A few years ago, a New York chef in search of an American alternative to European dry-cured hams like prosciutto and Spanish Iberico contacted Sam Edwards, grandson of Samuel Wallace Edwards (who a century ago was raising hogs on acorns and foraged food in the Virginia woods). Edwards experimented, and found that the heritage breed Berkshire pigs could be aged for 18 months to produce hams that were less salty and dry than traditional Virginia country hams. Edwards quipped to the chef that he would name the ham Surryano for Surry, Va., where the pigs are raised, and the name stuck. The S. Wallace Edwards & Sons brand now sells hams online (www.edwardsvaham.com), including a “city ham,” a naturally raised brine-cured ham. Other companies that sell humanely raised pork online are D’Artagnan (www.dartagnan.com), Niman Ranch (www.nimanranch.com), and Heritage Foods USA (www.heritagefoodsusa.com). A few local markets offer a range of humanely raised hams, including many Roche Brothers locations, City Feed and Supply in Jamaica Plain (617-553-4822), and Whole Foods locations.
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