The Prairie Homestead

Homesteading | Self Sufficient Living | Living off the Land

Jill Winger

4 Comments | |    Last Updated: February 7, 2024

Old-Fashioned Hand Pies with Fruit Filling

I walked into Hobby Lobby last week and stopped dead in my tracks. Disorientation washed over me as I stared at the gigantic Easter displays. “Wait… have we had Valentine’s Day yet?!” After a moment of contemplation I determined that we, in fact, have NOT yet had Valentine’s Day. (You’re welcome for that Public Service Announcement.) So anyway, I’m the absolute worst at holidays. I can’t count the number of times I’ve ...Continue Reading

1 Comment | |    Last Updated: February 2, 2024

The 5 Biggest Seed-Starting Mistakes Homesteaders Make

I paused as I dumped the mound of seed packets and tiny baggies on the table. I felt it. Finally. 2023 was intense. As the year drew to a close, I was feeling burned out with basically everything: Cooking… writing… working… people… and yes, even gardening. As I put the gardens to bed last fall, I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. “It’s over.” I closed the cedar gate and didn’t look back. As winter took hold and the ...Continue Reading

9 Comments | |    Last Updated: February 1, 2024

Confessions of a Fun Hater

“What do you do for fun?” The question came in the middle of an interview and caught me off guard. I blinked at the interviewer as I stammered… “Eh, well… ha. I’m not sure? I mean… I have fun but not in the regular ways… Um, I guess I work for fun? *nervous laughter*" It wasn’t my most shining moment. You see, I’m not good at recreation. At least not in the conventional sense. Passive amusements like movies, ...Continue Reading

2 Comments | |    Last Updated: January 26, 2024

How to Organize Your Garden Seed Collection

Tis the season for fresh garden dreams and pretty seed catalogs. I ordered my seeds last night and just like clockwork I went from not thinking about the garden in months to wild-eyed excited for the coming year. I know many of you are also gearing up to garden plan, so may I offer a simple suggestion? Before you pull out your credit card and ordering the latest and greatest varieties, take a moment to inventory your seed ...Continue Reading

1 Comment | |    Last Updated: October 15, 2025

How to Reset Your Homestead After a Disappointing Year

“You gotta do things you’ve never done to get things you’ve never had.” The concept was burned into my brain by a horsemanship mentor years ago. I filed the pithy wisdom into the section of my brain reserved for “horse information.” Yet I later realized it wasn’t about at horses at all— it was about life. Every nook and cranny of the internet is currently filled with chatter about new year goals, resolutions, anti-goals, ...Continue Reading

3 Comments | |    Last Updated: September 30, 2025

My Annual Homestead Planning Strategy

My favorite week of the entire year is upon us. I don't know why, but there's something magical about the in-between time from after-Christmas to mid-January, when the world is in a cheese-and-sugar-induced-stupor. It always makes me giddy to plan for the upcoming year. The air is thick with possibilities. I've been camped out by the woodstove for the past few days ruminating, dreaming, and planning. I have no interest in ...Continue Reading

Nice to Meet You

I’m Jill. I’ve never been very good at following prescribed paths.

For the last 15 years, that instinct has led me through homesteading, entrepreneurship, and creating a life my younger self could have only dreamed of.

These days, I’m less interested in living the perfect "old-fashioned life" and more interested in knowing which ideas are worth carrying forward. The first half of this story was about building a homestead. The next part is about building a life that actually fits.
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