Hello everyone and welcome back to Wicked Quail and Pork Homestead- the blog. Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook! We are a small family farm operating on a 3rd generation property. Prior to us purchasing the property from my grandfather, it was a beef farm. However, with 4 other beef farms nearby, and my strong opinion on chasing cattle and fixing fences.. we have changed it around a bit.
We have been raising swine for 8 years, we mentor anyone looking to get into the pork and piggo industry. Recently we switched to registered Idaho Pasture Pigs. We also have poultry, turkeys, ducks, and quail. I think we may start leaning more towards the birds on the business end of things.
I am happy to say we have our meat rabbits back, that's one of my favorites due to sustainability and cost. We also recently brought in dairy sheep! Yum!
We are a small family with 2 kiddos, that love all things outdoors. We hope you enjoy all we have to offer, and we'd like to say.. Welcome, friend!
If you'd like to support our blog here is an affiliate link to our favorite seed company- Botanical Interests Link- https://shrsl.com/3de5l
Azure Standard Link- https://www.azurestandard.com/?a_aid=135be8a608
I have been enjoying my kitchen big time because my lovely husband has been adding some finishing touches here and there for me. For those of you who don't know, we recently took over a 200 year old farmhouse and I feel we will be in "remodeling mode" for quite some time.
This week he got the dishwasher installed and a pantry door put up! The pantry door is great for a couple of things. First, it is keeping the pantry cooler and the rest of the house warmer. The wood furnace isn't trying to heat that hallway, and our root crops can be stored at an appropriate temperature! Second, it just looks lovely, I will leave a picture below.
He made it by twitching up a pine tree from down back, milling out the rough cut boards with our sawmill, and then crafting it to fit the space. We ordered a track for it to slide on on Amazon, and now I am one happy homesteading lady.
As you can see, we still have lots to do like trim work, finish cutting in the paint, etc. All in good time... at least that's what I keep telling myself.
This farmhouse has been in my family for 3 generations. We have replaced flooring, structural beams, paint, cabinets, countertops, drywalls, and much more since moving in April of 2023. Next week we get to finish the bathroom and you have no idea how excited I am to have a lovely bath and show to relax in for the remainder of the winter months.
Speaking of winter months, how is it where you are?
We are getting a mixed-weather storm today here in Central, Maine. That means we will have snow and freezing rain coming down at the same time throughout the next 24 hours. In other words, we will be looking at slick roads and cold, wet temperatures. A pretty regular occurrence here throughout January, then hopefully we will switch over to just snow in February and March. That, however, does make this the perfect day to re-stock my drinking bone broth and JUICE!
I love doing indoor projects on snowy winter days, I think it helps me to feel less guilty for not getting much done outdoors except the basic feeding and watering of the livestock. (Did I mention today is grain delivery day, ick!) But before I get started on feeding my sourdough starter and roasting my lamb bones, I want to walk you guys through the extremely simple process of making my favorite cranberry juice recipe.
I keep cranberry juice in my fridge in a half-gallon jar, so typically I have to make it every week. I use organic frozen cranberries through Azure Standard (see link above), organic orange slices, and cinnamon sticks! When I posted about this on my social media pages, I couldn't believe how many people wanted to buy it or know how to make it. You guys are about to be shocked at how simple this is.
Isn't she lovely!
Cranberry Juice
Ingredients
~1/2 gallon of water
~2.5 - 3 cups frozen whole cranberries
~1 cinnamon stick
~1 organic orange
~1/2 cup organic cane sugar
Instructions
Slice up as much of that orange as you see fit. Making this juice really comes down to your taste preference.
Add all of the ingredients to a pot and put over medium heat. As it heats up, stir the sugar so it can dissolve into the liquid.
Allow this to boil until you can tell that most of the juice and color have come out of the cranberries and into your juice. I like to mash the cranberries about halfway through to really extract all of the flavor.
Once you've decided it is done, you can pour it into your mason jar, let cool a bit, and throw it in the fridge! It really is THAT simple!
I would suggest tasting your juice before calling it done. This recipe is based on my preferences, but maybe you want more cranberry flavor (add more cranberries and keep boiling), or maybe you want it more sweet. Sometimes I add a squeeze of organic lemon into mine, especially in the summer. It makes for a lovely and refreshing cold drink. Don't be afraid to play in the kitchen with recipes like this. That's how you build your confidence in cooking from scratch!
This juice has tons of health benefits with the cranberries and oranges in there. My favorite way to drink it is warmed up in a mug in the evenings while I watch my favorite TV show.
I really hope you give this a try, and if you do try it, I really hope you like it! Let me know what you think down in the comments and let me know if you added anything else to it!
Happy Homesteading!
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