Homestead 1870

05/25/2026

The rainy cold weather unfortunately kept me from the work I have been wanting to do, but I at least spent some of the time making up some fun things to add to the store. What do you all think about this puzzle? Thought it made a great poster and puzzle. What should I make next?

Lose yourself in a cozy, hands-on exploration of the world of honeybees. This illustrated puzzle brings together vintage-style botanical art, labeled bee anatomy, and warm, honeyed tones to create a slow, satisfying experience. Each piece snaps together with a glossy, vibrant print that highlights tiny details — from lavender sprigs to wooden hives — so the image rewards close attention as the scene emerges. The finished puzzle makes a quiet centerpiece for an evening of tea and conversation, or a relaxing solo ritual when you want to unwind and connect with nature.

Lose yourself in a cozy, hands-on exploration of the world of honeybees. This illustrated puzzle brings together vintage-style botanical art, labeled bee anatom

05/24/2026

I find that with a strong culture, one I have been using over time to make yogurt —can yield yogurt in a couple hours.

I choose Chobani, though I find Fage to have a more pleasing texture, because Chobani has 6 live cultures, one more than Fage. In the end, I choose how thick I want the yogurt to be.

It’s a good idea to add a variety of culture to keep them all active. Some cultures can be bought online or at a store, depends on your goals and needs, but most store bought yogurt will get you all of the basic cultures you should have.

Note —buying yogurt at the store doesn’t mean all of the cultures are alive, strong, or active. They are living creatures and can die under different conditions. Building up cultures over time can ensure you maintain many active and strong cultures.

In making this video, starting yogurt again for the first time, it was evident the little cup of yogurt I bought wasn’t doing well. After 5 hours of ferment, there was little coagulation. Normally this would be well beyond the needed time, but there are cultures that take days to max out their colonies, but not the classic commercial strains.

The process is fairly easy, the fermentation takes the longest time, as does the straining process, I let mine strain as much as a day or two. The yogurt is thick, creamy, and a consistency of a soft cream cheese —this thick consistency is excellent if you want to blend in jams, other additives, like cucumber for making a good Tzatziki. There’s no reason to let any of the good cucumber juice go to waste with a good thick yogurt.

One last note, the longer it takes to make, the less whey, means more time, effort and money goes into the process. So, a good healthy yogurt isn’t always the best financial option for a commercial product.

05/20/2026

Raven, sweet girl. Always wants to hang out. Also, always getting into trouble. This is why the licorice and caramelized honey mead was named for her.

05/18/2026

If you attended the farm tour, you saw the demonstration hive. There were questions about the hive and so, this video shows the bees returning to their home.

05/18/2026

Thank you everyone who attended the Loudoun Spring Farm tour. I hope you all enjoyed your visit and learning about honeybees and beekeeping. Thanks to Loudoun Farms for hosting.

05/18/2026

Thank you all for visiting on the Loudoun Spring Farm tour. I hope everyone enjoyed learning about honeybees and all the goodies that provided. Loudoun Farms

05/15/2026

We are selling our herd sires. Meet Emerald*H*F Captain America: pd2320289. All of our ND goats are ADGA registered. For more information, send a PM.

About Captain Emerald Hills Farm Captain America: PD2320289 - Nigerian Dwarf Buck, Dam & Sire MayaMaya's Gallery ...Hip HipHip hop is

05/15/2026

Looking for a good herd sire? Meet Cedric, PD2479609. Son of our wonderful doe Rowena, and his dad is Alexander Hamilton. Please reach out to learn more about him. Check out his profile page:

About Cedric Cedric is the buck from our doe Rowena. He's currently out For DNA testing, and hope to have him registered soon. Dam & Sire Ro

05/12/2026

Join us at Homestead 1870 this Saturday and Sunday May 16th & 17th a Homestead 1870. We are stop 22 on the Spring Farm Route. We’ll have raw honey, farm-fresh eggs, and handcrafted goat milk soap available for purchase, along with mead tastings featuring our small-batch honey wines.

At 1:00 PM each day, we’ll present an educational talk about honeybees followed by a screening of an episode from Secrets of the Bees.

Come enjoy the farm, learn about bees

Farm tour maps are available in our roadside stand.

Join us at Homestead 1870 this Saturday and Sunday May 16th & 17th a Homestead 1870. We are stop 22 on the Spring Farm Route. We’ll have raw honey, farm-f