In this Day‑88 vlog of the 100‑day homestead build, Victor Justin Rhodes and his family members (Jonah, Josiah, Speaker B, Rebecca, Gideon, and others) spend the day tackling a mix of labor‑intensive farm tasks and a cooking segment. They first discuss the urgent need to clear large trees before a grading crew arrives, describing the difficulty of cutting and the decision to prioritize smaller brush over big pines for efficiency. The crew then moves a 2,000‑lb feed bag off a pallet using a side‑by‑side tractor, improvises a method to roll it onto a new pallet, and notes the physical strain involved. Throughout the morning they clear roughly 2,600 ft of brush, manage rhododendron, and comment on composting in cold weather. Animal care dominates the latter half: they check on pregnant cows Vanilla, Honey, and Flossie, clean hooves, and outline a training plan for Vanilla’s first milking, emphasizing gentle brushing and gradual udder exposure. Finally, the group shifts to a cooking demo titled “Burn It Up Cooking Show,” preparing marinated, smoked Indian chicken. Detailed but informal instructions cover butchering, seasoning with smoked paprika, curry, garlic, and cardamom, and the final tasting, with positive reactions from Rebecca and the crew. The vlog blends practical homestead labor, animal husbandry, and culinary experimentation, showcasing teamwork, problem‑solving, and a light‑hearted, enthusiastic tone.
Chapters
I started to say to you, and just— I really didn't have the hang of it, of cutting.
I know. We got the hang of it now though, and we need to because guess what? The graders texted me and they're coming late this week or early next week to get the big and final trees. So we need to clear out everything that we can before they get here, or else we're paying them for something that we could have done.
We could have cut down all those big trees, but it would have taken us forever.
Yeah, I feel like it's a hair dangerous So danger and takes up gobs amount of our time. It's just worth the investment to have them do it. Really? You're gonna be able to milk today?
For a little bit.
Yesterday I said it was a moist cold, maybe, but it was also just cold. It was like if it was wetness. I had gotten used to these 30, 40-degree mornings. Maybe you can explain this, Jonah. They pushed this 2,000 pounds of feed off its pallet. He just pushed it with the side-by-side. Oh, Josiah pushed it? But how did he get it off the pallet?
Well, he knocked it over first and I pulled it back up straight with Sally.
We've got to put that 2,000-pound bag on top of a pallet and roll it into the back of the feed room. I think I have an idea.
Lift up!
Hey, it's on!
Yeah!
That's a lot of weight. Look at it this way, cuz it comes down, not straight.
Wow, look at this guy. 8:10. How about the goal be, uh, start sawing by 9?
That'll give us 2 hours.
Papa, look after your compost.
Somebody ask you, can you compost in the winter? You guys see the steam coming off this thing? A little. He's trying to break that limp. He's got to rewire his brain, the PT guy said, because now you don't have to limp anymore. A hair? How? I don't know. Yeah, everybody out. Good job, Gideon! I didn't have to ask you. What do you think, guys? He's not— but now he's wondering. Yesterday we had a heck of a time. See, look, I told you they're gonna get trained to this. Look, honey's wanting to come in too. This is scared of sheep. Look at this. That's crazy, isn't it? Now Vanilla, she's the wild card. Look at that. They develop habits so fast. Vanilla's pregnant. Honey's pregnant. You're great with child. How are you doing? You limping less? Oh look, she's limping a lot less. We cleaned her hoof out the other day and it helped. Flossie's pregnant. You guys are a bunch of productive gals, I'll tell you that. This is the planned replacement for Flossie. Flossie's getting older and gonna come into some problems. As she ages. And there's her replacement. Gideon, I need you to train Vanilla. Two people petting her. Wow, not to push your luck too much. A little bit at a time. If you want, start brushing her, Gideon. Eventually we got to brush all the way down into the udder and then be milking. The cow doesn't get milk until they give a calf, and that would be her first one, so she's never been milked before. So as you can imagine, that could be a little tricky.
Hold on.
Oh, that's what I get for going at the wrong side. You gonna touch her outer? I'm going to try. Okay, why don't you guys— have you been brushing her? Yeah, I brushed her. Yeah, don't do that. I like that. I've worked out a deal with Gideon. He wants rollerblades. I said stay with me 5 days. I get paid for this job, I'll pay him too if he stays with me and helps me. 5 days, stay with me, rollerblades. Hey, that's my number one fan. Hmm, you know, that's my number one fan. And he was papa, papa, papa, papa, papa. He was— what are you calling me? Were you calling for me? Well, here I am. Thank you for breakfast, Beck. 9:05, Jonah. A little later than I would like.
Are you gonna chainsaw?
I was gonna, but maybe, maybe not. I could just want to use saw. Yeah, I think you can keep us all busy. We'll just do here. All right, here, take your chain.
See the yellow tape?
Yep, you see it. It goes behind that road. Rhododendron. Up it goes, way up. See it way up there? And then over it starts coming down. It's a little closer to where Jonah is. He's maybe only 10 feet from the line. You're gonna do this swath? Okay. Gotta run! Nicked my nose, some sort of branch. The nose was bleeding and I scratched my nose. We're gonna take the rest of this 30 minutes and clean up the debris. We got an incredible amount of work done, 2,600 feet at least. Look at that brush pile. I think that's all our doing today. Super happy with it. We at least got a third of what we have left. I think we made a mistake putting down these pines today. I think that would have been more efficient for the big machines. So maybe we'll leave that pine tomorrow and we'll just get this little stuff. That rhododendron See the kids in it? They're hard at work over there. Look, John, I found a soccer ball. Yeah, a spare.
You could definitely play soccer with that one. All the way down.
On today's episode of Burn It Up Cooking Show, marinated, sautéed, and smoked Indian chicken. First, let's part the chickens. Go for the wings first. Bend them up, cut into the armpit, in the back so you can see between the joints. Cut through it. Put it in our pan. Put it on its back. Cut down between the legs and the breast. Try not to hit any bone. [NOISE] Then you see your bone joint come loose there. You can cut right in between it. Can see your fat line right through here, right through there. That's the joint. Chances are that time it was other side.
Then it would be 2 people without being able to—
all right, now for the breast, I like to Feel the keel bone in the middle. Go slightly to the off-center of that and cut down to the— until you start hitting some ribs.
It's not a clean cut.
There we go. That breast started falling apart. That's not typical, but we'll run with it. Put our carcass in the stock pot. Smoked paprika, curry, you said not ginger. Well, you can use either one. Garlic, cardamom. Let's come over here and put oil in it, Beck.
You don't want it to be too runny, it runs off the chicken.
We've got some juicy smoked marinated— I'll marinate it longer next time— Indian chicken. Hey, you guys, it's time! It's time to eat! Let's go. How is it, Rebecca? It's fabulous. We're getting better and better, or what? It tastes delicious. Is it our best Indian chicken yet? Oh yeah. What do you think, buddy? He hasn't said a word. He's been— he must like it. Josiah, you got your breast. Is it juicy?
It is.
Yeah. Would you order it at a restaurant?
Yeah.
If you went to an all-you-can-eat Indian restaurant, how much would you eat?
I don't know.
Look how juicy that is. I would only eat the Indian chicken. Mmm, smoke flavor, nice, juicy. Wow, tender. We nailed that. That's gonna be famous in this house.
