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Category Archives: Hillstead Foods and Feeds
Post-Autumn Food Processing Updates
Mild Fall-like weather continues to prevail into mid-December in these parts. At this time 4 years ago, not only was it cold, it was cold enough to freeze the Panther Hollow Lake in Schenley Park, allowing college students to go … Continue reading
Posted in Hillstead Foods and Feeds, Hunting
Tagged butchering, cider, deer jerky, home processing, homesteading, jerky, perry, venison
2 Comments
Oh Deer.
Greeting the first of the sun’s rays, our Hillstead comes alive with birdsong. Squirrels and chipmunks are abundant and have been taking advantage of the warmer-than usual weather by noisily grabbing the remainder of hickory nuts, acorns, and black walnuts … Continue reading
Posted in Hillstead Foods and Feeds, Hunting, Outsidey Stuff
Tagged deer, homesteading, Hunting
3 Comments
*Warning: This is not a hunting blog.*
Photos presented herein are by design sparse and do not contain any images of dead animals. Read safely and without peril. Though born in the city, I did most of my growing up in what they called “God’s Country”, about … Continue reading
Posted in Hillstead Foods and Feeds, Hunting, Outsidey Stuff
Tagged deer, Hunting, whitetail
2 Comments
Squish the fruit, make the Drink
Perry, I think we’re ready. You know why? Because I can feel it… in here. Walter, where are you pointing to? That’s right- we’re trying our hand at making Perry-Cider. Harvest began with the pear trees on our Hillstead in … Continue reading
Posted in Hillstead Foods and Feeds, Outsidey Stuff
Tagged apple press, bucket press, cider, diy press, homebrewing, perry
3 Comments
Some Spice would be Nice
With the mild and mellow weather that we’ve been having, it’s not too difficult to start thinking about next Spring. The first hint of Spring for many of us PA’sters might be that seasonal explosion of bright yellow Forsythia – … Continue reading
Boil ‘em, mash ‘em, stick ‘em in a stew
PO-TA-TOES, friends! They are here! The Pontiac Red seed potatoes that I sewed in April are ready for harvesting. I’ve been ducking into the potato patch whenever I can to pop out a few taters here and there. Yesterday’s 30 … Continue reading
Chickens Keep on Giving
It’s been an incredibly busy week at the Hillstead and we have so much that we want to share! We’ll be working on a sizeable update over to the weekend, but for now, a chicken-y update! The ladies are still … Continue reading
Of Titmice and Meals
One of the major differences between the Hillstead and ‘Burgh has been the way that we’re buying, preparing, and saving food. We’ve always enjoyed making our own family meals and are usually pretty good at using leftovers, but life at … Continue reading
Posted in Bugs, Birds, and Bears, Hillstead Foods and Feeds
Tagged birding, birds, chicken soup, chicken stock
3 Comments
Sweet Neighbors, Sweet Relish
Our very kind neighbors (the ones who own Nanny and some ducks) welcomed us with many delicious things including donuts, duck eggs, and a huge bag of red and green tomatoes. What to do with green tomatoes? Many folks are … Continue reading
The Summer Hillstead 