Black Barn Homestead

09/10/2026

When you start making butter and your husband decides you need an early Christmas present❤️
🪿🧈🪿🧈🪿🧈🪿🧈

08/28/2026

If you heard someone scream at 7:30am this morning like they were dying, it was me. I was feeding the chickens and walked right into this snake thinking it had falling on me and was trying to strangle me 😫

I don't think I need coffee to wake me up this morning😅

08/05/2026

When production slows down we stop making cheese and yogurt and start putting milk away for the few months of no milk coming this winter!

Looking forward to my little break from milking every morning, but I'll definitely miss all the fresh milk!

🐮🐮🐮

07/31/2026

07/28/2026

One of the biggest criticisms of Kune Kunes is that they're slow growing.

They're supposed to be.

If your goal is to raise pork as fast as possible, they're probably not the right breed. But if your goal is to build a sustainable homestead, they're hard to beat.

Kune Kunes are excellent foragers, require less grain than many commercial breeds, root far less (which means they don't destroy your pasture), have wonderful temperaments, and produce incredibly flavorful, well-marbled pork.

On our homestead, success isn't measured by how quickly an animal reaches market weight. It's measured by how well that animal fits into the bigger picture. Healthy animals, healthy land, and food we can feel good about raising.

Sometimes slower really is better.

07/24/2026

The other day a friend asked me a question that really made me stop and think.

She asked, "How much did you pay for raw A2/A2 milk before you had your own dairy cow?"

"$10 a gallon," I answered.

Her eyes got a little wide.

"I'm not sure I could spend that much on milk."

We talked for a while, and then she asked me something I hadn't really put into words before.

"How do you justify spending that much more on food?"

I thought about it for a minute.

For our family, doctor visits are pretty rare. Over-the-counter medicines aren't something we reach for often. That doesn't mean we never need medical care—it simply means that long before illness ever shows up, we try to support our health with the choices we make every day.

For us, food isn't just something that fills us up.

It's nourishment.

It's fuel.

It's one of the ways we care for our bodies.

Every meal is an opportunity to provide protein, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, beneficial bacteria, and the nutrients our bodies use to grow, repair, and function well. No single food is a cure, but a nourishing diet can play an important role in supporting overall health alongside good medical care when it's needed.

That perspective changed the way I shop.

I stopped asking, "What's the cheapest option?"

Instead I started asking, "What is this giving my body?"

Suddenly spending a little more for milk from healthy, grass-fed cows, cheese made with simple ingredients, yogurt full of live cultures, fresh eggs, real butter, didn't feel expensive anymore.

It felt like an investment.

Not because expensive always means better but because I wanted to know where my family's food came from, how it was produced, and what was (or wasn't) in it.

Maybe that's why homesteading has become so meaningful to me.

Every jar of yogurt, every wheel of cheese, every gallon of milk reminds me that good food takes time. It takes healthy animals, good pasture, clean milking practices, patience, and care.

Food has always been one of the foundations of health.

I'd love to know, has your perspective on food changed over the years?

07/22/2026

I have more greek yogurt, a few Dream Cheeses (cream cheese), and 2 half gallons of fresh milk from today available! Message me to order!

07/20/2026

This dream cheese is amazing! I steer clear of recipes that uses only cream because I don't want to drink skim milk or waste it. But this dream cheese is a PERFECT substitute for cream cheese!

I have greek yogurt, farmer's cheese, and dream cheese available to order! Just send me a message!

07/12/2026

👏👏👏

06/23/2026

My top 3 homestead hacks👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

1️⃣ Find a local road stand who lets you take their scraps🍈🍉🍑🍓🥔🥬🫑🥒🌽🧅🫘🍅

2️⃣ Find a homestead friend who is knowledgeable about your kinda of livestock and is willing to help because in rural areas, a vet isn't always available to help or willing to comw out for one cow. Pin Oak Homestead has been a lifesaver for us🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

3️⃣ Lower the expectations of the "pinterest" homestead and just work with what you have. Value functionality over picturesque 🐄🐖🐓🦆🐇🐐🐈‍⬛🐕🦚🪿