Got a question or thought to share? 🤔💬

Head over to the blog post -- https://thriftyhomesteader.com/family-farms/ -- and drop it in the comments—we’d love to hear what you think and we’ll be sure to reply!

Description

In this episode Deborah Niemann is joined by Brian Reisinger, journalist and author of Land Rich, Cash Poor, to talk about a subject close to both their hearts: the alarming disappearance of family farms in the United States.

Brian grew up on a multi-generational Wisconsin farm and brings a unique perspective as both a writer and someone with deep roots in agriculture. Drawing from his family’s story and extensive research, Brian explains the historical, economic, political, and technological forces that have shaped—and in many cases, harmed—family farming for over a century.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why family farms have been disappearing for over 100 years
• The ripple effect of labor, policy, and market changes on farm viability
• The critical role of government research and how its decline hurts innovation
• Why private companies should care about saving small farms, too
• What we can do to protect the 2 million farms still standing today

📘 Featured Book

• Land Rich, Cash Poor by Brian Reisinger
  • Buy on Amazon
  • Buy on Bookshop

Love This Episode?

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with your sustainability-minded friends.

Find all episodes and transcripts at:

🔗 thriftyhomesteader.com/bookchat

Got a question or thought to share? 🤔💬

Head over to the blog post -- https://thriftyhomesteader.com/building-a-pantry-from-scratch/ -- and drop it in the comments—we’d love to hear what you think and we’ll be sure to reply!

Description

In this episode, Deborah Niemann welcomes Kris Bordessa, author of Attainable Sustainable and the new follow-up, Attainable Sustainable Pantry. Kris shares her inspiration behind writing a book focused entirely on pantry staples and kitchen self-reliance, especially after the overwhelming response to her first book.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or already comfortable in the kitchen, this conversation is packed with practical tips, money-saving ideas, and sustainability-minded advice for taking control of your food.

What You’ll Learn

• Why Kris’s second book is a deep dive into pantry-focused self-reliance
• How to replace boxed foods like pancake mix and instant oatmeal with homemade versions
• What to do when you run out of ingredients like brown sugar or oat flour
• Kitchen tools that make homemade cooking more accessible (hint: stand mixer wins!)
• Tips for using up food instead of throwing it away (like turning failed bread into croutons)
• Easy ways to start preserving food without a pressure canner, including:
• Quick pickling
• Dehydrating
• Freezing in oil
• Unexpected DIY recipes like crystallized ginger, red wine vinegar, and garlic powder
• Kris’s favorite pantry snack: homemade cheese crackers (goodbye, Cheez-Its!)
• Why this book is especially timely for anyone struggling with rising grocery costs

Resources Mentioned

• 📘 Attainable Sustainable Pantry by Kris Bordessa
  • Buy on Amazon
  • Buy on Bookshop
• 📘 Attainable Sustainable: The Lost Art of Self-Reliant Living
  • Buy on Amazon
  • Buy on Bookshop
• 🧂 National Center for Home Food Preservation (used for vetting preservation recipes)

Connect with Kris Bordessa

• 🌐 Website: attainablesustainable.net
• 📱 Social: @AttainableSustainable on Facebook, Instagram, and more

Love This Episode?

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with your sustainability-minded friends. Find all episodes and transcripts at:

🔗 thriftyhomesteader.com/bookchat

Whether you're a chicken keeper or someone who simply gets annoyed when reading children's books that are filled with misinformation about animals, Diane Sorenson's, The Tales of Mr. Ken Rooster and the Six Sassy Hens, is a fun little gem that's sure to delight young children, as well as the adults reading the book to them.

The book includes short stories about the seven chickens in the author's backyard, and many of the stories, such as the ones about the fox and the raccoon, are based on true events.

In today's episode, we are talking to Diane about her chicken-keeping journey and her inspiration for the book.

Full show notes here -- https://thriftyhomesteader.com/backyard-chickens-in-childrens-book/

To see the most recent episodes, visit ThriftyHomesteader.com/BookChat