Homestead 1870

06/06/2026

At the Hillsboro Appalachian Trail Festival. We are getting set up. I’m joining the main drink sales tent 🏕️.

Old Stone School Hillsboro Virginia

06/04/2026

If you're attending the Appalachian Trail Festival, stop by for some mead.

When: Saturday, June 6th, from 11am to 5pm.
Where: Old Stone School grounds in Hillsboro, 37098 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro, VA.

We'll be offering our local, small-batch meads made from raw wildflower honey produced by our own bees at Homestead 1870. Our meads begin with the raw local wildflower honey collected from the nectar of the trees and wildflowers growing along the Blue Ridge Mountains and Appalachian Trail. The nectar collected by our bees becomes the honey that gives life to every glass. Come taste the nectar of the Appalachian Trail from our hives to your glass.

Learn more about the Appalachian Trail Festival

If you're attending the Appalachian Trail Festival, stop by for some mead. When: Saturday, June 6th, from 11am to 5pm.Where: Old Stone School grounds i

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