looking for fresh wild boar

[j6p]

I know that the season was last month but i missed it and all i can find now are frozen ones. I would like to get my hands on some fresh wild boar loins. Any ideas?

[DockPotato]

Boar is not currently covered under MNR's hunting regs. There are recent, rare instances where escapees have established themselves as truly wild. When killed, their meat may be bought and sold at will.

[pimentdespelette]

There's a farm in Prince Edward County called Boars of Babylon. It's one of the best suppliers around. Used to be a "hunting" outfit until the province outlawed it. You'd drive up and shoot one of the farm's "wild" boars. Now they just slaughter them.
A terminology thing: there is no truly "wild" boar for sale in Ontario. Unless I'm mistaken, they don't exist outside farms, plus even if they did, you can't legally sell or buy most wild game in Canada.
Michael Pollan writes in "The Omnivore's Dilemma" about hunting truly wild boar in Northern California. I'd love to know what the taste difference is.

[j6p]

Yes, i understand that there is no true wild boar available to the consumer unless you hunt them or knows someone that does. I bet the truely wild ones would be amazing, much more flavourful. It's like venison. The farmed venison that we can buy everywhere almost taste like beef, i doubt that that's how it is suppose to taste like, it's just been bred that way.

[koknia]

My friend finds it at the Farmers Market every Thursday at Dufferin Grove Park.

http://www.dufferinpark.ca/market/wik...

[j6p]

I've tried, but they never seem to have it when i'm there.

[DylS]

You want to get it from Ute at Stonehenge Farms, at the Dufferin Grove market. You may have to order ahead to make sure she'll have it for you. Go to the above website, click on Vendor Listings for email and phone number. It's good boar, though not like in Italy......

[TwinklyTerrapin]

There's a guy in the north St Lawrence Market who sells boar -- you could ask him if he could get you fresh. I can't remember his name but he sells other game, like venison, and he's towards the south end of the north market, second aisle in from the west side, facing west.

[j6p]

I know of who you are talking about but he only has frozen. He tells me he buys a big batch of wild boar and freezes it so it is available year round.

[j6p]

thank you, sounds very interesting, i will definitely check out Hugo
I think it's usually frozen from whitehouse meats. The reason i want never been frozen product is because I'm going to be making charcuterie with it. If it was just for eating i wouldn't mind.

[ElizabethS]

j6p - do you mean the boar is previously frozen at Whitehouse? Because I've often seen fresh looking boar but don't recall it being marked previously frozen?

[j6p]

i believe most of their game meats are previously frozen because wild boar is not something that is available year round so it needs to be frozen.

[estufarian]

Can't speak to this specific product, but I used to buy Washington State lamb at Whitehouse, then it disappeared. When I enquired they told me that they now only ship the lamb in frozen form, so Whitehouse would no longer carry it, as they only serve fresh meat. They may have changed their policy since - but still don't carry the frozen Washington lamb.

[j6p]

i guess they must have changed their policy because i always see them having frozen duck breasts on sale.

[estufarian]

That does surprise me - my local Sobey's has duck breasts that aren't frozen!

[thomasevan]

What do you have planned?

[ElizabethS]

Whitehouse Meats in St. Lawrence usually has boar

[MiniMom]

Whitehouse now has a location on the Royal York / Bloor Area.

[pinstripeprincess]

came across this place called hugo meats on the queensway and they have all kinds of game meats. i was so mesmerized by the selection and a wild boar ragout and jerky that i didn't pay attention to if he had loin chops. there was definitely a butcher section and something tells me he carries some special items ;)

give him a call, toronto life has him listed here:
http://www.torontolife.com/guide/food...

743 The Queensway (at Royal York
)416-259-2992