Self-taught farmers confidently raising chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs. Our focus is on practices that are environmentally harmonious and respectful to our livestock. We appreciate the beauty around us, clean eating, fermenting, and responsibly utilizing the bounty of the land. If you like thinking for yourself, continuous learning, and connecting with the homesteader lifestyle, check us out.
That delighful fragrance wafting in the humid evening breeze is a telltale sign that flowers are blooming on the farm. When I smell that wonderful perfume, I take time to soak it in…and then I start making plans. Last year, I had planned to make Black Locust Flower wine, but missed the bloom. This year, we had a bumper crop of Black Locust blooms!
Continue reading “Wildcrafted: 2022’s Black Locust Flower Wine”
When was the last time you bought a whole pineapple and cut it up? And when you did, did you also use the peel and core? If not, you’re missing out: fermented beverages are just waiting to be made from the humble pineapple “waste”…like delightful country wine. If you like frugal and creative, read on!
Continue reading “Winecraft: No Waste Pineapple Peel Wine, Two Ways”
I’ve seen oak leaves, mixed with what are predominantly maple leaves, in the pastures, and have wondered about their provenance. To my knowledge, there are no oak trees here, though I’ve seen them at nearby parks and other properties. So where, exactly, were these leaves coming from?
Continue reading “Musings: Mystery Of The Oak Leaf”
If you’ve clicked on a link in one of our blog posts to a wine recipe and found that it no longer works, it’s likely because it was one of Jack Keller’s recipes. He passed away in September 2020, and it appears that his winemaking website is no longer being maintained. An archive may be found here.
Continue reading “Read This: Looking For Jack Keller’s Wine Recipes?”
Beautiful red roses grow amok here in an area that clearly hints at having once been a well-tended terraced garden. I choose to let the vegetation grow wild – and have been rewarded with sumac berries, peonies, lemon balm, yucca, and other delightful flora. The roses, as with many of the other flowers here, aren’t just pretty faces – they’re edible. And wouldn’t they make a lovely wine?
Continue reading “Winecraft: Ruby Red Rose”
It was a hot and humid day. The honeysuckle perfumed the muggy air with its seductive fragrance. I ventured out, dressed from head to toe (for sun and tick protection), to harvest honeysuckle blooms, many of which seemed to be intertwined with brambles. Soon, my nitrile gloves were ripped to shreds – but, sometimes, sacrifices must be made in the pursuit of the land’s wild bounty.
Continue reading “Winecraft: Heavenly Honeysuckle…And Blotto Bees”