Chow time for puppies!

 

On January 26, 2022 our Anatolian Shepherd Arya had 10 puppies!  

We have had a wonderful time seeing these puppies grow.

They were trained it was "chow" time when the bell was rung.  

Watch these adorable puppies when they hear the bell. 

https://youtu.be/T4hXAYLZieQ

For more information visit our Anatolian Shepherd Livestock Guardian Dogs page
 or message us on our Honey Milk Farms Facebook.

Make Your own Cold Brew Coffee for pennies a cup

Coffee, I'm pretty sure it's what keeps this farm going.  However the high acid content of regular hot brewed coffee and my stomach don't like each other.   A few years back I started making Cold Brew Coffee due to the lower acidity and I tried several different recipes.  Then I just went for simple.  The results are the same great tasting coffee, which can be drank either hot or cold, but getting there is so much easier.  You don't need anything special - no special equipment.  You can use whatever ground coffee you want or even grind your own.  I again go for simple and I buy the large canister of Folger's at Sam's Club.  The result is delicious coffee.  I did the math the other day and a cup of cold brewed coffee costs me 5 cents! 

Julie's Super Simple Cold Brew Coffee Recipe:
1 Gallon of water (I use filtered)
1 Cup of ground coffee (can use more or less depending on how strong you like your coffee)

Mix together thoroughly and let sit on counter top for 24 hours.  Strain through a coffee filter and put in containers of your choice - I prefer my glass half gallon canning jars with plastic lids.  Store it in the refrigerator.  Can drink it either hot or over ice.  Enjoy!!

Crystalized Honey - Why does it do that? Is it still good?

Crystalized honey - Why does honey crystalize? What's wrong with it? Is still good? These are some of the questions we get with regards to honey.  

Honey crystalizes at low temperatures and it's a natural process. How fast it crystalizes depends on a couple of different factors - the ratio of the sugars in the honey (glucose and fructose).  The ratio of the sugars is dependent on what plants the bees harvested their nectar from and the honey made from some plants crystalizes faster than others.  Clover is one that causes honey to crystalize faster.  In addition, the presence of pollen in the honey speeds up the crystalization process.  

Crystalization DOES NOT mean the honey is bad! Infact, it's quite the opposite!  Honey that has additives (such as high fructose corn syrup - yuck!) or has been pasteurized doesn't crystalize.  Makes you think about all that honey sitting on store shelves that never crystalizes, right?  Here's a couple great links to learning more about crystalized honey Bee Raw and Nature's Nate.  

So don't go throwing your crystalized honey out!  If you'd like for it to be liquid again - gently heat it but whatever you do don't microwave it! The microwave will make it liquid but it will kill all of the beneficial stuff in the honey.  Don't be tempted to reheat it over and over - each time will lessen the quality of the honey.  Just heat what you will use or use it in it's crystalized form - it's all good!

Baby Goats are here!

Went to feed and found a beautiful set of twins - a boy and a girl! Our first ones of the 2020 season.  I love kidding time!  Baby goats are so stinking cute!!!

Cold and Flu Season is upon us! Elderberry Syrup made in an Instant Pot

Well one of the things I got for Christmas was NOT at all what I wanted - a cold!  So a friend told me about an Elderberry syrup recipe and I decided to try it.  I ordered the dried berries from Amazon (love Amazon) and they arrived today.  My "Santa" brought me an Instant Pot - so excited and tried the recipe forwarded by my friend which was:  Wellness Mama Elderberry Syrup Recipe  Another great thing about this recipe is it calls for honey - so I was able to use honey from our own hives.  The resulting syrup is delicious!  The dosage is 1/2 teaspoon for children and 1 Tablespoon for Adults (taking a dose every 2-3 hours when experiencing cold/flu symptoms)

Check out our YouTube video on making the syrup: Instant Pot Elderberry Syrup

Elderberries have been around and used a long time to treat a variety of things from colds and flu to possibly prevent cancer.  The recipe site has lots of good information about Elderberries and for another great article check out the Chalkboard Mag's article Elderberry 101: How to benefit from this immune boosting berry 

Hint: The syrup is delicious, but another benefit of Elderberries is they are a laxative - so don't be tempted to take more than the recommended dosage (or you might experience other things that wasn't exactly what you intended) 

I'm so excited about Elderberries that I will be planting some Spring 2020 and will post about them on the Honey Milk Farms' Gardening page!  

Honey Milk Farms has a Youtube Channel

Honey Milk Farms now has a Youtube channel!  Check out our latest video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z7pEHff3xQ

What to do with all this milk.....

I love this time of year - in addition to all the cute bouncy babies - we have an abundance of milk!  

 What to do with all this milk....Make cheese!!  One of easiest recipes is for Ricotta (I use the recipe from Mary Jane Toth's book "Goats Produce Too." It's super easy and quick! Takes one gallon of milk and less than an hour to make and drain. 

This Ricotta can be eaten plain with a little salt, but I usually add in some chopped fresh basil.  It's soooo Delicious!