A day in December on the Homestead in Norway

Join us for a calm and cosy day of small-farm life in the early Christmas season. The sheep get their feed and fresh bedding in the sheep house, while the ducks, pigs, and our little donkey also get a bit of attention. Indoors it is time for ironing, and my husband heats up the cast-iron iron and presses the Christmas tablecloth.

The Christmas baking has begun as well, and we make "epleskiver", "krumkaker", and coconut macaroons on the wood-fired stove. Outside I chop firewood while the ducks stroll around the yard and the dog watches closely.

On our off-grid homestead in the Norwegian forest, the first light snowflakes bring a true sense of Christmas as this quiet Advent day settles over the farm.

#homestead #norway #farm #sheep #sheepfarming #mangalitsa #woodstove #farmlife #offgrid #slowliving

Intro music by: @autoburner
Piano background music by: DFS

Recipes:
Danish Æbleskiver (Apple Dough Balls)

Ingredients:

100 g butter
5 dl plain flour
4 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar
1 tsp ground cardamom
5 tsp baking powder
3 dl milk
3 egg yolks
Grated zest of ½ lemon

3 egg whites

Method:
Melt the butter and let it cool slightly. Mix the flour, sugar, vanilla sugar, cardamom and baking powder in a bowl. Whisk together the milk, egg yolks, lemon zest and melted butter. Combine the wet and dry ingredients to make a smooth batter. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks and fold them gently into the batter. Cook the æbleskiver in a greased æbleskiver pan, turning them as they set to form round, golden balls.


Coconut Macaroons

2 egg whites
150 g sugar
200 g desiccated coconut

Whisk egg whites with sugar until thickened. Fold in coconut. Drop small mounds onto a baking sheet and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 10–12 minutes, until edges are lightly golden.


Krumkaker (Norwegian Krumkake)

Ingredients:

4 eggs
200 g sugar
200 g melted butter
200 g plain flour
½ tsp ground cardamom

Method:
Whisk the eggs and sugar until lightly combined. Stir in the melted butter, then add the flour and cardamom. Let the batter rest for about 10 minutes. Bake thin cakes in a krumkake iron and shape them while they are still warm.