Living Free in Tennessee - Nicole Sauce

Today I am joined by Brian Norton of Food Forest Farms as he talks about his trials and tribulations along the road toward starting a micro roasting business, breaking out of corporate America, and more! References: Food Forest Farms Brian's Kickstarter

Today, we talk about what we did to deal with the unusually long cold spell in Tennessee this year. This includes strategies for dealing with cold when your housing isn't built for it. We also announce the Spring workshop registration process and go over the membership portal.

It is amazing to me how adding music to a great poem can bring more life to it. This is the final in a series of four versions of the Night Before Christmas with a special song, performed live on Dec 3, 2017 in Cookeville, TN, by the Cookeville Mastersingers and the music wsa arranged by Simone. Merry Christmas all!

Today may be the night before the night before Christmas for us here in the US, but our friends in Australia are already there. For them, it IS the night before Christmas. A friend from down under recorded this version of the poem for us with a few adjustments made for her local environment. Thank you AussieRo.

Join us for the second in a series for 2017 of poems read from throughout the world. This version of The Night Before Christmas comes from me, recording from Tennessee. It is followed by a performance of Jingle Bells, recorded live on December 3, 2017 in the Wanntenbarger Auditorium by the Cookeville Mastersingers and arranged by Don Large.

Join us in the series in the first in a series for 2017 of poems read from throughout the world. This version of The Night Before Christmas comes from our friend "Jaggy Little Thistle" who listens from Scotland. Thanks for the recording Jaggy!

Today's show is the last one until next year! In this episode, we will take a look at 2017. The good, the bad, the sad. We will also cover holidays, navigating them, being with your family who you may love, may find frustrating, or may even find abusive. I'll share what this time means to all of us here in the Holler Homestead. Share some recipes we will try this year. Marvel at the bounty that surrounds us, talk about bitcoin and two-factor authentication, share some cool thoughts from listeners. Today, the show is about you, about us, and about the learning from the past, letting it go, and making our future. Direct Download What mother nature is providing Kale, Carrots, Radishes Stinging Nettles abound I saw mint in the creek - unbelievable Sprouts in the house: http://www.simplebites.net/how-to-grow-sprouts-at-home/ Tales from the prepper pantry The Turkey The potatoes are fished - we got a bushel in October and polished them off yesterday Facing our usual squash struggle Meatloaf recipe Dry stores: Flour, rice and oatmeal Put up lots of meat Thoughts on buying equipment for processing and preserving food Operation Independence Tomorrow we are doing a webinar called Crypto in Plain English. Sign up: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_W7kB5iXuR7St0UBBW2umLw Roasted coffee like a mad woman - it has been great! Making hiking trails on the land with the goats Started journaling once a week Frugal Feasting - the turkey tale: Yesterday we served an $11 turkey with about $2 in potatoes and sweet potatoes, $1 in carrots, $.25 in onions, and $.10 in flour. Total meal cost is: $14.35. We fed four people. Fed them to beyond stuffed. ($3.60 a person) Today, I have the bones in a stock pot making stock, Plenty of leftover turkey for soup and other side dishes. I wonder how much we will spend on meals the rest of the week? Example: If I do turkey rissoto, it is $2 in specialty rice, $1 in wine, $.50 in ancillary veggies. I don't have to charge ourselves for garlic since we grow it... Everything else was covered in yesterday's fees. Total meal to feed 3-4 people: $3.50. Brunch for Mark and me ran us $.50 Ok, time to talk about 2017. Remember what I was talking about this time last year? Grandma A coming job change Gleaning value from our land How much change a year makes! She died, my job changed, and in nine short months, Holler Roast Coffee has gone from a hobby to a business that has operated in the black for the past two months! Steps along the way: Evaluated and reevaluated our strategic objectives for the family Evaluated and reevaluated what we love to do Worked really hard Underestimated how much money and time HRC would take Shipping Bean sourcing Bags, labels, etc Building a roasting room for the roaster Five billion failed roasts because the roaster was not working right Grew the podcast community to 1000 - and invited people into our peaceful retreat Took risks when we didn't really have the money to lost in order to forge new relationships Made great new friends - I mean really really great new friends Learned that selling ads in a very well targeted print publication that brings our advertisers better results than most other channels is still very hard. Went on some epic hikes with Mark Found new mushrooms and enjoyed them We lost an old cat We bought a few goats We found a stray pig - !! Holiday Recipes Roast Beast in the Roemertopf Gingerbread cookies Spiced Apple Cider Homemade Hot chocolate Bread pudding IF YOU HAVE COINBASE - turn on two factor authentication Looking forward to 2018 Grow Holler Roast Spring Workshop - sign up in January, cost will be $400, but we will just ask for a deposit at registration. Build a cold smoker in an hour for $80 or less Basics of lacto-fermentation Beyond Organic Hydroponics Charcuterie Project Accelerators More… Expand the Airbnb on site with agrotourism experiences Taking a very close look at the Center Hill Sun Growing the podcast, adding video and more. Expanding marketing facilitation and websites Thought for 2018 from a fried: I'm walking into 2018 with a clear heart and mind...If you owe me, don't worry about it - you're welcome...If you wronged me, it's all good - lesson learned...If you're angry with me, you've won...If we aren't speaking, its cool (I love you and I wish you well)...If you feel I wronged you, I apologize...Life is too short for all the penned up anger, holding grudges and extra pain!...Here's to 2018!!!...Spread the positive forgiveness! Love to all. Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Make it a great week! Song: Grandpas Song, Sauce

Today, we have a special episode with Kurt Dugger to discuss bitcoin and crypto currency basics. In Simple terms. This is a beginner's intro to bitcoin starting with "What it bitcoin anyway?" Resources Webinar Sigh Up: Bitcoin in Plain English - Dec 19, 5:30pm (FREE!!) https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_W7kB5iXuR7St0UBBW2umLw Coinbase Affiliate Link: https://www.coinbase.com/join/55c39991371c072c7000016a Jaxx Wallet: https://jaxx.io/ Make it a great week! Song: Learning What Leaving Is by Sauce

Today, we have a fun one cued up. We will review the pig processing workshop over at Cider Hollow Farm and I will describe for you some of the things that David Oswalt built that made the whole day go a bit easier, we will dive a bit further in the the independence fund assessment for the year and what that has meant for all of us here at the Holler Homestead, and I will walk give you a much-needed goat update! What mother nature is providing Kale - more kale plants are popping up Carrots that I planted last spring Radishes Oyster Mushrooms finally showed up: Chowder Recipe (the egg yoke thickening method) Stinging Nettles are still around Mullein: https://www.motherearthliving.com/plant-profile/herb-to-know-mullein-verbascum-thapsus Tales from the prepper pantry THE PIGGGGG - makin' Bacon this week Baked collards Homemade Dressing This Week: grated horseradish root (or powder), mayo, balsamic infused with fig, honey, salt, olive oil Acorn Squash Recipe we plan to try: Roasted with olive oil and garlic, topped with venison/pork sausage Venison pork sausage: S, P, garlic powder, sage, oregano, a touch of cumin, dill Operation Independence Crypto in English - a special episode on Thursday, followed by a webinar as Kurt's schedule lines up with mine. Installed my own light fixture at our rental unit, followed by a new one at home - no electrician required YTD Independence fund update: Winter electrical wiring Firewood Frequent flier miles for hardware, christmas gifts, household goods, and more Painted the duplex on our own instead of hiring it out We also hired some things out - the coffee business needed to go faster than I could Vacation rental trade Smoked meat trade Piggie trade Pig Processing Workshop Walkthrough Infrastructure that David installed over at Cider Hollow Farm Scalding tank with pulley Hanging pulley by the "shooting" pen Lots of tables for processing (wood vs temporary tables) The cold smoker Upshot: Hope the charcuterie workshop is scheduled soon. Goat Update No longer escaping - I think because they are kind of fat and can't climb the fence as well Mark's new project Tethering on the bramble Upshot: things are starting to look much different around here Find coffee at LivingFreeInTennessee.com Make it a great week! Song: Burned by Sauce

Today, I want to go back to our core mission with this podcast and talk about building independence into your life. It all started with an article I read aimed at this new tax bill that congress is considering. It left me wondering when we all became so spineless and unable to take care of ourselves, quite frankly! We will examine the totally missed point of the author of the article, and learn from that for use in our own lives. Also today, I am bringing back an old segment while we can: What mother nature is providing for us. Resources: The new merch page: http://livingfreeintennessee.com/merchandise/ Food saving process podcast from TSP: http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/1613-food-storage What mother nature is providing Kale Radishes I am sure there are persimmons, but… Mushrooms are NOT flowering this year very much yet AND OMG IT MIGHT SNOW Tales from the prepper pantry The New Cow that we share with families. (Which means there is cow available) Baked Home Fries The New York Strip Steak Homemade Dressing This Week: mustard, mayo, balsamic infused with fig, honey, salt, olive oil Time to get serious about eating squash Operation Independence Pig processing workshop - ciderhollow.com Crypto in English for God's Sake Winter is Coming Biltong Update Announcement: spring workshop in the HOLLER!! (April 27 & 28) $100,000 income stories by NPR https://www.npr.org/2017/12/03/567602293/what-living-on-100-000-a-year-looks-like Two consistent things I saw that the author did not: Couples already Established debt Couples had To high of a tax burden Took time to look at my 2017 and how much I actually earned. And the number is a little sad. 15k (will be 20 by Dec 31) How did I make it? (Budgeting (spreadsheets don't lie), food stores and other stores, Savings, bartering, some help, and persistence with an end goal in mind. So why do I go on about this? Because the NPR article made it seem like it was not in the control of the people who earn 100k to change their lives - that it was something that needed to be fixed from outside. To which I call bullshit. Bull. Shit. Yes. Sometimes you are in a position where you need to earn more. And you need to find ways to do it. And yes, earning more helps you become more financially independent. But that can be done at 40k, 50k and 60k if you look for opportunities, keep control of your wild spending - and realize that you ARE in control. So do me a favor? If you haven't looked in a long time, take a little extra time this month to write it all out. Track where your money goes. Look at your tax burden, your cost of living where you are. And take control. Shed the things that are less important to your lifestyle. Do you really need that new car each year? Can you push down on the cell bill a bit? Is there a better health coverage plan for you? Did you ask the doctor to go down in price. Can you make room for a side hustle without spending more on the side hustle than you earn back from it? Look at your life and ask: How can I take control? And if the answer is that you need a new job, well, go get it! If it is that you need to get the hell out of Seattle - figure out a way to do it with a soft landing. If you just need to stop the instant gratification for a bit - go for it - start practicing now. In December. When other people spend beyond their means to keep up with the joneses. Because when you find the end of your life, will you really care what kind of car you have? With that my friends, I want to remind you that you can support the show while enjoying a luxurious, but not too pricey, cup of coffee. Just go to livingfreeintennessee.com and click on "Coffee." Make it a great week! Song: Anonymous by Sauce