The Prairie Homestead

Homesteading | Self Sufficient Living | Living off the Land

Jill Winger

19 Comments | |    Last Updated: March 12, 2025

Rustic Sausage Potato Soup Recipe

Oh boy... I have something extra special for you today... Considering we're just over a week away from The Prairie Homestead Cookbook finally hitting shelves (It's been the works for two years.... aka an eternity) and I'm getting so stinkin' excited I can barely stand it, I figured it was high-time to share a recipe from the book! Eeeek! I've had a bunch of questions about the cookbook, and in a nutshell, here's what you can ...Continue Reading

17 Comments | |    Last Updated: May 13, 2025

4 Questions to Ask Yourself BEFORE You Start Your Homestead

I think I have cheerleader tendencies… No, not like a pom-pom carrying cheerleader, rather, I really, REALLY enjoy cheering others on in their homesteading pursuits. It makes me so stinkin’ happy. (Side note: I wasn’t a cheerleader in high school… I was the awkward, weird girl in high school. Annnnddd, not much has changed.) But even though I love encouraging everyone I know to get chickens, or milk a cow, or make their own ...Continue Reading

35 Comments | |    Last Updated: May 14, 2025

5 Homestead Kitchen Tools I Can’t Live Without

Real life is always more interesting than the polished version, don't you think? Which is why I can't help but smile when I look at this very real life shot of my kitchen... Flour on the counter, dishes drying by the sink, and baskets everywhere... (always too many baskets and bowls). Mine is a working homestead kitchen... that means we do battle together on a regular basis as we ferment, can, sauté, bake, roast, and preserve. It's ...Continue Reading

11 Comments | |    Last Updated: February 1, 2024

How to Start Homesteading When You Feel Overwhelmed

Expansive veggie gardens. Flocks of laying hens. Chicken coop construction. Milk goats. Home baked bread. Just the normal to-do list for the average modern person today, right? Hahahahahaha. Haha. HA. Overwhelm is a THING when one embarks upon this homesteading gig… Having one foot planted in the 21st century while adopting homestead practices from a much slower and simpler time ain’t no joke, y’all. If you’ve ever felt ...Continue Reading

26 Comments | |    Last Updated: August 19, 2025

How I Grocery Shop for Organic Foods in a Rural Area

Oh Wyoming... I love you, but you sure can be frustrating when it comes to grocery shopping sometimes... Walmarts and traditional grocery stores abound, but if organic foods are your jam, well, things get a little more complicated... I figured I surely can't be the only one who has to get a little extra creative when it comes to shopping for slightly less conventional groceries, so on the small chance this might be helpful to a ...Continue Reading

27 Comments | |    Last Updated: July 24, 2021

How to Set Homestead Goals You’ll Actually Achieve

I currently can't breathe when I walk outside... That's what below zero temps and crazy wind chills will do to ya. Thankfully, even though the outside portions of our homestead are deep in hibernation at the moment, I have plenty to work on inside. When I recently mentioned some of my favorite end-of-the-year rituals on Instagram, it prompted some interesting discussions around the things we do to set ourselves up for another ...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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