Today we talk about the busy season of the homestead, poison hemlock,  garden abundance, weeds, chicken graduation weekend and more.

Featured event: October Chicken Processing with Joel Salatin, Oct 16

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

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

Forage

  • Elderflower
  • Mullein flower soon to be hee
  • Wild Raspberry
  • Gooseberry
  • Stinging nettle
  • Might have found butternut
  • Sassafrass leaves
  • Willow and comfrey cuttings 

Livestock

  • Chicken graduation weekend
  • Rabbit graduation weekend
  • New baby rabbits on the way
  • Bresse chickens have figured out how to go in an out of Holler Roost
  • Ducklings are also starting to learn the Holler Roost ramp (took 5 days)
  • Setting up compost area in the chicken yard
  • Weird sheep behavior
  • Low eggs from old duck flock – usual for July

Grow

  • Harvest fodder trees
  • Broccoli 2.0 harvest
  • First cabbages for the year and ever
  • Tomato wall update
  • Peas ending
  • Greenbeans will be ready this week
  • Planting more cucumbers
  • Pulling pepper flowers to let the plants grow
  • Lettuce is finished
  • Reconfiguring the rockwall gardens
  • Betts looking a bit sad this year – may try a special bed next week

Holler Neighbors/Community

  • Processing the communal birds: Set up tonight
  • Thank you to the community for all your support these past weeks

Infrastructure

  • Working on final fencing for the Holler Roost
  • Updating the rock wall behind my house
  • Replacing spring pump

Finances

  • THE FEED: meat birds, goats, bresse chickens are getting feed – compost will reduce this
  • Sheep do not require much and free range ducks do not require much

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

 

When you are making lots of policies, you need to fire someone, and other words of wisdom.

Featured event: The Homestead Starter Pack, a 7-week course: https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/event/homesteading-starter-pack-a-seven-week-course/

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

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

Livestream Schedule

  • No Tuesday Live
  • Thursday 7pm SRF Live
  • Friday at 10:30am CT – Homestead Happenings

Tales from the Prepper Pantry

  • Chicken Workshop Prep
  • Chili and Smoked pork enchiladas
  • Redoing the shelving in the prepper pantry
  • Intervention

Operation Independence

  • Thank you to the community

Main topic of the Show: You Need To Fire Someone

When you are making lots of policies, you need to fire someone.

Call people back. (on their terms)

If you are having trouble focusing go work out.

Anyone can die at any time: Embrace that.

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

Resources

 

Consistency wins over skill in the long run.

Invest time in what matters, not in endless distractions.

Not my monkeys, not my circus – and none of my business.

Pushing through no matter what, matters. So does prioritizing yourself.

Today I welcome Shawm Mills from Hack My Homestead to talk about the Holler Homestead solar project as well as talk about how to approach off grid planning in a big picture way, with goals in mind.

Featured Event: Self Reliance Festival

Sponsor 1: StrongRootsReources.com

Sponsor 2: AgoristTaxAdvice.com

Show Resources

HackMyHomestead.com

Shawn’s Kickstarter

Main content of the show

Shawn Mills, founder of Hack My Homestead has been active in our network for over six years. His Mission is to help fellow homesteaders by providing practical and accessible ideas with easy to follow instructions.

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

Today, we will cover our usual Monday segments and discuss the connection between Mind and Body.

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

DONT MISS OUT on the seven skill Homestead Starter Pack bundle of online classes! https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com… LFTN 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. 

Community

Resources

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. 

Community

Advisory Board

Resources

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. 

Community

Resources

 

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. 

Connect with our networks!

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

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