Some weeks have a way of stretching time.
By the end of this one, it felt as though we’d lived through a month rather than seven days. It was one of those weeks that reminded us homesteading isn’t just about growing food or building projects—it’s about adapting, learning and showing up for the things that depend on you.
A Scary Start
Our week began with a worrying turn when Luni started showing signs of milk fever (eclampsia).
For anyone who has cared for a nursing mum—whether animal or human—you’ll know how quickly things can change. The puppies were removed so we could begin supplement feeding while giving Luni calcium and keeping a close eye on her recovery.
The sleepless nights came flooding back. It felt remarkably similar to bringing home newborn babies all those years ago. Feed… clean… sleep for an hour… and start all over again.
Thankfully, after a week of careful management, everyone is doing well.
The World’s Messiest First Meal
Week three also means one very exciting milestone.
The puppies are ready for their first taste of puppy mash.
Like many first attempts on a homestead… it didn’t quite go to plan.
My carefully prepared indoor feeding session turned into puppy mash absolutely everywhere. It took far longer to clean than it did to prepare!
Lesson learned.
We moved the next meal outside into the new grass puppy enclosure, where the puppies explored their new food while Luni happily volunteered as the official clean-up crew.
Sometimes the best solutions are also the simplest.
Nature Rewards Patience
Among the puppy chaos came one of those quiet moments that reminds you why patience matters.
Our established peach tree exploded into deep pink blossoms once again, but the real surprise came from another little peach tree that has quietly been fighting for survival since we arrived almost two years ago.
After countless months of watering, pruning and hoping…
It finally flowered.
Its delicate white and blush pink blossoms are completely different from our other tree, and now we’re eagerly waiting to discover what fruit it will eventually produce.
Nature has a wonderful habit of rewarding persistence when you least expect it.
The Viral Recipe That Won Me Over
Like many people, I’d been seeing carrot hotdogs popping up all over social media.
I’ll admit it…
I was sceptical.
How could a carrot possibly taste like a hotdog?
Well… I happily stand corrected.
They’re smoky, slightly sweet and surprisingly satisfying. While they don’t taste exactly like a traditional hotdog, they’re delicious in their own right and have definitely earned a place in our kitchen.
Wildhorse Carrot Hotdogs
Ingredients
- 6 medium carrots
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp mushroom powder (or vegetable stock)
- ¼ cup tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Method
Peel the carrots so they’re roughly the size and shape of hotdogs.
Mix all remaining ingredients together to make the simmering sauce.
Place the carrots into a shallow frying pan or skillet, pour over the sauce and simmer on medium heat for approximately 30 minutes, turning occasionally until tender.
Remove from the heat and allow the carrots to cool in the reserved sauce. Store everything together in a sealed container until you’re ready to assemble your hotdogs.
We served ours in fresh bread rolls with plant-based butter, avocado, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and topped everything with caramelised onions and fried tomatoes.
My next experiment is adding my signature Lemon Myrtle twist by replacing the paprika, onion powder and garlic powder with 2 tsp of Native Citrus Chilli Rub for a Chilli Dog with an Aussie twist.
Don’t knock them until you’ve tried them and stay tuned for updates!
From Milk Paint to Fabric Paint
Last week’s homemade milk paint experiment sparked another idea.
Could the same simple ingredients become a natural fabric paint?
After a little experimenting…
The answer was yes.
Our goal has always been to keep our products as natural and handmade as possible, so creating a paint from everyday pantry ingredients felt like the perfect fit for hand-painting our Wildhorse insignia onto our Lemon Myrtle Comfort Wraps and future Wildhorse Woodworx creations.
Homemade Fabric Paint Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup skim milk
- 1 cup plain white flour
- 2 tsp salt
- Food colouring or natural colourants
For our colours we experimented with:
- Sage Green — green food colouring with a touch of cocoa powder
- Mustard Yellow — turmeric with a little cocoa powder
- Charcoal — black food colouring (next experiment will be activated charcoal)
Mix the milk, flour, salt and colouring together until smooth.
Add a little extra water for a thinner paint or more flour if you’d like a thicker consistency.
Creating the Wildhorse Insignia
I designed the Wildhorse logo in Canva before printing it onto one of my 3-inch circular thermal labels.
The label was laminated before carefully cutting out the design with a scalpel to create a reusable stencil.
The stencil was taped into position before gently dabbing the paint over the opening using a small piece of kitchen sponge.
Once finished, I carefully removed the stencil, dried the paint with a hairdryer, then covered the design with baking paper and heat-set it using a household iron.
The final result was exactly the soft, handcrafted finish we’d been hoping for.
Sometimes the simplest ideas turn out to be our favourites.
A Visitor Worth Waiting For
As we sat looking out the lounge room window this week, one of Australia’s quieter birds made an appearance.
A beautiful Pale-headed Rosella landed on our Wildhorse Woodworx Bird Feeder for breakfast.
Unlike their colourful Rainbow Lorikeet cousins, Pale-headed Rosellas are much more reserved and are often pushed away from busy feeding areas.
Watching this beautiful bird enjoy a peaceful meal reminded us why we designed our feeders the way we did—to create a cleaner, safer feeding space that encourages more native visitors while helping reduce the spread of disease caused by dirty feeding stations.
Sometimes all wildlife needs is a safe place to land.
We’d Love Your Help
The puppies are now beginning to discover the joy of toys.
If you’re local to Glenwood and have any old teddy bears or dog-safe soft toys tucked away that your family no longer needs, we’d love to give them a second life with nine very enthusiastic puppies.
It saves us making a trip into Gympie, keeps good toys out of landfill and gives the puppies plenty of enrichment as they continue to grow.
If you think you can help, we’d love to hear from you. Message or call – 0466 452 839 / 0488 751 133 or email info@wildhorsehomestead.com.au
We’d Love to Hear From You
Have you ever tried carrot hotdogs?
Do you have your own natural paint recipe or favourite upcycling project?
Or perhaps you’ve been patiently waiting for a fruit tree to finally reward your efforts.
Leave us a comment below—we genuinely love hearing your stories.
And if you’d like even more behind-the-scenes updates, recipes, homestead projects, subscriber-only discounts and early product releases, don’t forget to subscribe to our Wildhorse Homestead Circle Newsletter.
Thanks for spending another week with us.
