Taste of the Heartland

Our gift boxes which may include smoked hams, bacon, summer sausages, and cheese ship without the need for additional cooling or packaging. However, during hotter weather, we may use insulated bags, gel packs, or coolers to ensure they arrive in perfect condition. Gift boxes that do not include fresh meat ship on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Orders received after midnight on Tuesday will be shipped the following week.

Our summer sausages, smoked pork chops, bratwurst sausages, jerky, landjaeger, and ham are fully cooked and ready to eat. Boneless ham and smoked pork chops can be gently reheated to serve warm. Be sure to fully cook the bacon before eating. The cheese is perfect for snacking anytime. For the best flavor, serve the ham, cheese, and summer sausages at room temperature.

Promptly refrigerate or freeze upon receiving.

Refrigerate: Store ham, bacon, summer sausage, smoked pork chops, and cheese in their original packaging in the refrigerator. Once opened, use ham within 5-7 days, bacon within 3-5 days, summer sausage within 4-6 weeks, smoked pork chops within 3-5 days, and cheese within 3-4 weeks. For best quality, wrap opened items tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container; for cheese, wrap in wax paper or parchment paper followed by plastic wrap.

Freeze: To freeze ham, bacon, and smoked pork chops leave them in their original packaging or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil or place them in heavy-duty freezer bags. Limit freezing ham to 4-6 months, bacon to 1-2 months, and smoked pork chops to 2-3 months for best quality. Thaw all items in the refrigerator before use. Note that freezing can make cheese crumbly.