What began as a conversation about options for sourcing quality meat turned into a fascinating discussion on all that you can accomplish on a small homestead. Amy homesteads less than five acres, and she is full of creative ideas for making the most of a small space. For those who are interested in raising their own meat, we dive into what that looks like on a small scale. For those who want to source high-quality meat without raising it themselves, we also share our best tips for that. And if you stick around until the end of our discussion, you might just find yourself adding dairy sheep to your homestead! May this episode inspire you to think creatively about producing and sourcing animal foods no matter the size of your homestead.
In this episode, we cover:
- The beauty of finding community as a homesteading mama
- Counting the cost of raising your own beef
- Where to begin sourcing food locally
- Options for raising your own meat on a small property
- Different approaches to weaning calves and lambs
- What to know when ordering meat in bulk
- Choosing and using the various cuts of meat
- Questions to ask your farmer about how your meat is raised
- Surprising benefits of dairy sheep over other dairy animals
- Why you might want to prioritize raising animals on your homestead
Thank you to our sponsors!
Toups and Co Organics uses nourishing, organic ingredients to create simple and safe skincare products. Toups and Co is offering my listeners 10% off any one purchase with the code FARMHOUSE. Visit ToupsandCo.com to order today. And check out my interview with the founder of Toups and Co, Emilie, to find out more about this amazing company and their products.
Check out some of my current favorite Toups and Co products: activated charcoal face bar, seabuckthorn cleansing oil, frankincense tallow balm, makeup line
Azure Standard is a family-owned company dedicated to providing you with high quality, affordable organic, natural, and non-GMO groceries, health, and household products. Place your first order at AzureStandard.com and use the code FARMHOUSE10 to receive 10% off your purchase of $50 or more delivered to a local drop point.
You might like some of my favorite Azure products: bulk raw honey, raw cheddar cheese, gamma seal lids
This promotion expires November 30, 2022, and is only available for the first time Azure customer order, with a minimum of $50 order or more (orders to drop locations only). One time use per customer.
Harvest Right has made preserving food accessible to anyone with their home freeze dryers. This method of preserving the harvest locks in flavor and nutrition and can last for years. Harvest Right is offering my listeners a discount on your purchase of a freeze dryer at bit.ly/farmhousefreezedryer.
ABOUT AMY
Amy Sliffe of Blue Whistler Farm and founder of Homestead Mamas lives with her husband, Josh, and their two little boys in Harrisonville, MO, where they are currently bringing back to life a 100-year-old farmhouse on five acres. Her passion for farming and desire to provide nutrient-dense food for her family sparked the idea of bringing together a community of like-minded women.
RESOURCES
Follow Homestead Mamas on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/homesteadmamas/
Join the Homestead Mamas Membership Community https://www.patreon.com/Homesteadmamas
My interview with Melody Haege of Renaissance Woman MN https://anchor.fm/simple-farmhouse-life/episodes/116--Embracing-the-Simplicity-of-Winter-on-the-Homestead--Melody-Haege-of-Renaissance-Woman-MN-e1d6ijm/a-a79059e
My interview with Erin Worrall of The Cedar Chest Farm https://anchor.fm/simple-farmhouse-life/episodes/123--Seasonal-Eating-Spring-Edition--Erin-Worrall-of-The-Cedar-Chest-Farm-e1fghrl/a-a7i42ca
Local Harvest https://www.localharvest.org/
Real Milk https://www.realmilk.com/
Premier 1 Netting https://www.premier1supplies.com/c/fencing/
Keeping a Family Cow by Joann S. Grohman https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/162062.Keeping_A_Family_Cow
Green Dirt Farm’s sheep milk cheese https://www.greendirtfarm.com/
Homestead Dairy Sheep Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/283875238439778
CONNECT
Amy Sliffe of Blue Whistler Farm
Website https://www.homesteadmamas.com/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bluewhistlerfarm/
Lisa Bass of Farmhouse on Boone
Blog: https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FarmhouseonBoone
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farmhouseonboone/
GET MORE FROM THIS EPISODE
Listen to this podcast episode: https://anchor.fm/simple-farmhouse-life/episodes/148--Small-Homestead-Living-Raising-and-Sourcing-Quality-Animal-Foods--Amy-Sliffe-of-Blue-Whistler-Farm-e1n7npl
View full show notes and transcript on the blog: https://simplefarmhouselifepodcast.com/2022/09/01/episode-148-small-homestead-living-raising-and-sourcing-quality-animal-foods-amy-sliffe-of-blue-whistler-farm/