Living Free In Tennessee - Nicole Sauce

Today we are going to take on a topic that many of my fellow homesteaders are having right now: How to use an abundance of eggs. I will share with you how storing food has put us on a much more stable footing as we have navigated my recent professional transition. Plus, there will be a big announcement about Holler Roast at the end of the show that I hope you will like. 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. New Potato Salad RecipeSalads are winding down, but we hope for an uptick again in a week or so Kale, cabbage, broccoli, green onions On the wild side: not much happening aside from the hairy vetch and honey suckle blossoms. EGGS - the topic of today’s show Getting the Gardens Ready Where we share what we are doing to get our food growing operation up and running. Stuff Garden Economics project: Added $3 for pepper plants and now I know why my plants have not sold! Using and Storing an

Today I will share a Holler Homestead update and coffee progress, talk a bit about the health care bill that passed last week, and what I have been able to find out it, then walk you through project two of the Learn Canning in 8 Projects series. 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. Saladpalooza goes on and cabbages are beginning to hit the farmer’s markets! Fresh lettuce from the garden (or my friend’s garden, radishes, carrot greens, pea shoots) A NOTE ON TOMATOES - they aren’t from here, or they are coming from a greenhouse and, frankly, don’t taste as good as the real thing Kale, cabbage, broccoli, green onions On the wild side: dead nettle is gone, chickweed is too large, watercress is VERY peppery, poke weed is getting large, jerusalem artichokes are well into their leafing out. BUT - day lilies are still yummy, dandelions can be found young from time to time Theoretically, there are ne

The show content today is near and dear to my heart. I don’t know why, but it seems like every year, no matter how careful I am, I get a bout of poison ivy. Mankind has had problems with poison ivy for a very long time. And that is why it is surprising that we only seem to know as much about it as we do the common cold. Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/livingfreeinTN 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. Saladpalooza! Fresh lettuce from the garden (or my friend’s garden, radishes, carrot greens, pea shoots) Dryads Saddle Mushroom Goats milk, which means cheese season is here EGGS Getting the Gardens Ready Where we share what we are doing to get our food growing operation up and running. Progress report on the weed experiment Garden Economics project A store in Smithville is trying out my eggs Plant sale announcement: tomatoes for sale in a joint project between Purple Maize Farm

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 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 Gar

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.

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

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 Trans

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 r

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

Today we will take some time to review four strategies for managing a busy spring on the homestead without losing your mind. Spring has begun early this year and with it, a dangerous situation is in the works: The potential for an early April deep freeze. But what if it doesn’t?  What if we just go straight into a spring that no longer gets below 26 degrees and ends in a super hot May that kills all the peas and  lettuce? Our daffodils are blooming. Our trees are budding out. Our bees are madly bringing pollen to the nest. We might have swarms soon - they are already starting in Texas. And I am just one person on a homestead with a job, starting a new business, with limited time. It occurred to me, those of you listening to this for the first time probably have no idea what the segments are or why we have them. Living on a homestead requires a different, more simple approach to living, eating and planning. In the first few episodes, I was haphazardly sharing some of our experiences and eventually the fell int

Today we will talk about progress we are making here at the Holler Homestead, and along our own pathway toward more independence in Tennessee. I’ll give you an Independence Fund update, tell you how the newspaper is doing, share some of the progress we’ve made on or new farm concepts - and how they have already changed, and tell you some exciting things about the cookbook. Direct Download Eating Seasonally Wild Garlic Watercress Elephant garlic shallots Eggs Jerusalem artichokes Time to harvest the last of the carrots - they are about to become woody Getting Ready for Spring Planting Sweet Potato Slip Update Preparing potatoes for planting early Getting our beds ready with lots of manure and mulch Tree and vine trimming time - wish I had done this in December Horseradish Plant propagation Comfrey Propagation Moving the day lilies Tales from the Prepper Pantry The weekly squash - week 7: Squash A’Gratin Bake fried potatoes Roasted potato salad Pre-grated sweet potatoes for salad toppings Salad Corn and Gr

Thanks for humoring me last week as we took a step back together and walked through a how to podcast episode. I know you may be wondering what does that have to do with a walk to independence or homesteading? Well there is this thing we all need on the homestead - cash. And one way to generate income is to use tools like podcasting to promote your products. Plus, a podcast is a great way to capture what you are learning as you start on an adventure. You get the double bonus of helping others as they start a similar adventure. This week, though, we are back to a homesteading topic with a show about mushrooms. I have never seen so many oyster mushrooms as we have had this year here in the south and that has taken me on a bit of a foray in what to do with them all - Because when nature gives us bounty, it is best to take advantage of it! There must be a reason I need vitamin D this year because the mushrooms have the D - and come to think of it - it has been darker than usual this winter. We’ve passed a benchmar

Today is Monday, January 23, 2017 and this is episode 20 of Living Free in Tennessee. When I think back to that first episode, all the ums and edits, the starts and restarts, it is with lots of gratefulness. I am grateful for that special friend who helped me get the one piece of equipment I needed to grow from built-in computer mic to a nice recording setup. Grateful for my friends over on the TSP Zello channel who have kept me going through that low point we all get to on a podcast. And to Jack Spirko and Nick Ferguson who probably have no idea that they inspired me to get off my bum and do something for myself last summer as I was watching all the other parts of my world start to crumble. And then there is Ford. You know who you are. That day I was going to trash the whole project you asked me a simple question: “When is the next podcast coming out?” That simple question was what it took to make me ask myself. “Am I really gonna do this thing? Why? Where could I take it if I did it right? How can I arrange

With episode 20 looming large I decided to talk longer about some of our regular segments today and to review ten things that new homesteaders should consider as they start working on a their piece of land. We have a new development! Samantha the Savings Ninja has agreed to give us a monthly savings segment. I asked her a question about couponing because I am just now relearning how to use them in the modern age of rewards cards, cell phones and rapidly intensifying technology. Do you have a question for Samantha? Send me an email with the subject line: LFTN Savings Ninja and I’ll see about getting your question on the next show. Things to ask a consultant before bringing them to your property: Who have they worked with before and what do those folks say about them? How forthcoming with their experience are they? Have they done a PDC or are they rather new to the discipline? Will they let you come visit their farm before you decide? (which can tell you what they have implemented.) What mother nature is prov

With a fresh year in front of us, I thought we could take some time today to review a strategy for planning your spring garden. We will also talk about three minor changes you can make this week to set yourself up for a great year. It’s a great time to tap into your perception of a fresh start to change just one thing. We often underestimate the power of how a few small changes can have a long term impact for the better for us, our families and those around us. What mother nature is providing Water and snow (Duck Story) Oyster Mushrooms - frozen solid Stinging Nettle Carrots! Tales from the Prepper Pantry The weekly squash - week 3:  Sauteed Spaghetti Squash Olive oil, garlic, basil --- add parmesan and salt at the end. Using left overs - Venison Stroganoff: 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 3 cups diced fresh mushrooms, flour, oil/fat, white wine, milk, cream (or stock and sour cream) Cow Update - It fit! And we had the easiest processing ever - here is what we did Cabbage and grated sweet potato salad - tastes g

Today we will talk about how we did with our family strategic plan this year, begin diving into a book I’ve been reading about home-scale permaculture, and talk a bit about where I hope to see this show go in the coming months. Big news my friends - we have made it to Stitcher! We are on iTunes too! Today is Monday, December 26, 2016 and this is episode 17 of Living Free in Tennessee. We are on a week off here at the Holler Homestead. For years, the week between Christmas and New Year’s has been our time to rest up, think about the past, plan for the future, clean out and reset ourselves. What mother nature is providing Mushrooms Fingers crossed: Stinging Nettle Watercress Tales from the Prepper Pantry The weekly squash - week 3: Butternut Squash Soup Apples are getting soft - so it is time to make applesauce - and begin to eat the canned fruits. Incoming cow means reorganizing the Pantry because of how the onions are stored. Lessons learned from Toby Hemenway Gaia's Garden: http://amzn.to/2ikwnrE Are yo