Throwback: Mennonite Traditions for Simple Meals & Stronger Families | 487

Pioneering Today Podcast - Homesteading in a Modern World

Melissa K Norris

Cookingfromscratch, Oldfashionedliving, Selfsufficiency, Home & Garden, Gardening, Heirloomseeds, Homesteading, Growyourownfood, Education, Survival, Pioneeringtoday, Leisure, How To

4.9 • 931 Ratings

🗓️ 14 November 2025

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this throwback episode of the Pioneering Today Podcast, I sit down with RuthAnn Zimmerman to discuss what life looks like on a busy homestead with lots of children. How do we practically get meals on the table when life seems chaotic? How do we prioritize relationships through the business of life? And, how do we cook for larger groups of people for holidays and special events. I think you'll enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

For more information and any links mentioned, visit the blog post here: https://melissaknorris.com/487

This episode is sponsored by Azure Standard, one of my favorite ways to stock up on bulk grains, organic produce, and pantry staples without spending hours driving from store to store. Azure makes it easy to live intentionally while still working smarter in the kitchen. Right now, you can get 15% off your first order of $100 or more when you use code "Melissa15" at checkout: https://melissaknorris.com/azure-standard

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hey, pioneers, welcome to today's episode, throwback number 487.
0:10.0	Today's episode is one that features Ruth Ann Zimmerman, and we're talking about Mennonite
0:17.2	traditions for simple meals and stronger families.
0:21.4	If you've ever felt like there just aren't enough hours in the day to cook everything from
0:25.4	scratch, this conversation is for you.
0:29.4	Ruthanne is a homesteader who's been living this lifestyle for decades, raising her family
0:34.5	on homegrown homemade meals while keeping her kitchen running smoothly.
0:39.0	And not only did we share our best time-saving tips for cooking from scratch, but in a way
0:45.6	that has helped Ruth Ian feed her family well without spending every waking hour in the kitchen.
0:51.5	Can I get an amen?
0:53.1	We talk about planning ahead, stocking your pantry
0:56.2	wisely, using freezer meals the right way, and how to stay encouraged when you're feeling stretched
1:03.2	thin. And one of my favorite things about this episode was where we start talking about
1:09.7	creating meals when you are cooking for a crowd.
1:14.4	And as we come back into holiday season, of course, many of us are cooking for a larger
1:19.4	amount of people as we have larger family gatherings.
1:22.2	So not only does this serve us well during the holiday season, but it also serves as well
1:27.2	as we move into summer, and especially
1:30.4	if you have children who are getting married, or you're maybe helping with grandchildren's weddings,
1:35.1	or maybe it's your own wedding. And I really loved that part of the conversation when we were
1:41.2	talking about the wedding suppers and how you can use those in so many different
1:47.7	ways. In fact, next year, my daughter will be graduating from high school and we always do a
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Melissa K Norris, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Melissa K Norris and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.