Living Free in Tennessee - Nicole Sauce

I am coming to you today from a place called Highland Rim Retreats near Fall Creek Falls in Tennessee! Today, I thought it would be fun to do something a little different. We will talk about the five elements of homemade salad dressing. Seasonal Eating and Tales From the Prepper Pantry Quarterly freezer re-organization Seasoning a pork belly for bacon: salt, rosemary, sage, turmeric, brown sugar Garden kale and lettuces, pea shoots, hairy vetch, redbud, baby bamboo shoots, poke weed The morels are out there my friends – IF you can find them What we are preserving this week Drying for tea Blackberry Raspberry Stinging nettle Bee balm The Five Elements of Homemade Salad Dressing Sour: Vinegar, Lemon Juice, lime juice, pickle brine, caper juice Spicy: Mustard, hot pepper sauce, peppers, onions, garlic Creamy: Mayonnaise, sour cream, whipped cream cheese, cream Sweet: Honey, sugar, jams and jellies, sorghum, maple syrup Emulsifier: Olive Oil, grape seed oil, avocado oil, any infused oils, oil, oil, oil. The process: Define salad's core flavor Choose complimentary flavor elements from the five above Make your dressing recipe! Example: Watercress, kale based salad. Core flavor: spicy What will complement that? Sweet and sour Dressing recipe – Basic balsamic vinaigrette: 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp fig infused balsamic, 1 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp water, 1 tsp salt. Example: Spinach salad Core flavor: nutty, flat What goes with that? Almost anything - try spicy and sweet Dressing Recipe – honey mustard: 1 tbsp, mustard, 2 tbsp mayo, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp water, salt, pepper and shake! (You can sneak in a tbsp. of balsamic on this one and it is really good) Example: Peppers, tomatoes, kale leaves, a little corn, spinach Core flavor: sweet and nutty What goes with that? Lemon and spice and everything nice! Dressing Recipe – basil lemon zest: 2 tbsp lemon, onions, 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp olive oil, sliced fresh basil, 2 tbsp water, shake and let sit overnight in the fridge. Remove from fridge 30 mins before using so that it reaches room temp. A Hack: soak the onions in the lemon for 30 minutes, then mix all the other ingredients directly into the salad if you are in a rush. Other recipe ideas from Zello: BDHutier: Oil, vinegar, favorite jelly Kirtus: Olive oil, anchovies - canned, Italian spice mix, leave for 24 hours in the fridge – likely added vinegar Stories from the holler Torrential downpours Did a walk through of a friend's new piece of land – and It has some interesting features, including a really cool run off area that many people would see as a problem but that we see as an asset – now it is just very important to properly identify zone one, which is an interesting amoeba shape because of how his outbuilding is situated. BEES ESCAPED We are setting up a page – soft launch – over at Patreon.com to share premium content to show supporters. Cider Hollow Farms – He's put the rest of his comfrey on sale at an extra $1.50 per plant for spring closeout and if you use the coupon code LFITN5 you will get an additional 5% of anything you order. Go to CiderHollow.com. This spring has been the usual whirlwind with lots of activity and shifting priorities, but things are going well because we have done a good job of always re-orienting toward our primary family goals of making time for recreation and fun, local stable income, and paying attention to our health. Get out there and make it a great week! Song: Sauce, The Flood

The past week has been full of strange misadventures. We've demo'd a new coffee bean for Holler Roast Coffee, run it by a friend, found someone willing to help me grow the business by loaning me a few extra roasters, opened the cabin rental for the season, out the newspaper to bed and even decided to put out tomatoes before May 1, my usual planting date. And it has made me think about how it is so easy to prepare for some things, but getting ahead in finances can be really tough. So today, I thought I would run through my thought process as I decide if I will grow the Holler Roast business beyond it's extremely limited market. Direct Download Eating Seasonally and Tales from the Prepper Pantry This is where we share what we are eating as it comes to us - and talk about ways to use what we store. Wild Mustard, watercress, hairy vetch, last of the dead nettle, arugula (story of the Easter Salad) Crappie, fish stock Hitting the canned peaches because it is about to be canned peaches time again! Getting the Gardens Ready Where we share what we are doing to get our food growing operation up and running. Trimming and chipping the pathways Planting the last of the fruit trees Beating the wineberries BACK Shade cloth is on the greenhouse and that made the tomatoes really happy 5 Questions to Ask When It's Time to Grow Do I love this enough to really do it? How does it pencil as I grow? (time, extra licensing, etc.) How am I going to expand sales, is my market growing or am I planning to increase market share in my existing market? Why am I better than my competition? Why are they better than I am? What are the do or die items that if they are not in place, I will pull the plug? Stories from the Holler Make it a great week! Song: Suicide, Sauce

The eight week time-pressure episode has arrived! That's right, Center Hill Sun goes to press this week – though there is still time to place an ad if you want to reach 20,000 people who love the outdoors, rural living and country fun. 🙂 Today we have a chat with Dori Mulder, the person who was getting ready to close on land and has written in a few times. She bought a fantastic 40 acre place with a house built unto a CAVE right on a RIVER. Middle TN Learning Opportunity: Mushroom Event April 22: https://www.facebook.com/events/791640000985966/ Eating Seasonally and Tales from the Prepper Pantry This is where we share what we are eating as it comes to us – and talk about ways to use what we store. Light this week because I didn't eat. Wild Mustard, watercress, hairy vetch, pokeweed is poking up! From the pantry: Sweet potato chili with wild garlic Baby lettuce is here! Asparagus Getting the Gardens Ready Where we share what we are doing to get our food growing operation up and running. Late bed preparation – with advice from Karley Potatoes up and a little burnt and some bugees are nibbling our radishes. Garden Economics project: no additional moneys have been spent New Land – New Adventure, and Interview with Dori MulderWhen you first get a piece of land, there is so much time to learn about your land. And Dori shares with us what her first days on her new property are like. She also takes some time to share her dreams for the property long term. Stories from the Holler The dying box elder tree by our guest cabin is no more Friends saved the day this week Support us while drinking a marvelous cup of hand-roasted coffee! Order here. Make it a great week! Song: Special, Sauce|

We've gotten lots of feedback n that episode from folks who wanted to go to that workshop and have never been able to. It got me to thinking. What if we do a homesteading workshop right here this coming September? In former years, we have had one or two orientations followed by lots of raucous camping fun, but wouldn't it be fun to do something that allows us all to share best practices from Tennessee on what we are best at? Deal: Cider Hollow wants to offer 5% off their bare root trees and comfrey. Get 'em while you still can! Eating Seasonally and Tales from the Prepper Pantry This is where we share what we are eating as it comes to us - and talk about ways to use what we store Wild Mustard, watercress, dandelion roots, hairy vetch From the pantry: garlic and onions are gone so we are depending on wild garlic chives and early green onions from the garden Watercress is almost done for the season, though we have another cold snap on the way which may give us a reset The season of tea is almost here: Bee balm, blackberry leaves, mint Getting the Gardens Ready Where we share what we are doing to get our food growing operation up and running Greenhouse tomatoes are growing strongly and will be for sale soon Potatoes up and wood-chipping the walkways is in process Selling watercress online this week Wild Forage Nutrition in the Spring Chickweed: Beta-carotene (Vitamin A pre-cursor), B vitamins (B1/Thiamin, B2/Riboflavin, B3/Niacin), Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) Deadnettle: Iron, vitamins, and fiber Stinging Nettle: Vitamin A, Calcium, Iron Watercress: Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin K, Calcium Observing your local forest Right now as spring is springing - it is a great time to see what likes to grow in you area - and glean inspiration from it Mulberry Elderberry Wild raspberry and blackberries Hairy vetch and other vines Poke weed These all grow on the edges and also provide us food in my area We also have Walnut trees Hickory nuts Wild persimmons Wild cherries Crabapples Pawpaws These varieties are already acclimated to our region - look at where they grow on their own Stories from the Holler Facelift for spring Ducks are back in synch with us Communities versus guilds And with that, remember, if like the show you can support us while drinking a marvelous cup of hand-roasted coffee! Make it a great week! Song: Sauce - Wolf

This week I took the opportunity of being in the car for 26 hours with the famous Mike Vertrees to record an interview with him about the workshop we attended at Jack Spirko's place. This workshop was fantastic - and exhausting. There will be expanded show notes on Wednesday, my friends. Song: Dr. Feeley, Dr. Skinner - Sauce

Today we will talk about how important it is to build flexibility into your life because it helps make you more resilient when things change. We will also talk about what has happened since we started getting serious about the egg and coffee business, cover how the paper is doing and I will share with you a bit about how the Grafting workshop went over at Cider Hollow. Eating Seasonally and Tales from the Prepper Pantry This is where we share what we are eating as it comes to us - and talk about ways to use what we store. Wild Mustard, watercress, dandelion greens Baby kale from the super kale plant From the pantry: there is half a box of potatoes left and we are par boiling them, then making hash browns about once a day! Corn and green beans on salads as usual Hitting the pickled goods hard. Forgot to can the extra pork stock from the shoulder roast so here is what we did... Getting the Gardens Ready Where we share what we are doing to get our food growing operation up and running. Operation Eyesore Transplanted the tomato seedlings and moved then to the GH Beets, carrots, lettuce, radish, etc seeds are in the ground and the radishes have germinated! Working on more woodchipping for areas where we want better weed control Someone dug the horseradish plant - wtf? Why Build Resilience in Your Life Part of our lifestyle here on the homestead is about building resilience into our day to day activities. Because no matter what happens, we only know one thing: change is coming. This idea that you work one job your whole life and retire to play golf - and that this is the norm - was a nice dream, but it is really a fiction. First and foremost: flexibility Secondly: responsibility - no excuses Finally: more control of the things you can control Four ways to get started: Simplify and frugalify Grow some of your own food Find ways to build ongoing income from your local area that you control Develop a real community around yourself Holler Homestead Business Progress Center Hill Sun Update Stories from the Holler Cider Hollow Event with Cliff from Spiral Ridge Permaculture Hive splitting - check out the video on youtube And with that, remember, if like the show you can support us while drinking a marvelous cup of hand-roasted coffee - order here. Youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-PX-bHfC3AEOUPWgJ5d40g/playlists Well my friends, next week it is a 50-50 chance that the podcast will be skipped - sorry about that. I will be down at Jack Spirko's not getting enough sleep for five days, giving a presentation and learning a TON from other homesteaders. And in two weeks, we may have a very special interview lines up with one of our listeners who is this very moment one her brand new pice of land. That should be fun. Anyway - go out and make it a great week! Song: Sauce, Tripped Out.

Today we are going to talk about what NOT TO DO when you first move to your new homestead. These are three things that I really wish we had known before we dove into the Holler Homestead. Also today, a brand new gluten free, dairy free, soy free potluck recipe. I've got some updates to share about the Holler Homestead and we will go over Toby Hemenway's 8th chapter of Gaia's Garden. Eating Seasonally and Tales from the Prepper Pantry This is where we share what we are eating as it comes to us - and talk about ways to use what we store. Wild Mustard is everywhere Wild Salad Harvesting Dandelion Roots Harvesting Sassafrass Root Prepper Pantry Recipe: Roasted Garlic Spread Gluten free, dairy free, soy free potluck dish Getting the Gardens Ready Where we share what we are doing to get our food growing operation up and running. Operation Eyesore Final bed preparation is in process and it will take a few weeks to finalize Blackberry Propagation Seedling light update 3 Mistakes to Avoid on Your New Land Don't rush in Don't do everything at once Don't underestimate Three things you should do on your new land: Take time and observe Set clear priorities with your big picture goal in mind and stick to them Double your estimate in time and money for everything so that you have enough resources to complete your projects Toby Hemenway Chapter 8 of Gaia's Garden Questions to ask yourself about this chapter What one community do I want to set up this year? How can I make plants, insects, soil organisms, birds and mammals work in concert on my land? Where can I try out polyculture in my garden this year and what succession will I aim for? Do I have time each day to oversee a succession planting project in my veggie garden? And with that, remember, if like the show you can support us while drinking a marvelous cup of hand-roasted coffee! Order here. You want to drop me a question, topic idea, or comment, feel free to email me. And for those of you who prefer youtube, we have the show up over on a youtube channel, but they won't let me do a vanity domain until I have 100 followers - apparently this is something new. Youtube Link It is funny how simplifying your life, putting more energy into gleaning a living from a piece of land, when done well, can add resilience to your household. Next week we will talk about this resilience a bit more when I share with you s big change that has happened in my job. I am so glad to see spring springing here in Tennessee - along with its new plants, snow, 70 degree days and more visits from friends. Living this way is great fun, really hard, sometimes scary - but it is always rewarding to know that we have made what we have with our own two hands. Make it a great week! Song: Sauce, Belly Dancing Vamp Song

And a listener shot me an email last week after hearing the garden section with a pretty important question that has led to today's topic: Starting Seedlings for the Newbee. Also today, a comment on some of the divisiveness we have all been experiencing and some thoughts on why certain words are triggering bad behavior - especially online. More importantly, we will talk about something you might do to de-escalate these situations. Also, we will be re-upping the Toby Hemenway segment not THIS WEEK, but next week - Honestly - chapter 8 is taking me a long time to develop because there is so much information in it and I just don't want to do a bad job for you. Be ready next week for that one. Notes at: http://livingfreeintennessee.com/2017/03/06/episode-26-starting-seedlings-for-the-newbee/

On today's show, I will walk you through a specific recipe you can try at home with produce purchased at the store for your first canning project. This is in advance of our soon to be produced youtube series: Learn Canning with 8 Home Preservation Projects. Also cued up for the show is another segment from Samantha the Savings Ninja! She will give us her top picks for phone apps that can save you money. Also, Holler Roast coffee is officially for sale online at livingfreeintennessee.com. It is $14 a pound plus shipping, and of course the best shipping rate is for 5 pounds, but two pounds ship for a fairly reasonable price too! More show notes at LivingFreeinTennessee.com

Do you ever give some advice to people, then realize the person who needs it the most is you? That's basically how last week went here at the Holler Homestead. The ducks discovered the creek resulting in a cascading series of projects that were of top priority, and not originally on my list. Today, I will cover something promised from last week: potato preservation, go over questions to ask as a result of reading chapter 6 of Gaia's Garden, there will be the first in a series of gardening economics discussions, and, last but not least, Dances with Ducks - a view into how keeping animals means you can't depend on any plan you ever make. Justin Rhodes chicken tractor plans Eating Seasonally Wild Garlic and Watercress still going strong Dead Nettle, Lamium purpureum , Identifying it (Salads, sautee's and with eggs) Chickweed, more on this next week Getting the Gardens Ready Where we share what we are doing to get our food growing operation up and running. Sweet Potato Slip Update: The first slip is starting to poke out! Organized seeds Tales from the Prepper Pantry How we are keeping our winter stores interesting. Freezer Audit: (Notebook is awesome, in theory) Sweet potato, potato puree Green beans as breakfast Renewed effort on the pickled things - Man! Dilly beans are fantastic! Stories from the Holler Bee mentor/ Hive inspection Potato Preservation Drying. Canning - The guide: http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/usda/GUIDE04_HomeCan_rev0715.pdf Lessons learned from Toby Hemenway This week: Chapter 6 Next Week*: Chapter 7 Questions What do I want/need to support with my plants? (shade, forage for animals, shelter from wind, food for us, enjoyment, pest resistance vs attracting beneficial bugs - or wildlife for that matter? What problems do I currently have that plants can help with? (Deer destruction, sad soil, etc) What do I really love? How can I plan my homestead to support those things? What balance of mulching, soils loosening, nutrient mining, fungal growth sparking, and so forth will be best for my land - and therefore what plants should I integrate to set this up? What areas should I develop first with intensive planting, versus setting the stage for a longer-term play? Garden Economics Do home gardens save you money? Dances with Ducks It is so nice at this time of year to go outside in the morning with my cup of coffee and watch the world go by for a few minutes before diving in. And despite the ducky duties this week, things are still moving forward at the Holler Homestead. Thank you so much for joining me today here on Living Free in Tennessee and make it a great week!