Before you dive into this post, I should clarity where I stand on raising chickens. We've got around 60 chickens on the homestead today. 3 flocks of hens that we've acquired over the past 4 years, plus 4 studious roosters. When you add our seasonal meat birds to that mix, there's close to 300 chickens... Continue Reading →
It started with a pork butt... That's how all stories should begin if you ask me. But the particular story I want to tell today is about delicious, fall apart pulled pork. And it definitely starts with a pork butt... What is a pork butt anyway? Don't let the name mislead you. The pork butt... Continue Reading →
I'll make you a promise. Once you taste pork raised right on your own property you'll never want to buy it in the store again. That taste comes with a price tag, though. I'm not going to lie. You'll invest time, money and a whole lot of energy into raising your own pork. For 8-12... Continue Reading →
I spent the majority of my time as a kid roaming the neighborhood with my friends. Playing kickball in the street. Chopping out forts through the blackberry brambles that covered empty lots. Riding bikes literally everywhere. We were a tight nit band of knuckle-headed warriors blazing our way through adolescence in the early 80s. This... Continue Reading →
Winter is a great time to make mead. We had a couple 2lb bags of cranberries left over from the holidays, and I didn't want them to go to waste. So I thought I'd put them to good use by experimenting with a new mead recipe. I'm glad I did. This might be my favorite... Continue Reading →
Most people have their sirloin tip roast cut into stew meat or possibly kabobs. But that is not us, dear friend. We will find another way to prepare and enjoy this unique cut of beef. But first of all, what in the world is the sirloin tip roast? And how is it different than a... Continue Reading →
I'm not much for new year's resolutions. But I am big on having goals and doing new things each year. I think it's important to have something to look forward to in a new year. It feels like we're sorely low on hope in our society today, so make plans, I say. Have something to... Continue Reading →
Mead has been enjoyed by different cultures for hundreds of years. It may actually be the first thing humans fermented. There is joy in making your own mead right at home, and knowing that many have gone before you in perfecting and exploring this timeless craft. At the heart of any mead recipe is the... Continue Reading →
We're not really a "brownie out of the box" kind of family. At least not anymore. Not when making brownies from scratch is so easy to do. It's more fun to experiment with your own recipes, and I've got some pretty forgiving kids who are willing to try almost anything. They're also a pretty good... Continue Reading →
I've been considering leaving Facebook for some time. But I was surprised with how hard the decision actually was once I got there. Like many people, I joined the social media powerhouse a long time ago. Before they owned Instagram and WhatsAp. Long before data privacy was a concern. If I remember right, MySpace might... Continue Reading →