The Prairie Homestead

Homesteading | Self Sufficient Living | Living off the Land

Jill Winger

36 Comments | |    Last Updated: August 5, 2026

Easy Homemade Dill Relish Recipe

I did it again. I PROMISED myself I wouldn't let my pickling cucumbers turn into monsters this year. And then I did. In my defense, I was checking the plants regularly... one day the cucumbers were the size of my pinky finger, and the next day, they suddenly resembled a baseball bat. How does that even happen? Regardless, foot-long pickling cucumbers aren't super desirable for making homemade pickles... mostly because they ...Continue Reading

4 Comments | |    Last Updated: May 19, 2026

Honey-Sweetened Currant Jam Recipe

Homegrown fruit and I do not have a good relationship. The apple trees I planted? Dead within 10 months.  The blueberry plant? It didn't stand a chance. The raspberry patch? I get about a cup per summer if I'm lucky. The strawberries? Maybe a bowlful on a good year. It's not entirely my fault... Wyoming's growing season isn't exactly conducive to fruit orchards. I gave up for a while, until I started doing ...Continue Reading

7 Comments | |    Last Updated: August 24, 2020

Will My Kids Fall Behind? (And Other Homeschooling Questions)

I've never been this excited to get back to homeschooling... I'm in year five of this homeschool gig, so it's not exactly a novelty anymore. Yet I've found myself literally counting down the days until we're back to the books next week. What a weirdo. Is it because I redid our school room and I can't wait to sit on the new rug and drink my coffee in there? Maybe. Is it because we're doing a deep dive into American history ...Continue Reading

3 Comments | |    Last Updated: June 30, 2023

My Favorite Ways to Preserve Food at Home

Here it comes... The cucumbers, beets, and tomatoes are rolling in, with the potatoes, onions, corn, and squash not far behind. I have a love/hate relationship with this time of year. I love it because it's the pinnacle of what we've been working towards since early spring (HARVEST!), but holy moly... it can be overwhelming sometimes. More than ever before, I feel like now is the time to have full pantries, cupboards, and ...Continue Reading

16 Comments | |    Last Updated: August 5, 2020

The Crazy Hail Protection We Built for Our Garden

I finally had enough. The shredded vegetables. The waves of anxiety every time I'd see a storm cloud on the horizon. The months of work gone in a second. I just couldn't do it anymore. So we built a circus tent over the garden. A logical response, obviously. Ok, so maybe it's not actually a circus tent, but it definitely resembles one from the road. (And it's definitely caused more than one neighbor to do a double-take ...Continue Reading

11 Comments | |    Last Updated: June 30, 2023

The Best Resources for Safe Canning Information

I seem to have a knack for making online people upset with me in the most innocent ways. Call it a special gift, I guess. ;)  Whether it's talking about meat chicken breeds, discussing diatomaceous earth, or jokingly saying that I have banned salt shakers from my kitchen table (some folks got REALLY UPSET over that one...), it's fascinating to me how the most benign topics can turn into spirited Internet debates. And the ...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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