Raising goats to make your own cheese is a great goal. Today I’ll go over the basics of how to get started. Making the cheese is another topic for...

Have I mentioned that knitting is my favorite winter activity? Things have slowed down and I can have some time to catch up on my knitting projects....

I’m back from my podcast vacation. It has been three months since I recorded anything. We were both very, very busy and the things that keep the...

Multitasking. How do I get so much done in one day? This is a question I get often. I do a lot of multitasking on the homestead. I didn’t just wake...

Today I’m doing a little bit of Homestead musing. More “a day in the life” sort of podcast. I’ll make is a short one and I hope you like it. I love...

Raising animal protein for food on the homestead. What are some of the options? And what are some of the factors to consider when making your...

Planting the garden this year is a little tricky. Each year I have to determine what vegetables I want to grow. I don’t plant everything. After...

Today I will be continuing the conversation on producing your own food. There is a lot to cover and what I can include in this podcast will only...

Hello everybody. Melanie Hall, here. Hope you are doing well. The conversation today – and every day – revolves around the value of tradition;...

I’m back, finally with a new year, new projects. Hope you are doing well. I hope you had wonderful Christmas and New Year celebrations with your...

It has been a while so how about a homestead update and health update. I republished a couple of podcasts. I hope you got a chance to listen for the...

A cancer diagnosis is causing temporary changes to the podcast. We have had a cancer diagnosis and that will affect what I am able to do on a daily...

Today I want to talk about what I love about homesteading. Quite a few of the previous podcasts have contained lots of information about animal...

A day in the life on our homestead. My brother-in-law says we are always working. He is so right. And we love it. There is never a dull moment...

Canning peas is great fun. We have been shelling peas for several days. That is also quite fun. I’ll be talking all about that and more in today’s...

Today’s topic is cheddar cheese. That’s right. It’s time for another trivia podcast and this one is all about cheddar cheese. Is your mouth watering...

Today is going to be all about honey. How sweet is that? Honey is a yummy treat that has lots of health benefits. But what is it really? And how is...

Livestock guardian dogs is a natural follow-on to the previous podcast about coyotes. At that time, we weren’t really willing to make that step....

Coyotes are a plague when you have sheep. Today’s podcast is going to be all about coyotes. Probably more than you ever wanted to know. Some things...

What is a freemartin heifer? That’s today’s topic. It is related to one of our cows having twins. Stay tuned for those details. In other news, “is...

So much going on with spring birth on the homestead. And abandoned lamb was the immediate task to take care of today. A quick trip to town to get...

We’ve learned a lot about homesteading and living the homestead life over the past 16 years. Today I want to share some of that with you. If you are...

Have you considered flavored cheese in your home cheesemaking operation? Likely most of you are not making your own cheese. You’ll want to seek out...

What is flocculation when making cheese? And how does it affect my cheese? Today I’m going to revisit home cheesemaking and talk a little bit about...

Prepare for disaster is a motto I grew up with living in rural Michigan. Back in the day, when the power went off due to a winter storm, it could be...

Let’s get back to the quail and pickled quail eggs. So much has happened. Many changes since the last time I talked about them. Ten jars of pickled...

Our raw milk cheese creamery was the center of the day today. The construction is moving along nicely. Our state inspectors made an appearance and...

Thanksgiving tradition is the topic today. I try not to date my podcasts, and today is no different this will be appropriate today and for many...

Pecking order and Quail are in the news again today. There is always something new with these little guys. I have so much fun with them. They are...

Breeding sheep is one of the most enjoyable enterprises on our homestead. Sheep were the first animals we introduced back in 2010. They have been a...

Fall weddings are really beautiful. June weddings are quite popular, but I prefer fall weddings. I just prefer the fall. The colors are awesome....

What you can do with milk is my topic for today. There are lots of ways to use milk. It is a very versatile food. There is so much more than just...

Today I’ll be talking about types of cheese. What I mean by that is things like fresh, aged, hard, soft, semi-soft and so on. Our specialty is...

Fall is in the air here in southwest Virginia. For us, that means the air is much cooler. The leaves are still quite green, but that will be...

Quail chicks hatched – WOW!! How did I accomplish an 80% hatch rate? Well, I do follow specific procedures to ensure a better result. These...

It’s harvest season. I’m overwhelmed with tomatoes. Bumper crops are coming in at a time when I don’t really have time to address them. What’s a...

Canning tomato sauce is the name of the game this week. I have about 150 pounds of tomatoes picked so far. I think I will only be canning about 50...

Have you ever wondered, “Why does cheese melt”? Well, I’m going to talk about that today. What would we do without cheese that melts? Some are...

Today I’m going to review how to get raw milk cheese in Virginia via our herd share program. And, because I have lots of new listeners, I’m going to...

Blackberry jam. That’s today’s topic. Seedless blackberry jam of course. I can’t abide those tiny seeds between my teeth. I’m also starting to...

In today’s podcast “Best Animals for a Homestead” is the topic. We have tried many animals and plan to try a few more. The best animals for a...

What to grow in the garden? That is a question we all ask ourselves each and every year. There have been years of great variety. And then there is...

There is a lot to consider when planning your homestead. I thought I would go over a few of the ideas that we batted around when looking for land...

People are often surprised to hear our story of starting a homestead. It was a rather lengthy journey compared to what you might imagine. It was a...

Life and death on the homestead. It is our joy and sorrow in daily life. Much to talk about here. I want to take a minute and say welcome to all the...

The blueberries are ripening. Some are already ripe. We also have strawberries ripening. The varieties that we have are all everbearing, meaning...

Reblochon raw milk cheese is coming. There are other new cheeses that I will be making over the next few months, but this one is the one I’m most...

The cicadas in Southwestern Virginia are out and about. It happens once every 17 years. It’s truly a phenomenal occurrence. I can’t wait to get to...

A bit of a poignant topic in today’s podcast is “Does parental grief ever end?” I have that and lots more to talk about today. Welcome each and...

Today I want to talk about our raw milk cheese and cheesemaking. We have 4 different types of cheese and I am working on a 5th. I am so glad the...

It’s spring in Virginia and we have calves, spring lambs, a goat kid, and baby quail. So much is going on. This is true of every spring. After a...

I’ve been off track on a few things in my life and today’s podcast is about getting back on track. No matter what activity or goal in which you are...

COVID19, in the year of our Lord 2020 it’s affecting us all in one way or another. This podcast format will be a little different. This episode is...

You Can Make Your Own Cheese – Part 2. In the last podcast, I introduced this idea of making your own cheese and talked about what you would need...

You can make your own cheese just as well as anyone. A few years ago, I offered a piece of my cheese for tasting to a coworker. Her response was,...

Nose to tail beef is an important topic for those supporting local, sustainable, regenerative agriculture. I get lots of questions on it. Buying a...

Using a traditional slow-cooker has taken a back seat to Instapot-type pressure cookers and air fryers. But I still use mine and today’s podcast is...

For a little change of pace, Popular Cheeses is today’s topic as I’m sure I’ve worn you all out with all of those raw milk podcasts. The recipe...

Raw Milk to Ultra-Pasteurized Milk and everything in between is the topic of today’s podcast. I’m going to talk all about all sorts of milk and milk...

Last time it was all about whether raw milk is safe and this week it's about the benefits of raw milk. There are quite a few, though I only need...

Is raw milk dangerous is a question that many are asking. There is a surge in desire for this luscious and nutritious food – but what about all of...

Today I’m talking all about homemade whey protein. What it is, how it might benefit your health, and how you might use it. Whey protein is a...

Have you asked yourself the question, “How long should raw milk last?” It’s a good question and I’ll address it today, and provide a great ice cream...

Today I’m going over the Weston A Price Diet Basics. They champion raw milk and have a lot of great information on their website. I’ll put a link in...

We have made some really startling discoveries lately regarding the cost of milking cows and I want to share that with you today. Normande vs Jersey...

Traditional vs Modern Medicine; where do I begin? Some of you are new and I want to welcome you to the show. I hope you enjoy the content and will...

We are raising quail for eggs – or are we? Maybe we are raising quail for meat. Or perhaps it is a combination of the two. That’s the topic of...

Today at the farmer’s market speaking from one herbalist to another, I was reminded that activated charcoal is a simple treatment to use. That will...

The Traditional Family Cow is the topic of today’s podcast. She has just about been pushed out of existence. Lots of us are trying to revive this...

Today’s topic is how the keto diet and dairy fit together. The keto diet is catching on more and more it seems to me. That might be because it...

It has been a wild and crazy few days and there are more to come. Today’s podcast will be short. We do not have internet and won’t have it for 5...

Is a peaceful heart and peaceful mind possible in this wacky world? I’m waxing philosophical today. I hope you find this podcast educational and...

The Tradition of Father’s Day is the topic for today. It’s two weeks away for those of us here in the US. But first, let me take a minute to say...

The consumption of dairy products has been a mainstay for as long as mankind has been able to capture and milk animals of all kinds. Sheep, goats,...

This week I want to share our dream with all of you. Perhaps you’ve been dreaming the dream as well and just don’t think you can get there....

 This week’s topic brings back memories of days gone by and just might stir up the desire in you to cook over an open fire. Well perhaps not you....

Traditional Healing Wisdom has been with us since the beginning of time. Exploring where we are with that today is my main topic for this edition of...

Click for FREE download with this FarmCast episodeBefore I get started on today's topic, the Taste of Cheese, I want to take a minute and say...

The tradition of dairying has been around for thousands of years. Today, in the United States, the number of small dairy farms continues to decline....

This episode focuses on the basics of cheesemaking. This is in preparation for the next episode which is about why cheese tastes the way that it...

What Makes Food Taste So Good? is the topic of today’s show. The truth is, it is much more than taste. I’ll provide some details as to what taste is...

Spring has finally arrived. At least the spring equinox has passed. I feel a weight lifted off my shoulders. Looking forward to sharing the...

Today’s Peaceful Heart FarmCast is about how we came to live the homestead life and how we decided to create a small artisan cheese business....

Hello everybody. Melanie Hall here. Hope you are doing well. Are you ready for the podcast to get going again? I sure am. One change you’ll notice...