Shire Ridge Homestead

08/04/2023

We have Easter bunnies 🐰!

Well, they don't quite look like bunnies yet. These French Lops kits (kits are what baby rabbits are called) look more like Dobby from Harry Potter, don't you think?

They will get their fur in the next few days, but it will be slick and not fluffy until a few weeks have past.

Make sure to follow us for more adventures!

06/10/2022

HOMESTEAD PROFILE: OLD FOREST RABBITRY

In March 2022, we did something to expand ShireRidge Homestead tenfold, or maybe more like twentyfold. We bought a rabbitry! But these are not just any rabbits - they are hobbit sized, for real.

Welcome to Old Forest Rabbitry.

The Old Forest in Tolkien lore was the place that Tom Bombadil lived (along with his wife Goldberry).

French Lops are the second largest breed of rabbits and usually grow to 12-15 pounds. They are like stuffed animals because of their large floppy ears and cuddly frame. French Lops can live 7-9 years and be litter trained easier than a dog!

They take up more space than the smaller breeds, but most people like to teach them to free roam in the house since they can get along so well with cats, dogs, and children.

These are a fun pet and very therapeutic. We will get into more of that later, but in the meantime you can ask us any questions you may have!

Our bunnies that need to hop to new burrows are getting a photo shoot tomorrow and will be featured on our page in the next few days...

03/10/2022

HOMESTEAD PROFILE: GoldBerry Goat Farm

Where did the name come from? Goldberry was the wife of Tom Bombadil in the Lord of the Rings story. she recalls the Biblical Eve and is the embodiment of joy. It seemed like the perfect fit.

GoldBerry Goat Farm began with 2 Alpine wethers (these are castrated males for all you newbies). We had lots of areas on our property that needed clearing out and thought this was the best first step to getting us more into the "farming life".

The same week that Greyhame the Great Pyrenees came to ShireRidge Homestead, we brought him something to guard!

The goats did their job, and he did his.

We had small beginnings with Samwise and Frodo, his best bud. And the names were so easily decided because the smaller of the 2 goats had a band (or ring!) of white around his belly.

A few months later we were able to add a mother/daughter set that we would breed to start milking later in the year. These are a Toggenburg breed with beautiful facial markings. Their names are now Rosie and Eleanor (if you are following the Lord of the Rings theme here, this is the name of the wife and daughter to Samwise in the stories).

And to round out the goats at GoldBerry Goat Farm, we have Canyon. She is our Alpine milker (black and white color) and has provided us with the most delicious creamy goat milk that we have used daily for drinking and to make some wonderful recipes - you will see those posted soon!

She has yet to be named differently, what do you think fits her?

02/09/2022

HOMESTEAD PROFILE:

Greyhame Douglas - the Great Pyrenees guardian of all ShireRidge Homestead creatures.

When we knew that goats were soon on the horizon for the Homestead, we were concerned that the coyotes we would frequently hear may get the idea that they could come over for a late night dinner.

So to ward off any thoughts of this happening, we were able to get a Great Pyrenees named Doug from some dear friends.

If he was going to be in charge of the livestock, he deserved a name like Greyhame (another name for Gandalf from Tolkiens Lord of the Rings). So Greyhame Douglas came to live at ShireRidge Homestead to tell any predators “You shall not pass!”

Here he is getting a dry bath with Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth. He has a look that tells me he is about done with my shenanigans.

SPECIALTY: Being afraid of gun shots and thunderstorms ⛈. Is a fantastic escape artist. A firm believer that if you are near him that you should be petting him and giving him loves. Has a deep fierce bark for Amazon delivery drivers. Can catch any opossum, squirrel, raccoon, or any other creature that should not belong near his goats 🐐. Has the calmest, sweetest, most loyal temperament I have ever seen.

06/08/2022

🍕 Homemade Venison Pizza 🍕

We tried a new recipe for homemade pizza dough and it was fantastic! There is also tips on how to make frozen venison burger taste fresh and less gamey when using it in a recipe.

Hope you enjoy!

https://www.shireridgehomestead.com/blog/homemade-venision-pizza

Homemade Venison Pizza is something I had never really thought of making until this moment. The store we went to get the ingredients was out of pepperoni and so we emprovised! Here

05/08/2022

The History Of ShireRidge Homestead - you get to know a little more about us and how this idea started!

https://www.shireridgehomestead.com/blog/the-history-of-shire-ridge

Living most of our lives in Eastern North Carolina, we were country folk, but not farm living. I remember as a young child that I sat on my pack porch snapping beans and shucking c

05/08/2022

We did it! And this is what we did - started a homestead...

Look for fun posts to come and some history behind it, but the name comes from the love of JRR Tolkien. You will see MANY names of our animals and programs using Lord of the Rings characters.

Yes, we are nerds and proud of it

20/04/2022

20/04/2022

01/03/2022