In today’s episode, we sit down with RuthAnn Zimmerman ‪@Ruthannzimm‬ a former Old Order Mennonite woman turned homesteader, canning educator, and YouTube creator. Ruth shares her powerful story of leaving the horse and buggy lifestyle, building a modern homestead, and raising seven children with a deep commitment to self-sufficiency and old-world values.

Timestamps:
0:00 🫙 Intro
1:06 👋 RuthAnn Zimmerman Interview Intro
1:38 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Life on a 20-Acre Homestead in Iowa
2:24 💣 Why Canning Jars Explode (and How to Prevent It)
3:48 🔬 Top 3 Canning Safety Tips for Beginners
4:30 🍅 Best First-Time Canning Recipe Advice
5:03 🌽 Why Ruth Moved from Pennsylvania to Iowa
6:02 🇨🇭 Mennonite Ancestry & Pennsylvania Dutch Explained
7:30 🗣️ Why I Stopped Posting in Pennsylvania Dutch
9:12 🤔 Riskiest Foods to Can (Is It Safe?)
10:14 🐓 My Daily Homesteading Routine with 7 Kids
12:29 🌅 Homesteading Sleep Schedule: Living With the Sun
13:30 🎬 How I Edit YouTube Videos While Raising a Family
14:22 🧑‍🌾 What Is Old Order Mennonite vs Amish?
16:02 📺 Raising Kids Without TV or Social Media
17:26 🐥 Why Chores Matter More Than Screen Time
19:07 🧽 Homestead Chores for Kids (Even Without Animals)
19:43 🐄 How Many Animals Are on Our Farm?
21:20 🥚 Teaching Kids About Meat Birds vs Laying Hens
22:17 🧊 Family Involvement on Harvest Day
23:19 ❤️ How I Met My Husband (Old Order Mennonite Dating)
25:01 🧠 Why Work Ethic Is Essential for Kids
25:18 📷 How I Started My YouTube Canning Channel
26:02 🧠 Why Canning Skills Are Being Lost
27:08 🌐 YouTube: Hobby or Income?
28:26 🍞 Amish Cinnamon Rolls – Grandma’s Recipe
29:43 🕊️ My Goal for YouTube & Instagram
30:12 🧘‍♀️ How I Deal With Online Negativity
31:16 📚 “The Heart of the Homestead” Book Preview
31:50 🥄 My Upcoming Cookbook (Fall 2026)
32:33 🎁 Book Giveaway Instructions
33:22 🥫 Favorite Forjars Product for Canning
33:40 😂 Funniest Memory Working With Forjars
34:17 💡 Advice for Learning New Skills as a Mom
34:50 📅 Events I’ll Be Speaking At (Florida & Tennessee)
35:15 🌐 Where to Follow Ruth Ann Online
35:36 🔔 Subscribe to See Our Next Guest

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🌿 We dive into everything from:
Why RuthAnn Zimmerman left the Old Order Mennonite church
What life was like growing up without cars, media, or modern conveniences
The culture shock of transitioning to the "English" world
Raising children with a strong work ethic in today’s culture
How she teaches her kids to garden, care for animals, and do chores
Her approach to controversial “rebel canning” and USDA guidelines
The realities of exploding jars and canning mistakes
How she balances YouTube, motherhood, homesteading, and filming
The moment she realized she was canning for thousands, not just her family
Her favorite recipes and her grandma’s secret Amish cinnamon roll ingredient
The heart behind her upcoming book The Heart of the Homestead
Her favorite Forjars product and how she became an affiliate
Why peace, simplicity, and quiet contentment matter in a noisy online world

📺 Subscribe to Homesteading with the Zimmermans channel: ‪@Ruthannzimm‬

👩‍🍳 Amish Cinnamon Rolls – Grandma’s Recipe:    • Amish Cinnamon Roll Recipe, SECRET IN...  

🎙️ If you’re interested in:
Mennonite and Amish lifestyle stories
Christian homesteading
Traditional canning and preserving
Raising kids with purpose
Life after leaving conservative religious communities
Rural homemaking, motherhood, and off-grid values

…this episode will inspire and challenge you.

🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more interviews with powerful women shaping modern homesteading, faith, and family culture.

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