The Prairie Homestead

Homesteading | Self Sufficient Living | Living off the Land

Jill Winger

4 Comments | |    Last Updated: January 5, 2023

Tips for Planning Your Homeschool Year

With all the craziness happening in the world around us, I am so thankful that we decided to homeschool. These days, there has been more interest in homeschooling (which I think is awesome) and with that comes plenty of homeschooling questions. I've been getting more and more messages from my beloved readers about things like: “How do you do it? How do you run your businesses, homestead, and still find the time to homeschool 3 ...Continue Reading

5 Comments | |    Last Updated: January 5, 2023

3 Ways to Generate Your Own Electricity

As time goes on, I've been getting more and more interested in figuring out ways to get less dependent on modern systems. And I know that I'm not the only one with this desire. In recent years, living "Off the Grid" has become something that homesteading folks have been getting more and more curious about. I get emails from my readers all the time asking for advice on how to have off-grid kitchens or how to use alternative (aka ...Continue Reading

8 Comments | |    Last Updated: February 9, 2024

How to Make Herbal Vinegar

Spring is in the air. The weather is changing and gardening season is almost here. And I'm so excited to get to growing things again. I'm looking forward to having our garden in full swing producing healthy produce and fresh herbs. There's just something about fresh herbs from the garden...they can make any food recipe into something extra special and satisfying. Honestly, I also love that my herb garden doesn't require much effort ...Continue Reading

29 Comments | |    Last Updated: June 6, 2025

How to Make Tallow Body Butter

My favorite skincare ingredient is animal fat. Yeah, us homesteaders are an odd bunch... As homesteaders, we brave the elements to pursue our passion and at times those conditions can be a bit unforgiving on our bodies. We care for animals in the dead of winter and tend our gardens under the scorching summer sun. In time, these things can take a toll on the body, and they can leave us with dry skin and cracked, callused hardworking ...Continue Reading

1 Comment | |    Last Updated: January 5, 2023

How to Open a Roadside Stand

Do you struggle with the thought of swimming in unused eggs or extra produce going to waste? This happens to all of us homesteaders at one point or another. With the increase in current food shortages and just general-crazy-times these last few years, Christian and I have been amping up our food production, partly for ourselves and partly to help support our community with more local food options. Of course, this means that now I'm ...Continue Reading

3 Comments | |    Last Updated: January 5, 2023

Should I Vaccinate My Chicks?

Happy, healthy chicks turn into productive egg-laying and meat-producing chickens...at least, that is the goal, right? Interest in self-sufficiency, food security, and leaving the system behind is growing (and I love it!). And chickens tend to be the gateway animal to the homestead life. Chickens are easy to come by, not really high maintenance, and can provide a small amount of food security. With the interest in raising ...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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