Living Free In Tennessee - Nicole Sauce

Today we will talk to Vin Armani about declaring independence. What struck me about his talk at Liberty Forum was that it was not a tired lecture on the the historical relevance of our Declaration of Independence here, it was an evaluation of what sparks people to choose to be free, and what character elements one needs to have to do it. We also have a crypto tip from our friend Kurt. Show Resources Find Vin Armani Online Membership Sign Up Episode 8: Five Uses for Summer Squash Purse.io What Mother Nature is providing Poke Weed, Tiger lillies - Lilium lancifolium, Basil Cabbage Broccoli Yellow squash begins Raspberries are ripe Garlic is coming out of the ground this week And we’ve still got elderberry blooms to fritter up, as well as red clover flowers to harvest and dry for tea Tales from the Prepper Pantry We got our first round of beets to pickle Harvest Bounty Letting Tomato Suckers get about 6-8 inches long them putting them in the ebb and flow bed to root for future transplant Starting to plan

Today we talk about animals on the homestead, and more particularly training animals on the homestead. This is not the all-successful animal trainer’s view of getting your animals in line telling you how to achieve impossible results with just one week of practice when they have spent a lifetime learning. This will be a discussion of the benefits of training your livestock and some ideas on how to do that, as well as stories and examples of things I have done well here at the Holler Homestead === and not so well. Direct Download What Mother Nature is providing Poke Weed Tiger lilies - Lilium lancifolium Lettuce Garlic flowers Chard Dill Basil Tales from the Prepper Pantry Using up non-pickled beets Drying last year’s garlic to make garlic powder Harvest Bounty The 5 foot tomato was really 4 feet. NOW it is 5 feet and the blight begins Trellising Sweet potato greens are ready Questions from Listeners: What exactly do 'you' do with dandelions. Do you roast the root, dry the leaves for tea, etc. How do yo

Today, we walk through all the endeavors here at the Holler Homestead and assess if we are in track, where to focus and how to move forward. Assessing your progress along the year is important to developing the lifestyle you want, building independence and stability and staying focused. What Mother Nature is providing Poke Weed Elderflower Fritters Watercress is done until it cools down Seeing unripe wild raspberries on the vines Tales from the Prepper Pantry Corn is used up! Celebrating Strawberry Geranium Jam Harvest Bounty Lettuce and chard The 5 foot tall tomato Vining plants are ready for trellising Operation Independence $50 in on the replaced plug Make it a great week! Song: Mr. Clammy Resources Membership Sign Up

Today, I want to circle back on community, self-reliance, and side hustles. You see, we had a great Spring Workshop here in late April, and some pretty cool relationships came from that. And not just the - oh hey I met you at a workshop kind, but some real relationships. My next door neighbor has worked two days at another participant’s farm, there is another gathering coming up this weekend that has coordinated itself, and so much more.  What Mother Nature is providing Hemlock is flowering The usuals for salad: hairy vetch, watercress, dandelion Garlic scapes!! Salad Sprouts are back up and running since I am home Tales from the Prepper Pantry Farmers market update: All salads all the time - things are waaay behind this season Staying the course on using things up Harvest Bounty We lost about 5 of the 20 fish  Operation Independence Update on the new schedule: Today has been the first day I was able to really follow it. The AirbnB is open for the season and we are getting lots of rent Song: Wolf by S

Today, we explore why adding creative pursuits into your life helps you succeed in other areas, even if you are not the best in show in whatever creative thing you choose to learn. You may be wondering what this has to do with designing a successful and happy life, homesteading, freedom, or side hustles. Here’s the thing. It’s hard to justify it in a pithy soundbite. But creative pursuits result in physical, mental and emotional benefits. So hang with me on this and I hope you will find ways to reprogram yourself through creative pursuits as you design the life you love. This episode is dedicated to Puff --- our kitty that was with us for too short a time. What Mother Nature is providing Asparagus Goldenseal, a plant rife with medicinal uses Salve season is here with the comfrey and jewelweed right at perfect harvest size for this purpose. Aquaponics update: Another salad has resulted from the system, which is crankin out some growth. We added 20 goldfish last night and have lost one so far. And I did plant

Today, I want to share with you a beginner’s perspective on Aquaponics. At the LFTN Spring Workshop, two awesome guys installed an Aquaponics system here, so I got to witness first hand how to install something right the first time, AND we have been using it for a week now. One of the things that has kept me from doing aquaponics here has been how hard it sounds to set something up, so having this in place is a big deal. So for those of you out there thinking about aquaponics, or even those who are not sure it is a good idea, I want to let you know what it is like as a beginner to launch and learn about Aquaponics. Direct Download Membership Portal What Mother Nature is providing Watercress is winding up Hairy vetch, chickweed and deadnettle Stinging nettle is blooming here and will die back until fall, unless we get rainy/cooling in the next month or so Asparagus Goldenseal, a plant rife with medicinal uses Tea time: lemon balm, blackberry and raspberry leaves. There should be bee balm, but I must have mana

Today, we review the good, the bad, the ugly from the Living Free in Tennessee Spring Workshop with The Tactical Redneck, one of our participants. All in all, things went well, folks got to learn from each other about homesteading things, a surprise session on how to capture bee swarms happened, and we even got to be intimately involved with a real aquaponics installation. It was a good time, and we hope that the relationships forged at this event will serve all those who were here well for years to come. Make it a great week! Song; Cilly Song, by Sauce

Today we talk through 7 steps to take to deescalate tense situations, talk about bees and bee swarms, and share stores of what has gone on at the Holler Homestead over the past week or so. This spring has run away and we had snowflakes this morning, as well as some fun goaty antics.

Today we talk about 10 tips for coordinating a workshop on your own property. Want to know why? Well, selfishly, this is in part because ALL I am thinking about right now is workshop details. And also because I know lots of you are on your own side hustle or entrepreneurial adventure. It is so cool when you send me emails about what you are up to. And you guys have neat skills that not everyone has. When you are in this situation, it becomes tempting to host a workshop and share the knowledge. So today, we will go over some early lessons I have learned getting the LFTN18 Spring Workshop up and running. What Mother Nature is providing Dryad’s Saddle Watercress is getting long in the tooth, deadnettle and wild mustard flower Raspberry leaves for tea Mint is starting to come on Tales from the Prepper Pantry Play a little help from our friends The snakes were tamed by a very special set of visitors who reminded me to have fun no matter what - and fun we did have. The sweet potato slips Using up the canned good

It’s been awhile since we explored a freedom topic, and as most of you know, the ability to live life as freely as possible is one reason that Mark and I have chosen to go on this homesteading journey. So today, I thought that it might be fun to examine something about freedom that most people don’t talk much about: building the ability to know what is none of your business. You’ve all heard the term “Nimby” right? Well today we will walk through that, along with our usual segments and a few tales from the Holler. Direct Download What Mother Nature is providing • Dryad’s Saddle • Watercress, deadnettle and wild mustard flowers • Poke and hairy vetch should be coming out soon Tales from the Prepper Pantry • The blue bins and resulting can of snakes • Pickled beets in deviled eggs • Three final squashes to be buried in the garden • Onions still hanging in there • 8 jars of turkey stock put up Getting the gardens ready • Seedlings are in place • Need to trim the raspberries and thin out the wood chips • Hoping t

A friend asked me, while looking at a carcass to cut up on his butchering table, how I would butcher a lamb if I had one here for Mark and me. So today, we will talk about how to process your spring lamb - or goat - for two.  What mother nature is providing Watercress season is here Wild mustard flowers - as usual in time for Easter Dead nettle and chickweed Dandelion greens and flowers Tales from the prepper pantry The tools are organized! The last onions have landed in my kitchen - I kept finding more Avocado quinoa salad. Butternut squash bisque this week Stretching Meals Turkey cycle again this time, but with new recipes - we will share some next week. Operation Independence The trout conundrum as they relate to operation independence. Help please. What is the Independence Fund anyway?   Great resource for cutting up a lamb from the Guardian of all places: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gallery/2008/nov/19/foodanddrink   Make it a great week! Song: Cilly Song, by Sauce

Today, we are going to talk about some fun projects we did over the last week here at the Holler Homestead. There were some changes that needed to be done because of the pig, some fun wild plants popping up, goat hijinks and more. And yes, as usual, nothing went as planned but a bunch of stuff got done. This really makes me think the most important skill you can develop if you plan to integrate homesteading practices into your life is troubleshooting and keeping things flexible. Rainbowcrawlers.com What mother nature is providing More rain Stinging nettle Dead nettle (for salad) Watercress Egg recipe of the week: Tuna egg salad Getting the Gardens Ready Story: Farmers market meeting Tales from the prepper pantry Cleared out everything but the last 7 onions and 2 butternut squashes in the root cellar. Reorganizing it for the summer months Using up green beans and beets at a fast clip now that the new crops are about to be upon us BBQ story Stretching Meals The Boston Butt Project Operation Independence Pig she

How are you doing moving toward your goals? These past few weeks have had me thinking pretty hard about how simple it is to set a set of priorities in your life and family, then use them as a filter through which to make choices. It is so simple, in fact, that it is hard. Then I got to reading a book I was helping someone right and one of their chapter titles was “Organized people who are wrong beat disorganized people who are right every time.”   What mother nature is providing Watercress Shagbark Stinging Nettle Mullein Wild Garlic Getting the Gardens Ready Wood chipping in the garden space Trimmed up the peach tree and elderberries Tales from the prepper pantry The Sweet potatoes have rotted Still have butternut squash - the powerhouse of the pantry Operation Independence Another load of pallets arrives this week New Well Pump Installation Slogging through the taxes one day at a time Make it a great week! Song: Belly Dancing Vamp Tune, Sauce

We are going to talk about life and more importantly life today, not yesterday, and not tomorrow. You hear people say all the time to live in the now but that seems kind of weird, right? I mean, if I just do what I want every day to be in the now, then when tomorrow comes, I will have used up all my cash and will end up out on the street. Well, maybe living in the now but being aware of the future is important. We will cover more of that in the main topic of the show. What mother nature is providing I don’t really know, but Houston has chick weed Watercress and Mint It froze again so some of the early starts and the daffodils will be beaten back when I get home Crappie Getting the Gardens Ready All it does is rain...so nothing Tales from the prepper pantry There will be a pig in the freezer when I get back so we will be makin bacon Centering meals around the meat in the freezer that needs to go. Goal is to keep as healthy as possible. Really focused on using up the canned goods Sugar snap peas, radishes

Today  we have a great interview with Chef Brett Corrieri, the instructor from Cider Hollow Farm's pork processing class. Brett walks us through the process to dry cure a ham, and describes why you would want to eat it a little too well. Also today, we have a roundup of sweet potato recipes from you, the listener.  Goat Video Sweet Potato Recipes Oven baked sweet potato fries (or cubes) Peel and cut 2-3 lbs sweet potatoes Coat with olive oil, toss with 1 tsp paprika (sweet Hungarian paprika if you've got it) 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp salt. Bake 425F for about 30 minutes, stirring and turning after 15. Should be slightly crisp on the edges, soft in the middle. Yum! Josh's Roundup Sweet potato chili  Sweet potato flatbread NC Sweet Potato Tortillas Squash Sweet Potato Chili Interesting recipe Sweet potato fritters Ginger Sweet Potato Cheesecake SP Garlic Mac N Cheese SP Hummus Soul SP From Tamlyn TWICE-BAKED SWEET POTATOES Bake sweet potatoes like usual, cool, halve, and scoop out flesh (be gentle, the

Today, we’ve got a good one with an exploration of how well goats work for weed control, as well as some tactics we have learned about over the past “almost year” of having these playful little devils -- and they are devils -- on our land. What mother nature is providing Shagbark Hickory Update Deadnettle is starting to spring up Bees legs are full of pollen Watercress may be big enough this week to harvest a round Bad mushroom year - all my best logs are gone Sprouts  Eggapalooza - Getting the Gardens Ready Seedling trays - maybe - big trip to houston coming up and not sure if things will be in place Special replay this week: Growing your Own Seedlings. Mud farming - facial idea Tales from the prepper pantry Marty the pig will graduate in a few weeks - a confession Laying plans to eat more green beans - for some reason this year we’ve been finding lots of collard greens and not hitting the canned stores Still swimming in sweet potatoes - anyone got some fun recipes? Onions from last fall will be done in

Today, we are going to talk about something that several of you have brought up recently: How to navigate a big move. I have moved across the country several times, as well as overseas for a year and learned a thing or two along the way. As it turns out, some of you see your path toward standing on your own in another place from where you are. Places with lower property taxes, or no income tax, or less zoning restriction. Places where you are more free to just get a business started without filling out a million forms. And moving can be so costly! I will share with you some lessons learned in the trenches on this one. 5 NEW SPOTS OPEN: Spring Workshop Direct Download What mother nature is providing Trying out some shag bark tea this week (Hickory) Sprouts Wild garlic Sunchokes Getting the Gardens Ready Have seeds in hand and about ready to start the peppers Aquaponics changes everything Tales from the prepper pantry Lot’s of sweet potatoes and here is a recipe shared by a listener Ryan from Homespun Mag

Today, I am going to talk with you about opportunity and simplification. Simplification is the top of people's minds for so many right now as they declutter their closets, re-examine their priorities and see opportunities come to fruition. And opportunity is the name of the game. Here at the Holler Homestead, we have been on 18 months of growing side hustles as I transitioned to a different way of life, and, well, the opportunities just keep coming in.   Direct Download   What mother nature is providing Wild garlic is here - well it was always here, but it has made itself known. My favorite herb of the 2017/18 winter: Mullein Chicken eggs are back! Getting the Gardens Ready Setting my growing plans bit late this year - second tier priority Tales from the prepper pantry Elderberry syrup Hunting the rotting potato Almost through the salsa we canned I haven’t bought Garlic in 10 years Stretching Meals Meatballs in stroganoff: $9+$2+$2=$13 (6 meals), Meatballs in lasagna: $1+$2=$3 (6 meals), Meatballs with

Today, I am going to talk with you about how to cure ham. This topic is robust enough that we could do several shows on it in fact. I even reached out to my buddy, Chef Brett, to get his take on the dry curing method alongside my brining approach to this conundrum. He and I will have a curing interview later this week.

Today, I’ve got a whole bunch of stull lined up for you, some of which I meant to tell you last week, but ran out of time. We are going to go through some lessons learned on budgeting for the homestead - Ive collected them from various sources, most of whom are not natural budgeters and we will talk about something I learned this week: How to square a pole barn with a measuring tape, stakes and string. SPRING WORKSHOP INFO