MilkMaids

It's that time of year for garden planning! We cover the, often looked over, basics that help to set you up for a successful season. From where to plant, how much to plant, and what to plant, to even sourcing seeds- we cover it all.

This week we are shouting out The Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths! They are truly inclusive with a mentor/mentee training program that is out of this world. Check them out at https://www.inclusiveblacksmiths.com

As always, you can reach us at

[email protected]

Resources: Here are some of our favorite seed companies!

-Lake Valley Seeds www.lakevalleyseeds.com

-MIgardener www.migardener.com

-The GOOD SEED Co www.goodseedco.net

-Seed Savers Exchange www.seedsavers.org

-Indigenous Seed Initiative www.indigenousseedinitiative.org

-Johnny's Select Seeds www.johnnyseeds.com

-I Grow Shit www.igrowshit.com

-Kitazawa Seed Company https://kitazawaseed.com/index.html

-Southern Exposure Seed Exchange http://www.southernexposure.com

This week join Tara as she talks with Marissa Lear Fortin from Springhill Heritage Farm about how she came into farming for profit and what that looks like for her balancing clinic nurse life and farm life along of what she plans to do for her farm in the future. Marissa and her partner are raising pastured chickens and pastured pigs while selling directly to consumers while also partnering with other farms in order to provide a variety of local farm goods.

Marissa brought her very own shoutout, Linda Black Elk, she is the Food Sovereignty Coordinator at United Tribes Technical College in North Dakota. Please consider donating to her so she can continue her very important work.

Don’t forget to check out Marissa’s mother’s page, Springhill Heritage Farm Quilts.

Links

M5 Small Business Courses

Cultivating Capital Course

This week is a timely episode as we encourage you to jump in on farm planning! This is absolutely applicable no matter your scale, from first time homesteaders to for profit farming. We guide you through our steps to help ensure our farm is successful, organized and well thought out.

Our shout out this week goes to Anne Bell of Wilder Creations! Her work is traditional, inspired, and truly stunning! Check her out at Wilder Creations | Facebook

Plum Planner

As always, you can reach us at

[email protected]

Happy Milking!

This week, we spend some time in our homestead kitchens talking about bread! Making bread is such a romantic and self-sufficient skill that can also be quite intimidating. Not with this guide! Give it a listen and then get to kneading.

Our shout out this week goes to Willow Lane Hat Co! Not only do they have beautiful products, but they also have an amazing message. Check them out at https://willowlanehats.com

As always, you can reach us at

[email protected]

Weekly Resources:

https://manyeats.com/history-of-bread/

The Science Of Bread - Kitchen Geekery

How Baking Soda Works - Cooking Chemistry (thoughtco.com)

How Does Baking Powder Work in Cooking? (thoughtco.com)

Dough Scraper- Amazon.com: Amazon Basics Multi-Purpose Stainless Steel Scraper/Chopper with Contoured Grip, 6-Inch

“Cooked” Episode “Air” on Netflix

This week, we are talking about on-farm milk testing! It is so important to understand raw milk and the biology surrounding it to be sure you are consuming a safe product. The only way to do that is through testing, but the expense of lab tests add up. Not to mention the recent hassles with shipping and such. Having the means and knowledge to test your own milk on your own farm is such an amazing tool to have in your toolbox. We will be going through the entire routine.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our 2 part Raw Milk episodes. They will help form a full understanding combined with this episode.

As always, you can reach us at: 

[email protected]

This week’s shout out goes to Toronto’s Black Farmers and Growers Collective out of Toronto, Canada. They are doing really amazing things, please check out their website at https://www.torontoblackfarmers.ca/

Weekly Resources:

In the News:

https://meansandmatters.bankofthewest.com/article/financial-perspectives/industries/6-ways-sustainable-agriculture-is-changing-the-business-of-food/

The Small Scale Dairy by Gianaclis Caldwell https://www.amazon.com/Small-Scale-Dairy-Complete-Production-Market/dp/1603585001/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Small+scale+dairy&qid=1639336736&sr=8-3

CMT Test Kit https://hambydairysupply.com/cmt-test-kit-with-concentrate/

Incubator https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VF42J9S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

APC Plates https://nelsonjameson.com/3M-PETRIFILM-Aerobic-Count-Plates-p2019.html

TC Plates https://nelsonjameson.com/3M-PETRIFILM-Coliform-Count-Plates-p2021.html

Beaker https://www.amazon.com/Borosilicate-Graduations-Karter-Scientific-232P4/dp/B01JM3AX52/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=150+ml+beaker&qid=1639321646&sr=8-3

Sterile Water

https://www.amazon.com/Sterile-Irrigation-Water-250ml/dp/B079YZ9R1C/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Sterile+water&qid=1639321691&sr=8-3

1ml Pipettes

https://www.amazon.com/Disposable-Transfer-Droppers-Volumetric-Essential/dp/B07SKV7ZJD/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=1ml+pipette&qid=1639321063&sr=8-4

Quick Swab

https://nelsonjameson.com/3M-Quick-Swabs-p2449.html

Part two of intro to honeybees! This week we actually get into the act of beekeeping. First we cover the types of hives and equipment you will need. We help you choose, obtain and install your new bees. And lastly, we help you with a basic maintenance routine.

This week’s shout out goes to Bees4Vets in Nevada! How fitting, right? They are uniting bees and our veterans to create quite the symbiotic relationship. We love it. Find them at https://bees4vets.org

As always, you can reach us at

[email protected]

Weekly Resources:

https://honeybee.org.au/education/wonderful-world-of-honey/how-bees-make-honey/

https://hankeringforhistory.com/the-history-of-beekeeping/

https://www.museumoftheearth.org/bees/evolution-fossil-record

https://www.perfectbee.com/your-beehive/beehives-and-accessories/a-detailed-look-at-the-top-bar-beehive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdDd6fwvQ-g

Bees Baby! Finally! This has been a highly requested topic and we are finally covering honey in this intro to bees, two parter! This week we are talking about the bees themselves and how they maintain and operate a hive. These creatures are beyond fascinating and deserve our respect. Tara sets us up for part two by giving us a fascinating dose of history on the act of beekeeping.

This week’s shout out goes to Bees4Vets in Nevada! How fitting, right? They are uniting bees and our veterans to create quite the symbiotic relationship. We love it. Find them at https://bees4vets.org

As always, you can reach us at

[email protected]

Weekly Resources:

https://honeybee.org.au/education/wonderful-world-of-honey/how-bees-make-honey/

https://hankeringforhistory.com/the-history-of-beekeeping/

https://www.museumoftheearth.org/bees/evolution-fossil-record

https://www.perfectbee.com/your-beehive/beehives-and-accessories/a-detailed-look-at-the-top-bar-beehive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdDd6fwvQ-g

Join us this week as we talk all about providing your own protein on the homestead! This episode isn't what you expect it to be, its not a countdown of meats. As it turns out, there is a lot to protein, where it comes from and all of the wild ways to acquire it! 

Our shout out this week goes to Southern Exposure Seed Exchange! They are a great company, preserving the variety in our veggies. Check them out at http://www.southernexposure.com

As always, you can reach us at

[email protected]

Weekly Resources:

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/protein/

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/bariatrics/_documents/nutrition_protein_content_common_foods.pdf

https://www.homestead.org/livestock/raising-meat-rabbits-lessons-learned-back-to-front-raising-rabbits-for-meat/

This week were are talking about soap! Why? Well, because soap is an amazing option for utilizing all your amazing products that you produce on the farm. Enjoying homemade soap for you and your family is an amazing luxury. It is also a great value added product if you are a for profit farm. 

This week's shout out goes to the amazing Salmon Sisters of Alaska! These women are amazing commercial fisherman with homesteading roots. Check them out at Salmon Sisters (aksalmonsisters.com)

Weekly Resources:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/17/americas/cow-rescue-in-flood-hit-british-columbia-intl/index.html

www.soaphistory.net

https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/books/

http://soapcalc.net/calc/soapcalcWP.asp

https://www.eocalc.com/enter-your-own-blend/

https://www.newdirectionsaromatics.com

https://www.brambleberry.com

https://www.youtube.com/c/RoyaltySoaps

Grass fed beef vs grain fed beef, self explanatory, right? Turns out there is way more to this topic than you would think! We are covering everything from flavor and texture of the meat to management practices of the cows. Of course we also discuss labels, what they actually mean, and the future of grass fed beef. 

Our shout out this week goes to Spider City Brewing of Bend Oregon! This women owned business puts out some amazingly inspired beers. Check them out at https://spidercitybrewing.com/home

As always, you can reach us at

[email protected]

Weekly Resources:

https://extension.psu.edu/grass-fed-vs-grain-fed-beef

https://www.mychicagosteak.com/steak-university/grain-fed-vs-grass-fed-steaks

https://www.mychicagosteak.com/steak-university/how-the-usda-grades-your-steak

https://jetfresh.net/santa-carota-beef-grass-fed/

https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/what-makes-grass-fed-beef-different-and-are-you-buying-the-real-thing

https://www.americangrassfed.org/about-us/our-standards/