Looking for a sustainable, healthy fat? It's lard.

A few weeks ago, I received an email telling me about a new, trending, sustainable fat – algae oil.

Its sustainability is based solely on the fact that it has less carbon emissions than palm oil or vegetable oil. No word on how it’s harvested, how much energy is required to produce it, or if it’s a long-term option for the future. 

And I looked up from my email, to the stovetop in my kitchen, to the jars of collected bacon grease sitting beside it. And I thought: Huh. I’ve already got sustainable fat right here. 

One of the reasons I love our pork is because I don’t have to worry about whether my cooking fat is sustainable. It just is, whether that’s the ample grease I’m gathering from bacon, or the lard and leaf lard we keep stashed in the fridge. 

And I distinctly remember, as a child, hearing lard talked about in a derogatory way, especially when it came to women’s weight. Did you want to look like a tub of lard? No? Well then, don’t eat it. 

Actually, since it was the eighties and nineties, I’m pretty sure the message was just don’t eat fat, period. Lard was just the scapegoat. 

But I think a tub of lard is pretty incredible. It’s rich in monounsaturated fat and vitamin D. It can be used to roast, sear, fry, sauté, and whatever else I need as I cook three meals a day. And if I’m baking, leaf lard is right there to help me out. 

And that’s not to mention all the great ways it’s been used historically, including to make candles, soap, and lotion. (I actually throw a few tablespoons in when I make homemade tallow balm.) 

But the best part? It’s sustainable because it doesn’t require any extra work beyond what we’re already doing. We’re already raising pigs to manage our forest responsibly, protect heritage breed livestock, and create the most delicious, tender, nourishing woodland-raised pork for you. 

The fat is just the extra bonus we get from all of this. No need to clear forests, burn fuel, extract even more from the earth, or create more machinery to produce it. 

That, to me, is what sustainability is truly about. Not just creating something that checks one box: less carbon emissions. 

But it’s about looking at what we’re already doing, what we know helps us best care for the land, and thinking: How can we get the most use, the most resources, from this? And how can we give back while we’re growing food, rather than just extracting? 

And that’s not a question I see asked when I’m being pitched algae oil. Nothing against it. But I already feel great about the cooking fat I do have – one that’s healthy, honors the life of the animal who produced it, and makes amazing food. 

If you’re ready to get started with lard, here's a quick primer: you can use regular lard for all your cooking/searing/frying/sautéing needs, and you can leaf lard for all of that, plus baking. (You can learn more about this here.) 

And here are a few good ways to get started: 

• Use a teaspoon of lard to cook your morning eggs, sear your meat, or treat your cast iron pans. 
• Melt 1-2 tablespoons and toss with vegetables before roasting in the oven. 
• Sauté your greens -- just swap lard for the olive oil you'd usually use. 
• Make homemade popcorn -- a weekly Friday night ritual in our family. Melt 3 tbsp. lard of lard for every 1/3 cup of kernels.  
• Swap for vegetable oil 1:1 when frying food. 
• Want to bake? Swap leaf lard for a few tablespoons of melted butter in brownies, or make lard biscuits and lard pie crust.