This Ex-Mennonite Mom of 7 Taught Me the Rule of Homesteading (I had it wrong)

We visited @Ruthannzimm in Iowa to learn how she has built a thriving homestead that works FOR her family, not the other way around...Head to https://betterhelp.com/anneofalltrades to get 10% off your first month with our sponsor, BetterHelp. Therapy can be a meaningful space to reflect, grow, and create positive change in your life. ******************************** Huge THANK YOU to RuthAnn and Elvin for letting us tour their homestead and being such great hosts! Go check out their channel and give them a subscribe. Also, you can learn more at their website below. It's a huge wealth of resources: https://ruthannzimm.com/ 00:00 Intro 01:06 Meet RuthAnn Zimmerman 01:31 Softball-size onions and how she grows them 02:27 Why successful homesteaders simplify their diet 04:44 Her three priorities, in order 06:27 Garden tour: 8,000 sq ft and a 120-day season 10:19 Milking with the boys: chores that build character 14:18 Whining, complaining and character development 16:32 Why they left the Old Order Mennonite church 20:48 Morning routine, mulch and no-till beds 21:50 "I do not water my garden" and why 23:51 Organized sports vs the homestead 26:46 Heart posture vs outward conformity 28:36 Teaching kids the why, not just the how 30:32 In the orchard: pruning and passed-down knowledge 31:42 Herbicide drift: fear is more poisonous than poison 36:15 Raccoons, floodlights and the first sweet corn 39:14 How she prioritizes a to-do list that never ends 41:18 Family dinner on the porch 42:08 No meal plan, no grocery list 45:42 Reusing what you have: whey lemonade 49:36 Freezer tour: bulk meat and chicken feet broth 51:10 Never compare your beginning to someone else's middle Use code ANNEOFALLTRADES for 15% off Redmond products! https://shop.redmondagriculture.com/discount/ANNEOFALLTRADES?rfsn=7896007.f371576 Click here to support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/anneofalltrades MORE ABOUT ME I'm Anne of All Trades. In NASHVILLE, I have a woodworking, blacksmithing and fabrication shop, a selection of furry friends, and an organic farm. Whether you've got the knowledge, tools, time or space to do the things you've always wanted to do, everything is "figureoutable." I became "Anne of All Trades" out of necessity. With no background in farming or making things, I wanted to learn to raise my own food, fix things when they break and build the things I need. 12 years ago I got my first pet, planted my first seed and picked up my first tool. My goal is to learn and share traditional techniques and skills while showing my peers how to get from where they are to where they want to go, how to do the things they are passionate about, and what can be done TODAY to engage their own community and grow deep roots. Whether it's carving spoons, making my own hand tools, restoring my antique truck or growing heirloom tomatoes, the farm and workshop definitely keep me busy and support - whether financially through Patreon, through shopping my affiliate links, through buying merchandise, plans or project videos, or even just liking, commenting, and sharing my content with others helps me GREATLY to keep producing quality content to share. Get a better roadmap of how to grow deep roots and live the life you want by subscribing to this channel and be sure to check out my blog for even more info https://anneofalltrades.com ******************************** Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means by clicking and shopping through these links, I might earn a commission, at no additional cost to you - which is a great way you can help the creation of more free content just like this. Your time and attention mean the world to me. I know you work hard, and I'm careful to only share brands and products that I FULLY support. Keep being awesome! Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/anneofalltrades Merchandise - https://teespring.com/stores/anne-of-all-trades Project Plans - https://www.anneofalltrades.com/project-plans Courses - https://www.anneofalltrades.com/downloadable-classes My Amazon Store - Shop all my favorite items from business-building books and resources to tools I use in the shop, to products I use around the farm! https://www.amazon.com/shop/anneofalltrades Anne's Favorites - https://bit.ly/31RmUkM Other places you can find me: My website - https://anneofalltrades.com Instagram - https://instagram.com/anneofalltrades Facebook - https://facebook.com/anneofalltrades Pinterest - https://pinterest.com/anneofalltrades X - https://www.x.com/anneofalltrades For brand inquiries, please reach to [email protected]