Direct Download
Episode 1017: The Power Of Starting Strong: Make Your Own Mesophilic Culture
Today, we talk about how to make your own mesophilic culture at home so you can reduce save money and develop your own cheese flavors over time. Really having a strong start in cheese is as important as doing so in life, isn’t it? And nurturing your starts in life is as important as hitting things hard ever day. We will also cover our usual Monday segments.
Member Webinar: Building Small Scale Events On Your Homestead, Sunday, March 23 at 3pm Central: https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/courses/creating-small-scale-events-on-your-homestead (Members you know what to do!)
Do me a favor? Drop a review at iTunes and share this podcast out to your friends.
LFTN on Facebook and Telegram
Tales From The Prepper Pantry
- No progress on floor
- Spring Cleaning – Processing meat: Bacon, scotch eggs, grinding lamb, scotch eggs
- Tomato seedlings planted and germinated
- Looking to purge the grains from storage
- The tunnel
Weekly Shopping Report from Joe
Dollar Tree was the usual first stop. I noted again that the Health aisle was stuffed. In particular.
We didn’t go in, but the price of a 2x4x8 stud at Home Depot still shows $3.85 online.
Aldi was next. We found everything we wanted, but there were only a few bars of my preferred chocolate (70% cacao) left. Staple prices were: bread (20 oz. white): $1.39; eggs: $5.97 (limit 2); whole milk: $2.92 (+); heavy cream: $5.29; OJ: $4.09 (+, and very little); butter: $3.75; bacon: $3.99; potatoes: $4.39; sugar: $2.99; flour: $2.35; and 80% ground beef: $4.59.
Food City for a 22 lb. Bag of Meow Mix (that our cats ask for by name). Pet foods were well-stocked.
Untainted regular gasoline at Weigels is still $3.59/gallon.
Frugality Tip From Jordon
St. Patrick’s Day is upon us, it’s a fairly big day up in Maine since there is a large Irish population here, so cabbages are on sale for the boiled dinner feast! Tonight we snagged 3 juicy cabbages at the grocery store for 39¢ a lb. Made 3 half gallons of sauerkraut for $5!
Hope you have a lucky 🍀 Monday!
Jordan
Operation Independence
- GSD Weekend March 29 & 30 in the Holler – Staining, building a composting outhouse deck, hauling off construction debris, building a new humanure barrel, setting up the classroom, hanging the presentation tv, etc.
Main Topic of Today’s Show.
What is a Mesophilic Culture and Why Should You Care?
- Mesophilic culture is a bacterial starter used for cheesemaking, cultured dairy, and fermentation. 70-85 for fermentation.
- Used as the base for feta, cultured cream cheese, chevre, farmer’s cheese, mozzarella, etc.
- Why: Saves money, adapted to your environment, adds resilience, it’s fun
How to Make It Making a Mesophilic Starter
- Find Culture
- Prepare the milk
- Inoculate & Ferment:
- Store & Maintain:
What If I Cant Get Culture or Cultured Buttermilk?
- Quality Raw Milk
- Leave at room temperature
- Smell/taste
- Treat like a cultured buttermilk starter
Thought Of The Walk On Cheese Culture
- This process is a perfect analogy for life.
- You get out what you put in—a weak start leads to weak results.
- Just like a good mesophilic culture ensures better cheese, a good mindset, strong habits, and the right influences ensure better outcomes in life.
- Sometimes we forget to nurture ourselves and those things that are most important to is, resulting in weak starts – and what do you do with a weak start?
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
Carnivore Scotch Eggs
Just The Effin Recipe
1. Per Pound of Beef
2. Mix all that
3. Hardboil eggs. However Many You Feel Like. I did 52 Eggs with 12 lbs beef and had tons of beef mix left which I made into a meatloaf after.
4. Peel them.
5. Take 1/4 cup ground mixture and flatten. Wrap around peeled hardboiled eggs. Roll in chicken flour. I got my chicken flour here.
6. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Turn eggs. Bake for 15 more minutes. Serve hot – I like to cut them in half.
COOK WITH WHAT YOU HAVE
For the beef mixture, the salt to beef ratio is important and all other flavors can be dialed however you like. I was all out of thyme so I substituted dill. It was delicious.
I have discovered you can make these and freeze them before you bake them and defrost for 24 hours in the fridge, then bake as above and they are ALMOST as good.
Crap! I Got Arrested. Now What? With Ken Griffith – EP 1018
Direct Download
Today I am joined by Ken Griffith of R-3 Contingencies to discuss what to do if you get arrested, especially if it is for something you did not do.
Featured Event: SelfRelianceFestival.com
Sponsor 1: HollerRoast.com
Sponsor 2: InvestableWealth.com
Show Resources
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
Advisory Board
Resources
The Power Of Starting Strong: Make Your Own Mesophilic Culture – EP 1017
Direct Download
Episode 1017: The Power Of Starting Strong: Make Your Own Mesophilic Culture
Today, we talk about how to make your own mesophilic culture at home so you can reduce save money and develop your own cheese flavors over time. Really having a strong start in cheese is as important as doing so in life, isn’t it? And nurturing your starts in life is as important as hitting things hard ever day. We will also cover our usual Monday segments.
Member Webinar: Building Small Scale Events On Your Homestead, Sunday, March 23 at 3pm Central: https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/courses/creating-small-scale-events-on-your-homestead (Members you know what to do!)
Do me a favor? Drop a review at iTunes and share this podcast out to your friends.
LFTN on Facebook and Telegram
Tales From The Prepper Pantry
Weekly Shopping Report from Joe
Dollar Tree was the usual first stop. I noted again that the Health aisle was stuffed. In particular.
We didn’t go in, but the price of a 2x4x8 stud at Home Depot still shows $3.85 online.
Aldi was next. We found everything we wanted, but there were only a few bars of my preferred chocolate (70% cacao) left. Staple prices were: bread (20 oz. white): $1.39; eggs: $5.97 (limit 2); whole milk: $2.92 (+); heavy cream: $5.29; OJ: $4.09 (+, and very little); butter: $3.75; bacon: $3.99; potatoes: $4.39; sugar: $2.99; flour: $2.35; and 80% ground beef: $4.59.
Food City for a 22 lb. Bag of Meow Mix (that our cats ask for by name). Pet foods were well-stocked.
Untainted regular gasoline at Weigels is still $3.59/gallon.
Frugality Tip From Jordon
St. Patrick’s Day is upon us, it’s a fairly big day up in Maine since there is a large Irish population here, so cabbages are on sale for the boiled dinner feast! Tonight we snagged 3 juicy cabbages at the grocery store for 39¢ a lb. Made 3 half gallons of sauerkraut for $5!
Hope you have a lucky 🍀 Monday!
Jordan
Operation Independence
Main Topic of Today’s Show.
What is a Mesophilic Culture and Why Should You Care?
How to Make It Making a Mesophilic Starter
What If I Cant Get Culture or Cultured Buttermilk?
Thought Of The Walk On Cheese Culture
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
Creating Small-Scale Events On Your Homestead
Live on Sunday, March 24th at 3pm Central.
(Or just watch the recording after)
Ever thought about turning your homestead into a gathering place? Whether you’re looking to host workshops, farm-to-table dinners, skill-sharing meetups, or just bring your community together, this webinar will walk you through the process—from idea to execution.
I’ve spent years organizing events, from backyard workshops to full-blown festivals, and I’ve learned what works (and what doesn’t). This course cuts through the fluff and gives you a straightforward, no-nonsense approach to planning, marketing, and running small-scale events that don’t leave you burned out.
We’ll cover
No theory, no vague advice—just practical steps to help you confidently host events that build connections, share knowledge, and maybe even bring in some extra income.
Sign Up
LFTN GSD WEEKEND
It is time for our annual GSD weekend in advance of the LFTN Spring Workshop! March 29 & 30.
Never been to one? Well we gather in the Holler and attack a list of set up and cleanup things to get the homestead ready to host 50 people later in April.
Come for a few hours or stay overnight. I will be serving lunch and dinner on Saturday and Breakfast and lunch on Sunday.
This year, on the list are:
Camp fire at night is very likely if weather permits and we have flat places and trees, composting outhouses and an outdoor shower.
Lunches are cold cuts, salad wraps or sandwiches and chips. Breakfast is bacon and eggs and potatoes and coffee. Saturday Dinner is meatloaf (no wheat in it).
2025 March GSD Weekend RSVP
LFTN Annual GSD Weekend March 29 & 30
It is time for our annual GSD weekend in advance of the LFTN Spring Workshop! March 29 & 30.
Never been to one? Well we gather in the Holler and attack a list of set up and cleanup things to get the homestead ready to host 50 people later in April.
Come for a few hours or stay overnight. I will be serving lunch and dinner on Saturday and Breakfast and lunch on Sunday.
This year, on the list are:
Camp fire at night is very likely if weather permits and we have flat places and trees, composting outhouses and an outdoor shower.
Lunches are cold cuts, salad wraps or sandwiches and chips. Breakfast is bacon and eggs and potatoes and coffee. Saturday Dinner is meatloaf (no wheat in it).
RSVP Here.
2025 March GSD Weekend RSVP
Warm and Orange for a Cold Spring Day
Here’s another recipe that tastes much better than its basic ingredients suggest and that loads nutrients into a bowl of fun food.
You’ll notice a wide choice of dairy products suggested. The one you use may depend on what’s available or the experience of which soup you like best. And, of course, non-dairy creamy liquids are available to those who avoid what the cows produce.
It’s written for stovetop cooking, but if you simply want to load a crock pot and go away, allow 4 – 6 hours (depends on your pot). Read more
Homestead Happenings for March 14, 2025 – EP 1016
Direct Download
Today, I am joined by the Tactical Redneck as we discuss illness in the Holler, early spring sprinting, and more.
Featured Event: SelfRelianceFestival.com
Sponsor 1: AgoristTaxAdvice.com/lftn
Sponsor 2: InvestableWealth.com
Stinging Nettle Harvest Week
Morels should begin to pop soon
Early spring green salad: baby plantain, dead nettle leaves, baby dock, wild garlic (I like to add to a salad)
Illness in the Holler
Second garden bed is up and planted
Food forest lower swale is 25% mulched, then I will toss lots of seeds out
4 Wheeler
Subaru Saga
Ram Weaning
Stormy and preventing a prolapse
Breed rabbits this week
Livestock
Duck egg update
Yard herbs are coming back – the ones that made it through the winter
All the compost tea is being sprayed
Time to make garlic/pepper/LABS spray for the orchard
Holler Neighbor Dinner on Sunday
Finances: Upped my seedling game so have only spent $60 on gardens
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
Tuesday Coffee With John Willis, Nicole Sauce and Jack Spirko – EP 1015
Direct Download
Join me for a group discussion with John Willis of Special Operations Equipment and Jack Spirko of The Survival Podcast.
Featured Event: The Self Reliance Festival, SelfRelianceFestival.com
Sponsors:
Show Resources
Special Operations Equipment
TheSurvivalPodcast.com
Living Free in Tennessee
NicoleSauce.com
HollerRoast.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
LFTN Spring Workshop Attendee Form
LFTN Spring Workshop Participant Form
Fill this out so we can make your experience awesome for the LFTN Spring Workshop!