Living Free in Tennessee - Nicole Sauce

Join me for a group discussion with John Willis of Special Operations Equipment and Jack Spirko of The Survival Podcast.

Featured Event: Tomato Wall Open House June 8: https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/event/june-8-homestead-open-house-tomato-wall-build-at-the-holler/

Sponsors:x

• Above Phone, Coupon code livefreetn, https://abovephone.com/?above=104
• Holler Roast Coffee

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

• FreeSteading Group: https://freesteading.com/groups/living-free-in-tennessee/
• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b
• Twitter: @nicolesauce
• IG: @nicolesauce
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LivingFreeInTN

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee

• Harvest Right Affiliate Link

Join me for a group discussion with John Willis of Special Operations Equipment and Jack Spirko of The Survival Podcast.

Featured Event: Tomato Wall Open House June 8: https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/event/june-8-homestead-open-house-tomato-wall-build-at-the-holler/

Sponsors:x

• Above Phone, Coupon code livefreetn, https://abovephone.com/?above=104
• Holler Roast Coffee

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

• FreeSteading Group: https://freesteading.com/groups/living-free-in-tennessee/
• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b
• Twitter: @nicolesauce
• IG: @nicolesauce
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LivingFreeInTN

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee

• Harvest Right Affiliate Link

Today, I am joined by The Tactical Redneck to discuss updates from the Holler Homestead: visitors, meatups, blackberries, canning, and also Happy Independence Day!

Featured Event: CANNING! Join me July 26 at The Holler Homestead for a hands-on, no-nonsense class on waterbath and pressure canning. We'll make salsa, some beans, and talk about the history of canning! You'll go home with a jar of salsa, a cheat sheet, and maybe even a canning kit (we're giving one away). Lancaster, TN.

Sponsor 1: DiscountMylarBags.com

Sponsor 2: The Wealthsteading Podcast: InvestableWealth.com

ock Garden Update - done for now

Rabbit Processing

Trippy Acres Visit

Hip Camp Rental this weekend

Hosted a few visitors this week

Tomato wall update - compost tea in place

Operation Ram Relocation

Where should be put the shed?

Blackberries are popping

Red clover everywhere

Chocolate and creek mint this weekend

Northern spice bush is putting on berries

Eggs and the new feed

Mushroom failure - new batch - I waited too long

Canning Class at Basecamp! July 26 20am-2pm

Finance: Coffee sales and lamb sales were great this week

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

• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Advisory Board

• The Booze Whisperer
• The Tactical Redneck
• Chef Brett
• Samantha the Savings Ninja

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee
• Harvest Right Affiliate Link

Today, we talk about multiple ways to prepare squash — beyond just sautéing it — and cover all of our usual Monday segments.

Featured Event: Strong Roots Resources: Foraging on the Farm – July 12 Details: https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/event/foraging-on-the-farm-5/ Sponsor 1: DiscountMylarBags.com – Long-term food storage supplies that won't break the bank. Sponsor 2: AgoristTaxAdvice.com – Solid tax strategies for those of us living outside the system.

Tales from the Prepper Pantry

• The prepper pantry is in full disaster mode after hosting last weekend's Rabbit Meatup. Whirling dervish level.
• Trippy Acres Farm dropped a mountain of summer abundance — squash everywhere. Hence, this week's topic.
• Green bean canning season has officially started.
• Quick late-night taco bowl using leftovers was a winner — beans, meat, rice, and pantry odds-and-ends.

Question from Brent

• How to get started with my freeze dryer

Operation Independence

• The Rabbit Processing Class was a huge success. Students built their own gambrels, processed their rabbits, and got a crash course in rabbit as food. We even sold coffee — win-win.
• Also, the new HVAC is in at Holler Roast. A friend did the install as a trade, and I'll be returning the favor next year with something from my skillset.

Main Topic of the Day: Multiple Ways to Prepare Squash Why This Matters Squash piles up fast — and it's easy to get sick of it.

Most people fry it or make bread. There's a lot more you can do.

Fresh & Fast (Use It Now)

• Sautéed with onions — our daily go-to.
• Grilled slices — pairs great with eggs.
• Grated raw on salad.
• Scrambled into omelets.
• Zoodles — spiralized and tossed with sauce or oil.

Main Dishes

• Squash lasagna — layers of meat, sauce, cheese, and squash slices.
• Ratatouille — classic, often forgotten, but easy to batch.
• Stuffed squash boats — ground beef, bell pepper, topped with cheese.

Preserved & Long-Term

• Flour-dusted slices (chicken flour) — freeze for winter sauté.
• Pickled squash relish — excellent with charcuterie, recipe from Dawn Gorham.
• Ratatouille — freezes well in portions.
• Squash lasagna — prep now, freeze, and bake later.
• Stuffed squash boats — freeze unbaked or parbaked for easy winter meals.
• Zucchini/squash bread — not our thing anymore, but worth mentioning.

Experimental / Less Common

• Planning to try freeze-dried squash chips with garlic and salt.
• Squash tossed into soups (though it can fall apart)

Make it a great week. Community Links: Website: https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com Holler Roast Coffee: https://hollerroast.com SRF Tickets: https://selfreliancefestival.com Telegram Group: https://t.me/lftnchat Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/259439594823655

Today, I am joined by Scott Armstrong of Rebinked News and Grand Theft World to talk about his journey through addiction and choosing freedom.

Featured Event: Rabbit Meatup, June 29

Sponsor 1: HollerRoastCoffee.com

Sponsor 2: AbovePhone.com

Connect with Scott: Https://rebunked.news

Today, I am joined by The Tactical Redneck to discuss updates from the Holler Homestead: Garden to Table season, escaped rams reading the rules, shade structures for the raised beds, erosion mitigation and more!

Featured Event: Sunday Meetup: Potluck and Rabbit Processing - 1pm-4pm, LivingFreeinTennessee.com to sign up

Sponsor 1: TheWealthseadingPodcast.com

Sponsor 2: SelfRelianceFestival.com

Ask T: Doing work in the cool of the morning (I mean the less hot of the morning)

A week in the life at the Holler Homestead

Sunday: Heat, Hustle, and Sheep

Shade Structure Build

Roasting in the Heat + Sheep Escape

Evening Redneck Gift

Midweek: Workshop Prep & Deliveries

Dump Run in the Heat

Pickling + Interrupted by Coffee Delivery

Evening: Garden Grounding + Dinner Flow

Propagating plants to fill in areas where we want specific things

Planting for shade on the west side of the cabin

Canning beets outside is a blessing on the inside temperature of my house

Swim spa workouts

Blackberries, passion, flowers

Need to maintain the food forest and make sure the stuff I want living stays living

Update on squash in the compost

Elderberries in a few weeks

1st ripe tomato

Tim delivering rabbits for this weekend's demo

Michelle is letting us harvest her garden this afternoon!!

Duck setting eggs on hillside

Eeeked the garden through with calmag and evening watering (Fire ant issue)

Green beans are about to pop here

Holler Neighbors/Community: Sunday dinner was fun - basecamp may be transitioning in August

Finances - the country store idea is growing

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

• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Advisory Board

• The Booze Whisperer
• The Tactical Redneck
• Chef Brett
• Samantha the Savings Ninja

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee
• Harvest Right Affiliate Link

Today, we talk about Ways to Beat The Heat on The Homestead, as well as cover all of our usual Monday segments.

Thanks to everyone who reached out about last week's interview with Tactical. We got a lot of feedback, and it's clear that hearing more from him is something the community wants.

Featured Event: Rabbit Processing Meetup – June 29 Join us from 1–4pm at the Holler Homestead for a hands-on afternoon of learning, connection, and food. We'll walk through the process of rabbit butchering from dispatch to chill tank. Bring a side dish and come prepared to learn. Details here: https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com/2025/06/02/rabbit-processing/

Sponsor 1: DiscountMylarBags.com – Long-term food storage supplies that won't break the bank.

Sponsor 2: AgoristTaxAdvice.com – Solid tax strategies for those of us living outside the system.

Tales from the Prepper Pantry

• Freezer went down, but the Yolink sensor caught it in time — major save.

• Pickled beet-palooza this week. Pantry smells like vinegar and victory.

• Put up a solid batch of dill relish.

• Premade meatloaf in the freezer is paying off big right now during long days.

• Need to work on a better strategy for keeping the pantry space cooler in summer.

Operation Independence We're making steady moves on the Holler Hub setup. Lynne suggested we use the Basecamp basement and classroom for the country store — keycode access and posted hours. Also starting up GSD work weekends this summer.

Main Topic of the Day: Ways to Beat The Heat on The Homestead

1. Why This Matters Heat waves can wreck your garden, stress your animals, and push you to your limit. If you ignore the signs, you pay for it later — in lost yield, poor health, or burnout. It's time to adapt.
2. Plant Care During Heat

• Plants struggle to uptake calcium through roots when soil temps go above ~85°F — a CalMag foliar spray helps keep them from curling up and dying.

• Shade cloth is your friend. Your garden doesn't need full sun all day — especially in the South. I built a PVC shade structure that changed the game.

• Water early, mulch deep. Timing is key.

• Know when to leave stressed plants alone — sometimes less is more.

1. Livestock Management

• Pay attention to microclimates. Move animals to shaded, breezy areas if you have them. If not, start figuring out how to create them.

• Always be checking water — manually or with sensors. Don't assume it's fine.

• Look for signs of heat stress: panting, lethargy, standing in water, reduced feed intake.

• Think long-term: is your pasture layout working in July?

1. Homesteader Self-Care

• Hydration is more than water — think salt, trace minerals, cucumbers, bone broth.

• Plan your day around the sun. Hard stuff in the morning and evening.

• Work in bursts — short and intense is often better than long and slow.

• Know the signs of heat exhaustion in yourself and others. Don't tough it out.

1. Systems & Tools

• Yolink sensors saved my butt this week. Don't rely on memory for water or power checks.

• If you have a natural feature like a cold creek — use it. My 55-degree creek is the MVP right now.

• Heat is the best teacher. Pay attention and plan infrastructure improvements while you're sweating — you'll actually solve the problem.

Reminders

• Get your Self-Reliance Festival tickets — prices increase soon.

• Subscribe to the LFTN newsletter for events, updates, and useful stuff I don't post anywhere else.

Make it a great week.

Community Links: Website: https://www.livingfreeintennessee.com Holler Roast Coffee: https://hollerroast.com SRF Tickets: https://selfreliancefestival.com Telegram Group: https://t.me/lftnchat

Today, I am joined by The Tactical Redneck to discuss updates from the Holler Homestead.

Featured Event: Solstice gathering at Haven Village

Sponsor 1: The Wealthsteading Podcast - InvestableWealth.com

Sponsor 2: AgoristTaxAdvice.com/LFTN

https://hollerroast.com/product/hvac-coffee-pre-buy/

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

• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Advisory Board

• The Booze Whisperer
• The Tactical Redneck
• Chef Brett
• Samantha the Savings Ninja

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee
• Harvest Right Affiliate Link

Today I am interviewing The Tactical Redneck on the Living Free Podcast. he will tell his story of building freedom into his life which has included overcoming addiction, PTSD from being a combat veteran, and more.

Connect with us!

TheLivingFreePodcast.com

LivingFreeinTennessee.com

SelfRelianceFestival.com

@nicolesauce on instagram

@LFTN on youtube

@lftngroup on Telegram

Today I am interviewing The Tactical Redneck on the Living Free Podcast. he will tell his story of building freedom into his life which has included overcoming addiction, PTSD from being a combat veteran, and more.

Connect with us!

TheLivingFreePodcast.com

LivingFreeinTennessee.com

SelfRelianceFestival.com

@nicolesauce on instagram

@LFTN on youtube

@lftngroup on Telegram