Belvedere Farms

Farming for Flavor and Raising our Family on 47 Acres in NE Ohio

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Newest Blog Releases

Feeding Milk Cows in the Cold Weather

Feeding Milk Cows in the Cold Weather

ByRaelene Bradley November 2, 2023 Blog Post
Changing weather means a change in how you feed your milk cow. It’s early November here in Ohio, and if I’ve learned anything about the weather in Ohio, I’ve learned that she can be fickle. I knew it...
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Salsa Verde

Salsa Verde

ByRaelene Bradley October 6, 2023 Recipes
...
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Is Dispatching a Chicken Traumatic?

Is Dispatching a Chicken Traumatic?

ByRaelene Bradley May 31, 2023 Blog Post
Rachele emailed Belvedere Farmstead asking, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how traumatic is it to slaughter a chicken? I am torn! It is a skill that I think is really important, and I’m so close to clicking...
Read More
sous vide tacos de lengua beef tongue tacos

Tacos de Lengua – Beef Tongue Tacos

ByJordan May 5, 2022 Blog Post
We love whole animal butchery. It is delicious (most of the time, I’ll admit that I’m not a fan of straight liver, but I enjoy pâtés), it is economical, and it respects the whole animal...
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Recipes and Canning Blog Posts

Salsa Verde

Salsa Verde

ByRaelene Bradley October 6, 2023
...
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Farmer’s Oxtail Stew

Farmer’s Oxtail Stew

ByRaelene Bradley February 10, 2022
If you buy a whole or half beef in bulk directly from a farmer (shout-out to our loyal beef customers!), or butcher your own, you’ll likely end up with a few odd cuts of meat you’d never...
Read More
Hearty Mid-Winter Zucchini Bread

Hearty Mid-Winter Zucchini Bread

ByRaelene Bradley February 4, 2022
I found a stash of shredded frozen zucchini in a freezer last week so I’ve been making LOTS of zucchini bread. We have seven (7!) chest freezers and 2 fridge freezers so unearthing an unexpected...
Read More
Garden Fresh Tomato Tart

Garden Fresh Tomato Tart

ByRaelene Bradley July 31, 2021
My tomatoes are juuuuuust starting to ripen. It’s taking them forever to do so this year and I’m on pins and needles, checking every day! But with the handful we collected from the garden...
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Farmhouse Granola

Farmhouse Granola

ByRaelene Bradley July 27, 2021
Our milk cow Sandy gives a lot of milk (three to five gallons a day!). One of our favorite things to make with all that abundance is homemade yogourt. It’s easy, it’s versatile, it’s good for your...
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Jazz Up Your Strawberry Jam

Jazz Up Your Strawberry Jam

ByRaelene Bradley June 12, 2021
We go every year to a U-Pick orchard down the road from us to pick strawberries as soon as they’re ripe. They opened for the season this Saturday so Jordan packed up the kids and the harvest...
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Baked Apple Oatmeal

Baked Apple Oatmeal

ByRaelene Bradley January 23, 2021
Hot cereal is a staple around these parts. We always have an abundance of fresh cream and there’s just nothing quite like a bowl of hot cereal doused in thick sweet cream to stick to your ribs...
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Grandma Helen’s Dill Pickles

Grandma Helen’s Dill Pickles

ByRaelene Bradley July 10, 2020
I grew up eating the best dill pickles, but I didn’t know it until I left for college. Try as I might, I could never find a commercial dill pickle as good as Grandma Helen’s. I tried all...
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Flaky Farmhouse Buttermilk Scones

Flaky Farmhouse Buttermilk Scones

ByRaelene Bradley April 27, 2020
We have gallons and gallons of fresh milk coming into the kitchen every day and each gallon includes a quart of cream. After just a few days, that makes for A LOT of sweet, rich, golden, pasture-rich...
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Milk Cow blog posts

All About Cream : Part 1

All About Cream : Part 1

ByRaelene Bradley April 7, 2022
If you’ve ever wondered “What can I do with raw milk?” well then this series, wherein we explore all the delicious possibilities raw milk provides, will be right up your alley...
Read More
How to help your milk cow adjust to Daylight Savings Time

How to help your milk cow adjust to Daylight Savings Time

ByRaelene Bradley March 16, 2022
Over the last several weeks, Sandy and I have both been loving the pure early sunlight streaming into the milking parlor each morning. But with Daylight Savings and the sudden and unceremonious thrust...
Read More
Milk Cow Myths: Part 4

Milk Cow Myths: Part 4

ByRaelene Bradley January 20, 2022
5 Myths Keeping You From Living The Milk Cow Life In this series, I’m talking you through, step-by-step-by-step, the 5 most common myths about keeping a family milk cow so you can crush those negative...
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Milk Cow Myths: Part 3

Milk Cow Myths: Part 3

ByRaelene Bradley January 12, 2022
5 Myths Keeping You From Living The Milk Cow Life In this series, I’m talking you through, step-by-step-by-step, the 5 most common myths about keeping a family milk cow so you can crush those negative...
Read More
Milk Cow Myths: Part 2

Milk Cow Myths: Part 2

ByRaelene Bradley January 5, 2022
5 Myths Keeping You From Living The Milk Cow Life In this series, I’m talking you through, step-by-step-by-step, the 5 most common myths about keeping a family milk cow so you can crush those negative...
Read More
Milk Cow Myths: Part 1

Milk Cow Myths: Part 1

ByRaelene Bradley December 29, 2021
5 Myths Keeping You From Living The Milk Cow Life In this series, I’m talking you through, step-by-step-by-step, the 5 most common myths about keeping a family milk cow so you can crush those negative...
Read More
My Top 5 Every-Day Milking Supplies and Where To Get Them

My Top 5 Every-Day Milking Supplies and Where To Get Them

ByRaelene Bradley August 7, 2021
A fellow milk cow friend of mine often likes to say: A milk cow doesn’t ask for much, but she asks every day. I milk my cow every day, rain or shine, whether I’m dog-tired or feeling fine...
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How do I know if I’m ready for a milk cow?

How do I know if I’m ready for a milk cow?

ByRaelene Bradley July 22, 2021
Of all the things folks ask about milk cows, this has got to be one of the most common questions and one of the hardest to answer. Of course I want to say YES! Absolutely yes. If I did it, you can...
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Calf-Sharing: How To Get Started

Calf-Sharing: How To Get Started

ByRaelene Bradley July 16, 2021
Calf-sharing is often touted as the milk-cow owners’ saving grace; it’s the simplest way to make the stringent demands of twice-a-day every day milkings more manageable. But calf-sharing...
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All Blog Posts

Feeding Milk Cows in the Cold Weather

Feeding Milk Cows in the Cold Weather

ByRaelene Bradley November 2, 2023
Changing weather means a change in how you feed your milk cow. It’s early November here in Ohio, and if I’ve learned anything about the weather in Ohio, I’ve learned that she can be fickle. I knew it...
Read More
Is Dispatching a Chicken Traumatic?

Is Dispatching a Chicken Traumatic?

ByRaelene Bradley May 31, 2023
Rachele emailed Belvedere Farmstead asking, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how traumatic is it to slaughter a chicken? I am torn! It is a skill that I think is really important, and I’m so close to clicking...
Read More
Tacos de Lengua – Beef Tongue Tacos

Tacos de Lengua – Beef Tongue Tacos

ByJordan May 5, 2022
We love whole animal butchery. It is delicious (most of the time, I’ll admit that I’m not a fan of straight liver, but I enjoy pâtés), it is economical, and it respects the whole animal...
Read More
All About Cream : Part 1

All About Cream : Part 1

ByRaelene Bradley April 7, 2022
If you’ve ever wondered “What can I do with raw milk?” well then this series, wherein we explore all the delicious possibilities raw milk provides, will be right up your alley...
Read More
How to help your milk cow adjust to Daylight Savings Time

How to help your milk cow adjust to Daylight Savings Time

ByRaelene Bradley March 16, 2022
Over the last several weeks, Sandy and I have both been loving the pure early sunlight streaming into the milking parlor each morning. But with Daylight Savings and the sudden and unceremonious thrust...
Read More
What is A2A2 Milk?

What is A2A2 Milk?

ByRaelene Bradley March 3, 2022
There has been a recent surge of interest in A2A2 milk. You may have heard about it in commercials, in the media, on store shelves, in health and nutrition articles and advertisements. One thing I...
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Farmer’s Oxtail Stew

Farmer’s Oxtail Stew

ByRaelene Bradley February 10, 2022
If you buy a whole or half beef in bulk directly from a farmer (shout-out to our loyal beef customers!), or butcher your own, you’ll likely end up with a few odd cuts of meat you’d never...
Read More
Hearty Mid-Winter Zucchini Bread

Hearty Mid-Winter Zucchini Bread

ByRaelene Bradley February 4, 2022
I found a stash of shredded frozen zucchini in a freezer last week so I’ve been making LOTS of zucchini bread. We have seven (7!) chest freezers and 2 fridge freezers so unearthing an unexpected...
Read More
What’s saving my life right now

What’s saving my life right now

ByRaelene Bradley January 27, 2022
My friend Anne of the blog Modern Mrs. Darcy and podcast What Should I Read Next pauses every few months to consider and write about both the big and little things that are saving her life. Winter is...
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belvederefarms

Hey there friends! Long time, no see eh? . Popping Hey there friends!
Long time, no see eh?
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Popping in to let you know I’ll be posting over at @belvedere.farms from now on.
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Same farm, same milk cow / farming / homesteading / canning & preserving / free-range kids capers & misadventures kinda stuff, but a whole new chapter.
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Sneak peek: if you’ve been around for awhile, you’ll know Maude (our milk cow Sandy’s first calf). She’s a brand new momma herself!
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She and I are learning together how to train a milk cow from scratch. It’s an adventure, to be sure!
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Come on over to @belvedere.farms and follow along.
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- Raelene
Wow. Just wow. . This is how I feel every time I l Wow. Just wow.
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This is how I feel every time I look at the pantry shelves, filling slowly but surely, bit by bit.
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Summer’s bounty + hard work (and plenty of hot sweaty days in the kitchen) means my family will eat like kings all winter long.
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It’s such a blessing to know these skills and get to pass them along.
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Sign up for my newsletter (link in bio) so you know when the next homesteading/self-sufficiency class is happening here at Belvedere Farms and you too can start filling those pantry shelves with goodness.
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#homestead #preservingtheharvest #canning #cannedpeaches #canningseason #selfsufficiency #homemadefood #homesteadmama
“She is little, but she is fierce.” Don’t pu “She is little, but she is fierce.”
Don’t put out that fire.
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#farmraisedkids #farmher #farmgirl #ican #homesteadmama
Can I hear an AMEN? Just tell me one thing: Team L Can I hear an AMEN?
Just tell me one thing: Team Lake or Team Ocean?
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Me? Lake. All the way. Nothing in the lake wants to kill me. 😱
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#gooutside #wildandfreechildren #lakeday #summertime #outdoorkids
There’s nothing like the smell of fresh cut hay. There’s nothing like the smell of fresh cut hay.
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#hayingseason #freshhay #hay #farmlife #summeronthefarm #hayfield #ohiofarm
Just like that, canning season has officially begu Just like that, canning season has officially begun.
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I drove down to the vet’s to pick up meds for a sick heifer and since it takes me right through Amish country, I couldn’t resist stopping at a farm just off the road to pick up 10 quarts of small but luscious berries (the small ones are sweetest, I think).
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Harvested rhubarb from the garden and a couple hours later : strawberry rhubarb jam.
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When you’re filling shelves for the winter, every little bit counts.
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Are you making jam this year? What’s your favorite fruit to use for jam? I loooove apricot jam, but have a hard time finding local apricots here in Ohio. If you know of a source - spill the beans!🤣
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#canningseason #strawberryjam #homesteadmama #homesteadskills #oldfashionedonpurpose #preservingtheharvest
It may seem like a small thing, but it always make It may seem like a small thing, but it always makes my heart happy to look out the window and see the cows grazing in the pasture.
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It took a lot of work to get here, and takes a lot of work to stay here, but working hard for something you love isn’t a burden. Instead it builds confidence, self-respect, resilience, and stamina.
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Go, friends. Work your tails off at work worth doing. And stop every now and again to take stock of all you’ve accomplished and all you’ve learned. It’ll blow your socks off and give you the gumption to do the next hard and worthwhile thing.
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#iamyourfarmer #milkcow #grassfed #rawmilk #farmlife #lifeouthere #hardworkpaysoffs #ohiofarm
Every farm needs a barn cat. We’ve noticed a hug Every farm needs a barn cat. We’ve noticed a huge difference between the years we’ve had barn cuts and the years we haven’t. They’re essential.
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And yet, I’m pretty sure my kids all think we keep barn cats for the kittens.
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There’s a new litter every spring and so far we’ve always been able to give enough away to keep from being overrun. Their momma, Scout, is a phenomenal mouser (and catches birds and squirrels and chipmunks too) and earns her keep many times over.
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So much so that when she decides to give birth, she finds a spot in the basement and we let her come and go as she pleases while the kittens are teeny. That in itself is a testament to her place on the farm.
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Are you team barn cat? How many do you have?
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#barncat #kittens #kidsandkittens #farmraisedkid #farmkid #homesteadkids
Eleven brand spankin’ new piglets born on the fa Eleven brand spankin’ new piglets born on the farm yesterday afternoon/evening.
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It never gets old this farming thing. There’s always something to work on, look forward to, get better at, learn from, grow into, and try again.
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I’m here for it and doing my darndest.
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#farmlifebestlife #babypigs #piglets #iamyourfarmer #supportlocalfarmers #berkshirepigs #farmher
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Recent Posts

  • Feeding Milk Cows in the Cold Weather
  • Salsa Verde
  • Is Dispatching a Chicken Traumatic?
  • Tacos de Lengua – Beef Tongue Tacos
  • All About Cream : Part 1

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