they can only be sold at the farm. The chickens will be $2.50 per pound and are sold as whole birds only. They average around 5 pounds each.

CSA subscribers may also purchase “extras” for the following costs:

EGGS $3 per Dozen (limit of 2 dozen per member) Breakfast sausage $5 per pound Sweet Italian sausage $5 per pound Hot Italian sausage $5 per pound Spare ribs $5 per pound (whole racks only) Pork fat for rendering $1 per pound Pork liver or heart $1.50 per pound Beef liver or heart $1.50 per pound Beef Burger $4.50 per pound Veal burger, stew meat, and soup bones (with meat) $4.50 per pound pork and veal bones (no meat) $1 per pound one cross cut chuck roast around 5 lbs $6.50 per pound Fresh (uncured) hams $6.00 per pound Fresh pork belly (around 6lbs each) $5 per pound Pigs feet (around 4lbs each) $1.50 per pound Pork Jowls $2.00 per pound Pig ears $1.50 per pound