The Hildebrandt Homestead

02/19/2026

We got to enjoy a brief show of nature last evening! Thunder hail, as we called it, only lasted a few minutes and was immediately followed by rain that melted most of it, but what a show!

01/26/2026

It warmed up enough to get the horses out for a few hours before this winter weather warning goes into effect. That wind chill is gonna be brutal!
Gotta love having a sweet husband who plows paths for you when the snow starts getting deep. Now let’s hope that incoming wind doesn’t fill ‘em all in!

01/24/2026

It’s warming up!

01/15/2026

It’s that time of year again! Some of you may remember last winter when SOMEONE decided February would be a great time to repaint, retrim, and build out a closet in our mudroom. Sometimes we tell ourselves we will finish when the weather improves… then here we are, another winter, and looking at the same project wondering how we got back to this point without finishing the work. Well, the inspiration has hit again, and the same fantastic friend is helping us finish up!
This time we are determined! And the progress is real! We went from three open cubbies to what is looking like a closet! Finishing plans are to paint the unfinished interior of the top shelves, cut and paint the adjustable shelves for the two narrower sections, and (eventually) build doors! We also plan to touch up the trim in the rest of the room with another coat of stain and finally put the trim around the last window. Oh, and paint all the dings and stains out of the walls once the closet is done. Here’s to hitting the home stretch!

11/30/2025

While we may be behind the grind with a lot of our projects, this is one we can be proud of! Today we took advantage of the day off and finished processing our fermented hot sauces. The two already in the refrigerator got their final bottling, and these guys now get to join them. Consensus from the boss is that all the recipes are good, so there’s no narrowing down the list. 👀
Amidst all the to-doin’s, we got in our first ever recipe of homemade (fermented) Mayonnaise as well. It’s a time for counting our successes and striving for more accomplishments as we enter the next season It’s gonna be a wild one!

11/27/2025

Happy Thanksgiving one and all!

11/15/2025

Wishing all the hunters a safe and successful opening day! 🦌

11/09/2025

Over 20 gallons of pears picked just before our first 20 degree night of the season!
The church youth group came to help with another work day and helped us get leaves raked, limbs and branches trimmed along the whole farm drive and almost all of the pears picked. It’ll be another week or two before they are ripe. Just in time for the start of gun season and processing venison. It’s gonna be a busy few weeks on the homestead!
Meanwhile, winter squash is drying off in the mud room, chili peppers are in the dehydrator, and we’ve got a lot of processing yet to do before next weekend. The work truly is never done!

10/28/2025

Such a great chore helper, even if she does get distracted halfway through a task 😉 Must take after her mama!

09/12/2025

Never forget. The lives lost, those left behind, the heroes who laid down their lives for others. The nation coming to its knees in unified grief and prayer. May we never forget

https://youtu.be/zcAfyk3o9nw?si=3a6XxFfQfkFTzqbD or

Music video by Darryl Worley performing Have We Forgotten (Lyric Video). © 2023 Darryl Worley under exclusive license to Big Machine Label Group, LLC.http://...

09/11/2025

Heartfelt prayers going out for the comfort, protection and grace of God on his family and friends as well as our nation at this time of soorrow.

Please join us in praying for Charlie’s family and our nation.

09/06/2025

More canning done! If you don’t have the Ball canning book, I would HIGHLY recommend it.
We followed the tips for doing tomato sauce and had the best results we’ve ever gotten! Definitely check it out!