Living Free in Tennessee - Nicole Sauce

Today is a thought of the walk episode - a collection of short thoughts shared on a variety of topics. These thoughts are shared on Odysee every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, then produced as an audio podcast every other Friday. Today’s Thoughts Include: Growing Food The Circle of Life Eating Seasonally To view the videos for Thought of the Walk Episode, go here: Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b They are also produced on Youtube as a playlist. Make it a great week! GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. It makes a great Christmas Gift! Community Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b Advisory Board The Booze Whisperer The Tactical Redneck Chef Brett Samantha the Savings Ninja Resources Membership Sign Up Holler Roast Coffee  

The addition of the Harvest Right Freeze Dryer has been a fun adventure here at the Holler Homestead so when John Davis reached out to do a show based on his experience with one, I thought it would be a great fit. Show Resources www.pauldavisautomation.com What’s Up in the Garden Tromboncino  Eggplant Resetting Sunshine Plot Herbs Tomatoes Peppers Fall garden seedlings need to get started this week! Main Show Content: Freeze Drying for Fun and Maybe...Profit? John Davis is a jack of all trades master of none that lives in rural Ohio along with his awesome wife and kids. He owns a manufacturer's representative business that sells industrial automation solutions throughout a five state region, and over the 14 years he has been in this business, he has built a solid foundation through his lifestyle business on which he can pursue his real passion, skill acquisition. Becoming a better husband and father, farming, flying airplanes, software engineering, electronic hardware design, hunting, being a "contingency enthusiast" (prepper), and furniture making are just a few things that keep him busy. He enjoys mentoring others in similar pursuits. What is freeze drying and what is a freeze dryer? How does the process work and why is it superior to other forms of food preservation? How is it not superior to other forms of food preservation? Can you freeze dry without buying an expensive machine? How has it changed our approach to pantry management? How do we use our freeze dried food? After two years of ownership, what is your "real world" experience with the machine? Tips and tricks? Is it possible to make money with the machine as a side hustle? Tips on buying a freezer drier for listeners Membership and Coffee Pitch Make it a great week! GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.  Community Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b Advisory Board The Booze Whisperer The Tactical Redneck Chef Brett Samantha the Savings Ninja Resources Membership Sign Up Holler Roast Coffee Harvest Right Affiliate Link  

Today we will talk about the witchiness of homesteading and why what seems so strange to some is simply living. Meat canning webinar Tales from the Prepper Pantry Freeze dried beets Freeze dried feta Canning beans is the next round of food preservation Chickens for sale Operation Independence Going dark Main topic of the Show: Which Witch is Which Imagine hundreds of years ago if one of your family members was truly ill and some lady who kept to herself mostly gave you some tea for the sick person -- and they got better. Or if you sprained your ankle and the swelling went down quickly. Add to that layers of superstition like which phase of the moon is best for planting, ceremonies involving burnt hair that reveal your true love’s face, and that sort of thing. The final twist could be that the lone lady with that tea lives to be quite old and there we have it. A witch. Yesterday, a friend stopped by who I had not seen in a long time and he joked on the way in the door that I reminded him of country women he remembers as a kid growing up who seemed kind of like witches. He did not mean it in a bad way -- he was just pointing out that I live an alternative lifestyle to the norm. And it is true: If there is a natural or herbal remedy to something, I will try it first. If I have  a bad headache, I go to bed.  I have some odd world views: Natural cycles of the earth and solar system impact climate, weather and, ultimately growing cycles We evolved here, therefore remedies to our ills evolved with us Just because it cannot be proven scientifically does not prove it false Humans are energy and as such, ignoring energy as part of whole health is a mistake Some of these views make me witchy I suppose. In college, I used to make this brew of ginger root, bitter root, peppermint and hot peppers and honey every time I got a cold. Why? Because it helped. The bitter root soothed my throat, the ginger opened the capillaries in my sinuses, capsasis is an immune system boost, and the peppermint and honey make it drinkable -- not taste good -- drinkable. When I did this I just knew it helped, not the why. But over the years I have learned more about the why, down to peppermint helping with breathing and honey being an antibacterial agent. And even back then, people thought me crazy. They wondered why I did not simply pop a decongestant and go on with life? Moving to the homestead has brought my witchiness to a whole new level. I mean, here I am, living in what looks like isolation, growing a ton of herbs, wildcrafting other herbs, with a good collection of sharp knives around, hair down to my rear end, talking to animals and trees, and not a worry about current events. Well maybe that is not entirely true - I sometimes worry about current events. But life on the homestead is not exactly the picture they paint when they talk about the American Dream is it? It may be my American Dream, but it is a bit of a witchy one. After my friend pointed this out, I realized that he was right. I live a rather witchy life. If you look around right now, as in this week, at my homestead, here are some of the witchy things that happened: Drying herbs (Garlic, bundles of sage, etc) Varied nutritional regimes for the neighbors (Bone broth and ferments to cultivate gut health, fruit to reset the metabolism, goats milk to ease my dogs health issues) Mortar and pestle sitting out with a strange concoction (for bee stings as a matter of fact) Wild plants as tall as I growing near the house: goldenrod, echinacea, garlic, plantain, comfrey, bee balm, lemon balm, day lilies, roses, mint, parsley, and unfortunately perilla and burdock Everything is from scratch: We grind wheat when we need it, make stocks and broth by hand, age cheese, can pickled and other pickled treats, make mayonnaise, gravy by hand, cure bacon and other meats, hang biltong and get our winter veggies from jars (resulting in commercial food tasting bad) Mindset=build your own reality Smell of roses and the scent of things in general Smudging does happen when energy is off, as does meditation, seeking to tap into the spirit of the land around us, and connecting with the earth to heal. Yep, as I think about it, look at the browns of jars of dried herbs here for healing, get ready to age our first cheddar of this season, and watch people come through here with shared values, learning to take control of their personal outcomes no matter what happens --- I can see that homesteading looks pretty witchy to the outside world. But to me, it is something different. This lifestyle is not something to be feared or looked askance at - but rather an acknowledgement that nature is at the core of us all. And when we work with nature, we get better outcomes. Now sure, you may not be a person willing to get dirty and buggy on a homestead to tap into natural cycles. You may prefer your city condo - perhaps with a few pots of herbs. And that is fine. You do you as they like to say. And I don’t even mind when people look down their noses at my witchy life here. But there is a history of the state forcing people who live like I do into “modern” life in order to protect them. I mean, I do live near a giant Army Corpse project that flushed country folks from their family farms under the guise of progress that may or may not have actually helped (I am looking at you Nashville flood on 2010). And that progress merely served to lock people in poverty and increase external controls on their lives. So I was thinking this: Let’s embrace our witchiness and scare the pants off them -- maybe then they will leave us to work with nature as God intended. Membership Plug MeWe reminder Make it a great week! Song: GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.  Community Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b Advisory Board The Booze Whisperer The Tactical Redneck Chef Brett Samantha the Savings Ninja Resources Membership Sign Up Holler Roast Coffee Harvest Right Affiliate Link

Today is a thought of the walk episode - a collection of short thoughts shared on a variety of topics. These thoughts are shared on Odysee every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, then produced as an audio podcast every other Friday. Today’s Thoughts Include: One Step at a Time - Thought of the Walk Game Changing Dish Water Tip Of Toxic People and Sewing Scissors Assess for Success Ground Yourself To view the videos for Thought of the Walk Episode, go here: Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b They are also produced on Youtube as a playlist. Make it a great week! GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. It makes a great Christmas Gift! Community Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b Advisory Board The Booze Whisperer The Tactical Redneck Chef Brett Samantha the Savings Ninja Resources Membership Sign Up Holler Roast Coffee  

Looking to buy land and move to your dream homestead? Hold your horses! Land is a long-term purchase and it is a good idea to think before you leap. Today we will talk about the most important things to consider before you spring for that plot of dirt. Holler Neighbor Livestream Thursday: 6:15/6:30 ish Stump the Sauce From Mark: Ideas for meals with meat that are easy to chew. Sandwich salad Sloppy joes on zoodles Stroganoff Sauerkraut n minced pork Shepherds pie Thick, creamy italian style soup Bisque with meat Curry What’s Up In the Garden Tomato blight in system 1 but not in system 2 Tromboncino Squash is going nuts Egg plant looks stressed - might be that the pots are black so we are wrapping them in burlap The Great Reset in Sunshine Plot (Post Garlic Harvest) Garlic Harvest  Main topic of the Show:  #My3Things Before You Buy Land What is the homestead lifestyle you want to have? (Characteristics not the what) -- decision out of fear of agenda 30) Local zoning, codes, taxes, etc Sun, Water, Rainfall, Soil, Slope, Proximity to Services Membership Plug Make it a great week! GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.  Community Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b Advisory Board The Booze Whisperer The Tactical Redneck Chef Brett Samantha the Savings Ninja Resources Membership Sign Up Holler Roast Coffee  

Today we talk about what it is like to live the homestead life in a year filled with personal challenges and problems. This is a follow up on “what homesteading is really like.” Canning Meat, July 24: https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/2021/06/28/meat-canning-webinar-july-24-at-2pm Tales from the Prepper Pantry Freeze drying beets for future salads Spiralized zucchini Odds and ends month for the freezer Grocery Store Free Month Operation Independence Sad to report no Independence Day Pigs but she is very very close HR Affiliate Program Main topic of the Show: Homesteading in a Hard Year  We had an open house and it was an eye-opening experience. My homestead once provided about 80% of my vegetable needs and 100% of my egg and chicken needs. I ate things in season as they became ripe. I preserved, dried and canned. My garden succession planting program was on point. Then troubles crept in. Ones of the financial type, the relationship type, and the health vibrancy type. Reality on a homestead is a far cry from the ambitious plans we have each spring when planting time comes. Even in the best of years, things will fail and the best approach seems to be fanatical variety. You always ask me what living on a homestead is like and I have to admit - it has been pretty rough these past few years at the Holler Homestead. The saving grace has been my wall of tomatoes and aquaponics system. For background: Transition has been in process here for several years. Transition from two people to one, transition from mostly off-site consulting work to building a coffee business, transition into the Holler Neighbor community. And there have been some family and personal health reminders. All these things take time and a homestead is a full time job. Many people manage the homestead demand with one person working and one person doing the homestead chores until enough business is generated from the land to enable the working partner to quit. Sometimes that never happens. The benefit of having a consulting lifestyle with the homestead was that I would be gone for a whole week working my butt off, then home for 2 to 3 weeks with a light enough schedule that I could catch up on things. But transitions are part of life, are they not? Here are a few looks at the real homestead: Dirt, mud, dust and hair (Shoes off story) Growing food in the ground takes time. Lots of time. Preserving food takes time, lots of time. Raising animals for meat takes less time. The pretty homestead with well-maintained, white fences. Old country houses But it is not all bad: So much quiet and peace Relationships with animals Stability Community of doers Membership Plug MeWe reminder Make it a great week! Song: GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.  Community Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b Advisory Board The Booze Whisperer The Tactical Redneck Chef Brett Samantha the Savings Ninja Resources Membership Sign Up Holler Roast Coffee Harvest Right Affiliate Link

What happens when Joel Salatin hops on the podcast? We discuss entrepreneurship, scaling of regenerative practices, going rogue, failing commercial food, standing up to bullies, and so much more! RogueFoodConference.com Show Resources The Lunatic Farmer Website Polyface Farms Joel’s Books & DVDs Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal Pastured Poultry Profit$ Main content of the show From Joel’s Website:  “Joel Salatin, 62, calls himself a Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer. Others who like him call him the most famous farmer in the world, the high priest of the pasture, and the most eclectic thinker from Virginia since Thomas Jefferson.  Those who don’t like him call him a bio-terrorist, Typhoid Mary, charlatan, and starvation advocate.”  Read More. Interview Membership and Coffee Pitch Make it a great week GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. Coming Soon to LFTN Members!  Don’t Be a Chicken: A Guide to Processing Poultry Colors of Coffee: A Tasting Guide Community Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b Advisory Board The Booze Whisperer The Tactical Redneck Chef Brett Samantha the Savings Ninja Resources Membership Sign Up Holler Roast Coffee

It’s beet season! Today I will run you through how to process beets pickled, sauce and pressure canned July Webinar: Canning Meat - July 24 at 2pm. Stump the Sauce Hey, I heard one of your latest podcast about the price of eggs at the store vs. the local farm and had a brain wave... If it's true that farm eggs are more nutritious then wouldn't it be good idea to market your eggs not in "$&¢", but in terms of "nutritional value" similar to purchasing regular gas and premium gas. The premium gas might "appear" more expensive (I.e. farm eggs) however...you get more mileage (nutrition) out your dollars spent. I think if the customer saw two boxes of eggs side-by-side but priced in $/nutrition ratio then they might be more likely to pick the farm raised variety? What’s Up in the Garden Harvest time has arrived: squash, eggplant Inattention killed my green beans (And there is still time) Tomatoes are looking great Time to prep the fall garden - I am not kidding Main topic of the Show:  Canning Beets Choosing produce The boil peel versus manually peeling Pickling Nicole Sauce’s Sugarless Sour Beets Brine: 1/2 cup pickling or kosher salt 5.5 cups 5% vinegar 6 cups water Per quart jar spice mix (add to jar) 2 heads dill weed 2-4 cloves garlic 1-2 hot peppers (cayenne or jalapeno) 6 peppercorns 20/25 mins Aunt Helen’s Beets Brine (make enough batched to cover beets) 1 qt vinegar (5% acidity) 6 c sugar 2 TBSP salt (plain, kosher, or pickling: may not be iodized) 2 tsp pickling spice Sauce Beet Ketchup See Janet on Mewe for the recipe! Pressure canning https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_04/beets.html Hot pack 30/35 Uses: Borscht, stews, side dish bake with carrots, garlic and chevre Membership Plug Make it a great week! GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.  Community Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b Advisory Board The Booze Whisperer The Tactical Redneck Chef Brett Samantha the Savings Ninja Resources Membership Sign Up Holler Roast Coffee  

Over the weekend, we had all sorts of community happenings at the holler homestead and it got me to thinking about meeting in person and how important that it. I will share some of these thoughts as well as stories of our first ever open house on today’s podcast. Feedback  I want to thank you for your openness about your debt and perseverance regarding paying things off.  In December/January you said something in a podcast that made me think how foolish I’d been the past five years with credit cards, car and motorcycle loans.  After buckling done the past six months and accelerating pay downs, I’m paying off CC monthly now, paid off my car, and today made my last motorcycle payment.  With all that’s going on, I’m now free to focus on mortgage pay down, crypto, and savings.  I’m still enjoying your coffee and will look on your site about becoming a member to show my appreciation.  Tales from the Prepper Pantry Beets and pickles are done for 2021 Getting low on jars of all things (explain why) Weekly garden meal prep for easier living Freeze Dryer Access Project -- thoughts from listeners? Operation Independence Membership Portal Upgrades Slowly Rolling Out Main topic of the Show: Why Meet In Person? This past 18 months, meetings have increasingly been over computers and phones as folks have sought to avoid air travel and reduce exposure to the virus. As a result, kids know how to virtually attend school, adults who never could get their computers’ webcams to work suddenly know zoom and toms meetings are held virtually. It has become a matter of preference in many cases to just avoid getting together in person and handle meetings over web conferencing systems. But is this the best way? How many of you have been to that awkward ZOOM birthday party or wedding? And how many have noticed an uptick in “weird” happenings where people kindo of lose their minds and hurt other people out and about in society? Continued isolation is making us crazy and it is no surprise. We are herd animals. We crave finding people we can relate to, we can be comfortable with. This is why those “loner libertarians” get so excited when they can throw a liberty fest -- like Porcfest in New hampshire each June. It is that feeling of well-being when you bother to get together in person. That is why when people want to come visit the Holler Homestead, I try very hard to make it work. And this year, those requests were up tenfold, so we decided to do a little test this weekend: What if we have an open house day here and just tell folks, here are the hours, stop by. No big agenda. No big personality speakers. Just come hang out and we will likely be doing homesteady stuff. Little did I know that there would be 68 chickens to process that day, derailing other demo concepts we had in mind. And yet people came -- about 20 of you in fact. Including a surprise visit from John and Amanda Willis who can now confirm that my little country road is very very rural. That’s ok - it looked like their car could handle it. Things we learned and enjoyed... Someone will always show up an hour early - that’s why we started at 10am Many hands make light work of chickens Next time, I will hire someone to do the food and beverage so that Jenni and I are not pulled away from guests There are fun people who bring fun things: Seeds to trade, John’s Iced Tea, Angel and Kerry’s finger foods A more set Demo Schedule will happen next time so people can time their visit -- it gets hot here in the summer and not everyone wants to bake in the sun for 5 hours But the biggest thing was thing: Y’all talked and talked and talked to each other. And then you talked some more. Even most of the introverts were just happy to be in person and talk about shared interests. But why is meeting in person so important? You build rapport and trust (Willis story) You can end up out of your space an on neutral ground (Barb Story) Words alone do not communications make. 55% nonverbal, 38% vocal, and 7% words only (Rabbit Processing Workshop) So if you know people who have self isolated for the past 18 months who are a little edgy when you talk to them -- remember this: They have not had one of the things that everyone needs - interaction. They have only had 45% communication with their peers when they do interact. And that means that the missing 55% takes you off balance. You start trying to build that into your narrative. You make up stuff in your head. So as you look at your summer and fall plans and start feeling that tiny bit of anxiety that can come when you try to decide -- Do I take a weekend and go to Rogue Food Conference at Polyface in August, or Green Chili Day in September, or to my high school reunion, think of it not in terms of what you wont get done that weekend, or how tired people make you sometimes.  Think about how far trust can get you? When you meet a few people with whom you can relate, with shared interests. How great it can be to think- I remember meeting that one lawyer guy at that conference and now, dadgummit I need a lawyer -- (Pete). Things like that a great for the Pete’s of the world and the person seeking a Pete. At it all happens when you stand up, get out, and see people. Real people. In person. It is impossible to measure how much progress people make after our gatherings here just because they met the right person -- but I can tell you there are 1 or 2 people who start or grow something as a result. And if you ever get the opportunity to show your product or service in person to someone who reaches out -- go. Even if it is a slight pain in the ass.  Because they will remember that you found their request important enough to give it your real attention and time. You set the first step of building rapport. And you are more likely to beat out the person who just “handled things” from afar. Why meet in person? Why wouldn’t you? Membership Plug MeWe reminder Make it a great week! Song: Tripped Out by Sauce GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.  Community Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b Advisory Board The Booze Whisperer The Tactical Redneck Chef Brett Samantha the Savings Ninja Resources Membership Sign Up Holler Roast Coffee

Today is a thought of the walk episode - a collection of short thoughts shared on a variety of topics. These thoughts are shared on Odysee every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, then produced as an audio podcast every other Friday. Today’s Thoughts Include: !@#$%!! Gas Cans and Government Should There Be an I In Team? Three Newby Tips on the Harvest Right Freeze Dryer Homesteading as the New Normal Poverty Mindset and Fat Mindset To view the videos for Thought of the Walk Episode, go here: Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b They are also produced on Youtube as a playlist. Make it a great week! GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. It makes a great Christmas Gift! Community Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b Advisory Board The Booze Whisperer The Tactical Redneck Chef Brett Samantha the Savings Ninja Resources Membership Sign Up Holler Roast Coffee