Self-Sufficiency or Community? Building Food Security Without Overcomplicating Your Homestead | Angi Schneider of Creative Simple Living | The Shepherdess

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Food preservation matters just as much as food production, and today’s guest is here to prove it. Angi Schneider of Creative Simple Living shares the confidence-building lesson from her grandmother that started her journey into food preservation, and we dive into the most common practical questions about canned meals. Angi also shares her thoughts on freeze dryers, what Hurricane Harvey taught her about self-sufficiency, and her best advice for beginning a garden or a homestead without burning out.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Introducing Angi Schneider and why food preservation matters as much as production

04:10 Angi’s current homestead and navigating life after her husband's cancer diagnosis

06:28 How Angi’s grandmother instilled in her confidence that changed everything

8:38 Overcoming the fear of pressure canning and canning meat for the first time

10:53 Practical questions: shelf life, nutrient breakdown, and rotating canned goods

15:01 Preserving the harvest and setting realistic goals for jar inventory

18:47 Strategies for getting picky eaters to eat canned meals

20:37 Canning gamey meats, why lamb comes out more tender, and the best cuts to can

24:21 Angi's honest take on freeze dryers and what 2020 taught her about self-sufficiency

28:42 Starting a garden without burnout: fruit trees, raised beds, and a simple soil approach

41:20 Avoiding homestead burnout by starting small and evaluating your capacity

ABOUT ANGI

Angi Schneider lives on a small homestead along the Texas Gulf Coast with her husband and children. For over 30 years they have sought to reduce their dependence on commercial products and the grocery store by growing and preserving food, living a DIY lifestyle and cooking simple, tasty meals from scratch. Angi shares gardening tips, food preservation recipes and other simple living ideas on her blog Creative Simple Living (https://creativesimpleliving.com). She has also written two books on preserving food – The Ultimate Guide to Preserving Vegetables and Pressure Canning for Beginners and Beyond.

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CONNECT WITH ANGI

Website: https://creativesimpleliving.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CreativeSimpleLiving/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creative_simple_living/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/creativesimpleliving/

CONNECT WITH ME

Email: [email protected]

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Blog: http://bit.ly/ShepherdessBLOG

Merch: http://bit.ly/ShepherdessMERCH