MilkMaids

We wanted to let you know that we are taking a break this week, but don't worry! Steph and Tara are working hard behind the scenes to bring you season 2! Season 2 will be out Thursday September 16th. 

In the meantime, reach out to us at [email protected] 

Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe!

Could you use a little extra cash on the homestead? Of course, we all can! Farming is a passion of ours, but it also costs money. Which is why we've gotten creative over the years on ways to expand profit by using excess farm products to make and sell something entirely different. Follow us along these 5 easy ways to increase your homestead income!

This week's shout out goes to SOOFA out of Atlanta Georgia! Darryl is fulfilling a lifelong dream of using horses to make a difference in people's lives. Go check them out at Equine | SOOFA Ranch - Horseback Riding Experience | United States | Atlanta

As always, you can reach us at:

[email protected]

Farming- the ideal lifestyle, right? We agree! But also, there are aspects to farming that aren't nearly as romantic as they are portrayed in the movies. One of those being the time it takes to get everything done in a day, month, season, year. Daily chores are one thing, but farm maintenance, food preservation, and food creation is another. All things to consider if you are dying to jump right into this incredible lifestyle! Join us as we talk about our timeline on our farms.

This week we are shouting out The Sioux Chef, and we can't say enough amazing things about them! They are remembering, documenting, teaching and bringing indegenous foods! They even have a restaurant serving only pre colonial dishes!

The Sioux Chef: The Sioux Chef – Revitalizing Native American Cuisine / Re-Identifying North American Cuisine (sioux-chef.com)

The Sioux Chef Cookbook: The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen: Sherman, Sean, Dooley, Beth: 9780816699797: Amazon.com: Books

Owamni Restaurant: Owamni – Full service Indigenous restaurant on the shores of Hahawakpa

As always, you can reach us at

[email protected]

It’s time for another installment of our Preservation Series! This is part two of two and we are talking all things canning. It’s harvest season all around the country and this is the perfect time to learn or brush up on your canning skills. In this second part, we cover the actual how to of both water bath canning and pressure canning, storage, and what to do if things go wrong.  Dont forget to #preservewithmilkmaids

This week’s shout out goes to Mother’s Finest Urban Farm! Samantha is doing amazing things on such small parcels of land. And the work she does for the community is truly inspiring! Check them out at https://www.mothersfinesturbanfarms.com

As always, you can reach us at

[email protected]

Weekly resources:

-National Center for Home Food Preservation | How Do I? Can Fruits (uga.edu)

-National Center for Home Food Preservation | How Do I? Can (uga.edu)

-Ball Canning Website: Fresh Preserving: Ball & Kerr Mason Jars & Home Canning

-Ball Blue Book: Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving: Ball Newell Brands: 0797190001428: Amazon.com: Books

-Cheap Water Bath Canner: Amazon.com: Granite Ware 21.5-Quart Porcelain Canner with Rack: Office Products

-Stainless Water Bath Canner: Amazon.com: Roots & Branches Harvest Stainless Steel Multi-Use Canner with Temperature Indicator, Holds 7 Quart Jars, 20 Quart Liquid Capacity: Stainless Steel Canners And Stock Pot: Kitchen & Dining

-Pressure Canner:Amazon.com: Presto 01781 23-Quart Pressure Canner and Cooker: Kitchen & Dining

-Canning Gadget Kit: Amazon.com: Norpro Canning Essentials Boxed Set, 6 Piece Set: Kitchen & Dining

-Canning Funnel with head space: Amazon.com: Prepworks by Progressive Canning Funnel for Regular and Wide Mouth Jars: Canning Tools: Kitchen & Dining

It’s time for another installment of our Preservation Series! This is part one of two and we are talking all things canning. It’s harvest season all around the country and this is the perfect time to learn or brush up on your canning skills. In this first part, we cover all of the history, safety, equipment and preparations of canning.  Dont forget to #preservewithmilkmaids

This week’s shout out goes to Mother’s Finest Urban Farm! Samantha is doing amazing things on such small parcels of land. And the work she does for the community is truly inspiring! Check them out at https://www.mothersfinesturbanfarms.com

As always, you can reach us at

[email protected]

-National Center for Home Food Preservation | How Do I? Can Fruits (uga.edu)

-National Center for Home Food Preservation | How Do I? Can (uga.edu)

-Ball Canning Website: Fresh Preserving: Ball & Kerr Mason Jars & Home Canning

-Ball Blue Book: Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving: Ball Newell Brands: 0797190001428: Amazon.com: Books

-Cheap Water Bath Canner: Amazon.com: Granite Ware 21.5-Quart Porcelain Canner with Rack: Office Products

-Stainless Water Bath Canner: Amazon.com: Roots & Branches Harvest Stainless Steel Multi-Use Canner with Temperature Indicator, Holds 7 Quart Jars, 20 Quart Liquid Capacity: Stainless Steel Canners And Stock Pot: Kitchen & Dining

-Pressure Canner:Amazon.com: Presto 01781 23-Quart Pressure Canner and Cooker: Kitchen & Dining

-Canning Gadget Kit: Amazon.com: Norpro Canning Essentials Boxed Set, 6 Piece Set: Kitchen & Dining

-Canning Funnel with head space: Amazon.com: Prepworks by Progressive Canning Funnel for Regular and Wide Mouth Jars: Canning Tools: Kitchen & Dining

- Canning Timeline: https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/ipd/canning/timeline-table

Welcome to the much awaited Chicken Processing episode!! This episode is two of two that covers equipment needed, set up layout, and the second half of the procedure, which does include cleaning, packaging, and chilling the birds properly.

***WARNING*** This episode contains talk of death, blood, butchering etc. LIstener discretion is advised!

There is no shout out this week, but we do encourage you to look at our past shout outs and support or purchase from them. Don't forget to reach out and let us know of a person, organization, farm, ranch, etc that we should feature!

As always, you can reach us at

[email protected]

Weekly Resources:

- Poultry Man Equipment The Bird Nerd – Produce, Process, Prepare – Specializing in Pastured Poultry

- Steph's Kill cones: Flat Back Kill Cones – The Bird Nerd

-Steph's Scalder/Plucker Combo: Homestead Plucker / Scalder Combo – The Bird Nerd

-Catfish Skinner: Amazon.com : Commercial Catfish Skinner : Fishing Pliers And Tools : Sports & Outdoors

-Lung Scraper: Lung Rake 6 inch with Garden hose adapter - Featherman Equipment

-Chicken Drying Rack DIY Video: Building a chicken drying rack - YouTube

- Texas Poultry Shrink Bags: 10 x 16 Shrink Bags (texaspoultryshrinkbags.com)

-Insulated gloves: Amazon.com : RAPICCA BBQ Gloves 17 Inches, 932℉, Heat Resistant-Smoker, Grill, Cooking Barbecue Gloves, Handling Heat Food Right on Your Fryer, Grill, Oven. Waterproof, Fireproof, Oil Resistant Neoprene Coating(XL) : Garden & Outdoor

Welcome to the much awaited Chicken Processing episode!! This episode is one of two that covers equipment needed, set up layout, and the first half of the actual processing procedure.

***WARNING*** This episode contains talk of death, blood, butchering etc. LIstener discretion is advised!

This week's shout out goes to Eighth Generation in Seattle Washington! Their tagline says it all, "inspired Natives, not Native inspired". Check out their products and show them support at Eighth Generation

As always, you can reach us at

[email protected]

Weekly Resources:

- Poultry Man Equipment The Bird Nerd – Produce, Process, Prepare – Specializing in Pastured Poultry

- Steph's Kill cones: Flat Back Kill Cones – The Bird Nerd

-Steph's Scalder/Plucker Combo: Homestead Plucker / Scalder Combo – The Bird Nerd

-Catfish Skinner: Amazon.com : Commercial Catfish Skinner : Fishing Pliers And Tools : Sports & Outdoors

-Lung Scraper: Lung Rake 6 inch with Garden hose adapter - Featherman Equipment

-Chicken Drying Rack DIY Video: Building a chicken drying rack - YouTube

- Texas Poultry Shrink Bags: 10 x 16 Shrink Bags (texaspoultryshrinkbags.com)

-Insulated gloves: Amazon.com : RAPICCA BBQ Gloves 17 Inches, 932℉, Heat Resistant-Smoker, Grill, Cooking Barbecue Gloves, Handling Heat Food Right on Your Fryer, Grill, Oven. Waterproof, Fireproof, Oil Resistant Neoprene Coating(XL) : Garden & Outdoor

Join us this week for another foraging episode! This time, we are covering some common plants that are perfect to harvest right now! Learn to identify these wonderful plants, what they are used for, and recipes on how to use them.

*** Disclaimer*** Please consult your physician before using any of these plants internally or for medicinal purposes. Consult an expert to confirm identification of plants before use.

This week's shout out goes to the incredible Homeless Garden Project in Santa Cruz, California! Their model is admirable and could benefit any community. Show they some support at Home - Homeless Garden Project. And be sure to check out the video on their new farm at Home - Pogonip Farm - HGP Campaign (homelessgardenproject.org)

As always, you can reach us at

[email protected]

Join us on the MilkMaids Preservation Challenge! Be sure to tag us in your photos with the hashtag #preservewithmilkmaids

Weekly Resources:

- "Mountain States Medicinal Plants" by Briana Wiles

-"Foraging the Mountain West" by Thomas J. Elpel and Kris Reed

-"The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies" by Nicole Apelain PhD and Claude Davis

- "Picture This" Plant Identifying App

- Alexis Nicole @blackforager

This week join Steph and Tara as they talk about what has been going right and wrong in their garden. Did you all have germination issues? What about the weeds, are you winning that battle? Are you harvesting anything? We get right down to it and ask to see and hear how your gardens are doing!

Our shoutout this week goes to the well deserved Vertical Harvest based out of Jackson Wyoming. Not only are they utilizing inner city space and hydroponic practices, Vertical Harvest also employs people of all abilities and are really changing the way that cities think about their food system. You can find them here:

Urban Hydroponic Farms in USA, Vertical Harvest Leads in Social Impact (verticalharvestfarms.com)

This innovative farm grows more than just fresh produce (msn.com)

Hearts of Glass – by JenTen Productions and Slow Food in the Tetons (heartsofglassfilm.com)

Please don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. You can tag us in your preservation photos, or use the hashtag #preservewithmilkmaids and we will make sure to post your photos to our stories.

Happy Milking!

COWS VS GOATS!!! Wait, are we fighting? Well, sort of! Tara and Steph go through all the pros and cons of both goats and cows. Everything from milk quality, to fencing needs, to up front costs, profits, and skill levels. We absolutely have our favorites in mind- which is yours? Let us know!

This week's shout out goes to the impressive Moxie Ridge Farm & Creamery owned by Lee Hennesy. Lee is amazing with all he has accomplished in such a short amount of time. His farming practices are admirable to say the least. Check out their website at Moxie Ridge Farm & Creamery or their patreon at Moxie Ridge Farm is creating true stories from a small goat farm | Patreon

As always, you can reach us at

[email protected]

Weekly Resources:

-The Differences Between Cow Milk And Goat Milk - Cultures for Health

-Cows Are Deadlier Than You Ever Knew (gizmodo.com)

-Composting Cow Manure: Using Cow Manure Fertilizer In The Garden (gardeningknowhow.com)

-Goat Manure Fertilizer: Goat Manure In The Garden (gardeningknowhow.com)

Happy Milking!