The Prairie Homestead

Homesteading | Self Sufficient Living | Living off the Land

Jill Winger

2 Comments | |    Last Updated: August 10, 2021

How to Extend Your Garden Season

I’m not one to exaggerate. When I say we have a super short growing season here in Wyoming, you know I mean it. In fact, I’m just sitting over here hoping I'll be lucky enough for just a few of the tomatoes turn red before the first frost this year. (Side note: Don’t worry, I never waste a green tomato. Even if none ripen before our first frost hits, I’ll pick them green and ripen them indoors.  Here's how I save and ripen ...Continue Reading

22 Comments | |    Last Updated: September 22, 2025

Canning Apple Slices | How to Can Apples

I can feel autumn sneaking up on us already... Although we're still having our fair share of 90+ degree days, every 4th day or so, the nights cool off to be surprisingly crisp for this early in September, and I know it's coming... But the preservation work is just beginning. Whether it's canning apple slices, smashing the garden cabbage into sauerkraut, or pulling the still-very-green tomatoes off the vine to ripen in boxes, I'll be ...Continue Reading

19 Comments | |    Last Updated: September 6, 2019

Horse Hair Detangler Recipe

I've never been one of those girls who is good at "doing" hair. Apparently I missed the memo in high school that you were suppose to spend hours in the mirror playing with different styles... So I didn't. Instead I was outside, riding my horse, working at Jiffy Lube (wait-- have I ever told you that? But yes, I totally changed oil at Jiffy Lube to pay for college...), and pretty much doing every other thing I could think of that ...Continue Reading

5 Comments | |    Last Updated: August 26, 2026

How to Prepare Your Vegetable Garden for Winter: 10 Simple Steps

I'm often overwhelmed when it comes to fall garden cleanup, so I thought I'd write down my simple steps for how to prepare the vegetable garden for winter. Short version: in order to prepare a vegetable garden for winter, I make sure to harvest remaining crops, remove weeds and diseased plant material, test and amend the soil, add compost, and protect bare soil with mulch or a cover crop. Autumn is also a good time to clean tools, ...Continue Reading

35 Comments | |    Last Updated: June 13, 2023

A Guide to Quick Pickled Vegetables

My garden is convinced it's the end of June. Except it's actually nearing the end of August. That's a problem when frosts can come as early as mid-September... Truthfully, I'm not holding my breath that I'll have the opportunity to can giant batches of tomatoes or cucumbers like last year. (Learn how to safely can anything here) So instead, I'm focusing on the produce that is trickling into my kitchen in small handfuls. And ...Continue Reading

20 Comments | |    Last Updated: November 12, 2020

Digging Up and Storing Potatoes for Winter

Some people buy lottery tickets. I grow potatoes. The thrill of not knowing what you'll get is intoxicating, and I find myself giddy every time I head outside with my basket to harvest spuds for supper. It's like winning a million dollars. Almost. ;) But there’s something pretty awesome about any food that actually grows and thrives under ground. It feels like there’s a little bit of magic going on when you pull a few scallions or a ...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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