Hey guys, what is up?

Welcome back to the Roots and Refuge podcast.

I'm your host, Jessica Sowers.

My friends call me Jess, and I hope you will too.

And here on my podcast, we talk about all things food growing, homesteading, raising animals, gardening,

as well as preserving food, preparing it, sharing it,

and living in a more mindful relationship with each other and with the earth.

So every Wednesday we put new episodes.

And every Wednesday we also put new podcasts on our Patreon.

So the Patreon members are actually getting podcasts a week early from the public podcast as well as a private live Q&A every month.

We started this podcast at the beginning of this year. And at this point, we're thoroughly into September. And we've talked about a lot of different things. Now, I'm working on some logistics to be able to bring some more long distance guests on the podcast. To this point, anything that I have published with a

guest, we sat down together in person and recorded. And technology is frankly not my strong suit,

but I do have help. And we're getting some things worked out so that I can have many of the wonderful people

that I have come to know through social media that I think have a lot of important things to

say about homesteading. I also keep a little note on my phone of ideas that pop into my mind,

things that I would like to discuss here in this space. I highly value when you guys ask me questions.

I don't always have an immediate answer, but I really do think about things. And oftentimes when I'm

getting the same question over and over, or if I get a question a single time that just really

strikes a nerve with me, I'll throw that on that note and it'll end up becoming kind of the backbone

to a video that I make or a podcast that I make. So the topic for today is based on questions that I get

asked repeatedly. It's based on questions I see asked in homesteading groups. I love to be in like homesteading

Facebook groups, even if I'm just being a fly in the wall. I feel like if I'm going to just mindlessly

...