Featured posts

Today we talk about newest forage in the Holler, injuries and homesteading, and garden success. 

Featured Event: Featured Event: Chicken Processing: https://bit.ly/3MU6xLr

Sponsor 1: DiscountMylarBags.com: https://bit.ly/43r4dkx

Sponsor 2: Freesteading.com: https://bit.ly/3o2BcMR

Forage

  • Bee balm is blooming
  • Lemon balm and mint are in high production
  • Elderflower – fritters
  • Honeysuckle
  • Jewel weed
  • Queen Anne’s lace versus Poison Hemlock
  • Wild raspberries
  • Lambsquarter

Livestock

  • Duck jail, 
  • Incubating duck eggs, 
  • Bunny processing (chicken workshop june 24)

Grow

  • brassicas and wood vinegar, 
  • lettuce, 
  • peas, 
  • chard, 
  • nasturtium, 
  • radishes, 
  • basil, 
  • sage, 
  • oregano, 
  • thyme. 
  • Garlic is close. 
  • 1st tomato…not mine
  • Suckers
  • carrots!!

Holler Neighbors/Community

  • Getting ready to drop a car to Jenni
  • The Auction Website: jennihill.livingfreeintennessee.com

Infrastructure

  • Still reshaping places on the property to calm water runoff

Finances

  • Hipcamp is working!

Homesteading Starter Kit Starts June 14, 2023, members, you know what to do.

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!

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Today I welcome Jason Sparks and Jake Snyder from Kentucky Sustainable Living to talk about how their community grew in just three years, what it takes to be a homesteader, and how to get a regional festival up and running.

Featured Event: Kentucky Sustainable Living Festival

Sponsor 1: TheHomesteadConsultant.com: https://bit.ly/43aLbid

Sponsor 2: EMPShield.com: https://bit.ly/3MBBELx

Show Resources

Kentucky Sustainable Living Festival

Main content of the show

Make it a great week

GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. 

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Today we talk about the abuses of the foster system in the US, how men are treated in family court, starting and growing your business and we take listener questions with Jack Spirko and John Willis.

Featured Event: Self Reliance Festival: https://bit.ly/3McscNj

Sponsor 1: StrongRootsReources.com: https://bit.ly/42UPCgJ

Sponsor 2: AgoristTaxAdvice.com: https://bit.ly/3hDFWpa

Connect With Us

GoFundMe for Jenni’s Cancer

Events Cited in our Discussion

* June 17 Chainsaw Event at SOE

* July 20 15th anniversary event for TSP in Dallas

* June 24 Sixth Annual Poultry Processing in the Holler (1 hour east of Nashville): 

* October 14-15: Self Reliance Festival at SOE: https://selfreliancefestival.com/?aff=nicolesauce

Main content of the show

Make it a great week!

GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. 

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Today, I talk about when to train to your weakness, rather than outsource to it because I just took Fighting Pistol at Tactical Response in Camden, Tn and was blown away with how much I was able to learn in just two days.

We’ll dive into the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches, so you can make informed decisions for your personal growth.

Featured Event: Chicken Processing: https://bit.ly/3MU6xLr

Sponsor 1: The Wealthsteading Podcast: https://bit.ly/3oPLTmr

Sponsor 2: Senior Chief Electric: https://bit.ly/3MKKbuu

Fighting Pistol: https://www.tacticalresponse.com/products/fighting-pistol

Livestream Schedule

Tales from the Prepper Pantry

  • Gearing up for canning season
  • Adding a window unit to the freeze drying room so we can use it in summer
  • Fire lit under my hiney on gardening this year
  • On parity with garden produce
  • Prepper Fail – coffee bags
  • Pending Freezer Audit (usually post workshop)

Weekly Shopping Report from Joe 05/28/2023

We only made two stops this weekend, skipping Home Depot. Not to worry, the online price of a 2x4x8 is still $3.35. The tag’s been missing anyway the last few weeks so I’ve had to look it up anyway. While I need to re-organize some tools, I don’t need to buy any more!

Dollar Tree was the usual first stop. We almost always find some small useful things there. The food coolers in the back are well-stocked. Some of the selections have changed in the drink coolers, but they’re also pretty full now. We were behind someone in line who bought a lot of groceries, so that’s certainly still possible. Some things will be cheaper elsewhere, so be careful of that, especially on cans of veggies.

Aldi was our final stop. Eggs have continued to drop, now at $1.62/dozen. Since I have read of impending shortages of coffee, Sonia grabbed an extra jar of both normal and joyless coffee (she’ll drink one or the other, depending on time of day; now that the weather is warm, I have not been drinking coffee). We found everything else we wanted, including canned cat food.

A gallon of untainted regular gasoline remains at $3.999/gallon. The stuff corrupted by ethanol is considerably cheaper.

Frugality Tip from Margo

Here’s a little tip on your journey to self reliance. Figure out how to make things that you want.  At the LFTN Workshop I saw a really cool leather holder for a multi tool, pen, and flashlight. So he took it off and I traced it on a piece of paper to get a general idea of size. While I don’t have a “pattern” done yet, I made one. It’s pretty darn cool, if I do say so myself. Also I didn’t have large pieces of leather laying around, but I did have an old purse I haven’t used in a year or so, so I cut that up and repurposed it. So this cost me a conversation with a man that had something I really liked, and some time. You can do whatever you put your mind to, you just have to try. And sometimes (as in this case) try again. This was my third attempt. So go make something!

Operation Independence

Rejiggering the big picture construction plan for the Holler Homestead to integrate a spa pool long term. Have not figured out how to make it happen but I am working on the plan.

Sheep money paid for flea meds for the LGDs for the year.

Main topic of the Show: Train to Your Weakness

You know how they say hire to your weakness? That is great advice, but it does not cover when you should address a weakness you have through learning to be stronger in that area.

  • Hard75 gives me time for deep thinking and self reflection – avoidant behavior regarding self defense
  • Story of what mentally stood in my way of taking Fighting Pistol or really any training class
  • The MOMENT
  • The amplification effect
  • Lessons learned at fighting pistol
    • It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be – sort of like unloading the dishwasher takes 90 seconds, but you can spend all day not doing it because you do not have time
    • True to Tactical Response’s MO, it tore down mental barriers that I had
    • Key to success was coming in with a novice’s heart and mind

So here are some thoughts on the when and why of training to your weaknesses.

Understanding Your Weaknesses and Strengths

  • Defining weaknesses: Exploring areas where you lack proficiency or experience, and acknowledging their impact on your goals and performance.
  • Recognizing strengths: Identifying the areas where you excel, have passion, and find yourself naturally inclined to succeed.
  • Establishing your growth mindset: Understanding that weaknesses can be improved upon and strengths can be leveraged for growth.

Why Train to Improve Weaknesses

  • What is my potential?
  • What will it take to improve, and what am I trading off?
  • What happens if I don’t train
  • To run, you must first walk

The Art of Outsourcing Weaknesses

  • Benefits of outsourcing – dont do things you hate
  • Leveraging strengths to go further – and being there for your loved ones (Drywall example)

Find Balance

  • Self-reflection and introspection: (Your passion, your skillset, your goals)
  • Re-evaluation on a schedule

Conclusion:

  • Personal growth is a dynamic process that requires balance between training to improve weaknesses and outsourcing them when that is a better fit. 
  • When you choose to grow, you sometimes choose the hard way – but as my friend Kevaan Kjar likes to day, “Do hard things now so you don;t have to do harder things later.”

Stay tuned for future episodes where we’ll continue to explore topics aimed at helping you cultivate a growth mindset and unlock your full potential. 

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Make it a great week!

GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. 

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Want to keep up on when we are livestreaming? Following is the schedule for this week.

Join me for an early summer update about what is happening on the Homestead. Chicken processing class is coming soon, more babies than we know what to do with, garden update, dry weather and more.

Featured Event: John Willis’ Chainsaw Event, June 17 in Camden, TN

Sponsor 1: TheHomesteadConsultant.com

Sponsor 2:  AgoristTaxAdvice.comm

Forage

  • Honeysuckle
  • Last wild rose harvest (until there are rosehips in the fall)
  • Day lilies
  • Harvesting seed heads from pasture grasses
  • Perilla
  • About time for wild raspberries but I haven’t seen any

Livestock

  • Breeding one rabbit
  • 28 babies so far this year, starting raw diet
  • Baby chicken and duck update – looks like all female ducks but we are waiting before I claim that
  • Meat birds are about ready to process – Join our 6th annual Chicken Class, June 24
  • New dogfood for lgd’s, costs less and better quality – pairing with rabbits

Grow

  • It has been dry
  • 1st fodder tree harvest
  • Strawberries are slowing down
  • Chard, scapes, peas, broccoli, nasturtium
  • Last round of lettuce
  • Tomato wall update (1st flowers)
  • Slowly managing the food forest from a pioneering species standpoint
  • Harvested: peppermint, tarragon
  • Garlic almost ready to harvest
  • Time to thin out strawberries

Harvest Meals

  • Sautes, salads, and time management
  • Bone broth

Holler Neighbors/Community

 

Infrastructure

  • Kitchen forward momentum
  • Solar water is a thing now – grounding and breakers were addressed
  • Runoff adjustments – keeping water on property even though it is dry
  • Final push on perimeter fence

Finances

  • 100% eating off the homestead

Thoughts on the busy season and keeping sanity.

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

Advisory Board

Resources

Today we talk about making money, starting your business, the debt ceiling and more with John Pugliano of the Wealthsteading Podcast and John Willis of Special Operations Equipment.

Featured Event: The Self Reliance Festival, October 14-15 in Camden, TN

Today’s Sponsors:

Discount Mylar Bags

Freesteading.com

Show Resources

Special Operations Equipment

Living Free in Tennessee

InvestableWealth.com

Main content of the show

Make it a great week!

GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. 

Community

Resources

Today we talk about how the dual bird incubation project went, our first dry spell of spring, and getting ready for food preservation season at the Holler Homestead.

Featured Event: The LFTN 7th Annual Chicken Processing Class

Sponsor 1: AgoristTaxAdvice.com

Sponsor 2: EMPShield.com, Coupon code: LFTN

Forage

  • Mullein
  • Wild rose petals
  • Oyster Mushrooms
  • Day lilies should come in shortly
  • Faux strawberries

Livestock

  • Update on the egg hatching
  • Baby ducklings and chicks are growing fast
  • Put feeders in pots to cut down waste – much less waste
  • Moving the tractor a bunch with the chickens: 
  • May process all but the class chickens early
  • Wing clipping
  • Strawberry experiment – fail
  • Sheep are well, Bruny is on pregnancy watch

Grow

  • Broccoli looks great, getting cabbage worms though
  • Squash, peas, onions, chard, herbs beginning to take off
  • Tomato wall is up and we are working on balancing nutrient
  • Time to rotate the late spring plants where the early spring plants go
  • Beets look terrible
  • 30 minutes a day on the food forest is required due to weed growth: thoughts on leaf mulch
  • Strawberries are slowing, may water the patch and see if the rejuvenate (A word on “june bearing”

Harvest meals

  • Garden salad season – how they change
  • Quick meal: steaks
  • Shoulder roast in the crockpot

Holler Neighbors/Community

  • Pew Pew Class

Infrastructure

  • Nothing new or big to report

Finances

  • Cashflow low this month

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

Advisory Board

Resources

Today we talk about building from a small side hustle to a full time business with Kerry Brown of Strong Roots Resources and John Willis of Special Operations Equipment.

Featured Event: The SMART Homesteading Webinar, $45

Sponsor 1: DiscountMylarBags.com

Sponsor 2: HollerRoast.com

Show Resources

Special Operations Equipment

Living Free in Tennessee

NicoleSauce.com

Strong Roots Resources

 

Make it a great week!

 

GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. 

Community

Resources

 

Today we have an interview with a former colleague of mine, Mark Johnson. Mark has just purchased land to develop into a retreat for veterans in Sparta, Tennessee. Where there is a will there is a way!

Featured Event: SelfRelianceFestival.com

Sponsor 1: Strong Roots Resources, StrongRootsResources.com

Sponsor 2: Freesteading.com

Show Resources

LibertyOakOasis.com

Facebook.com/LibertyOakOasis

libertyoakoasis@gmail.com

Main content of the show

Former interwebs political consultant. Photographer. Historian at heart. Nine year Army National Guard Veteran. Former Blog Talk Radio host covering Illinois Politics. Married to Vicki who is a nurse of 33 years. Proud West Highland White Terrier Owner: Named Willow. Relocating to TN to escape Illinois and create a retreat space for Veterans and Ministry leaders struggling with life issues.

Make it a great week

GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. 

Community

Advisory Board

Resources