The Prairie Homestead

Homesteading | Self Sufficient Living | Living off the Land

Jill Winger

52 Comments | |    Last Updated: June 25, 2020

How to Make Compost Tea

Since when did poop and water get so complicated? When I began my research on compost teas, I figured it would be a fairly easy subject to tackle … Boy did I ever underestimate that one. It’s no secret that compost is one of the best fertilizers you can possibly add to your garden. And the sky’s the limit when it comes to all the options you have when it comes to different styles of compost piles and the ingredients that you can ...Continue Reading

44 Comments | |    Last Updated: January 30, 2024

Garlic Scape Pesto Recipe

I avoid shoes whenever possible in the summertime. In fact, if I do find myself in a position where I have to wear shoes and socks for a long while on a stifling summer day, I get pretty grouchy, pretty quickly. Therefore, my favorite summer meals are the ones where I can run outside barefoot and harvest the bulk of the ingredients a few steps from my front door, which is exactly the case for this garlic scape pesto ...Continue Reading

14 Comments | |    Last Updated: July 1, 2021

Honey Baked Peaches with Cream

I feel kinda silly even calling this a "recipe"... But I felt compelled to share it with ya anyway, because EVERYONE needs this simple little trick in their summer recipe arsenal. You know those days when you have company coming over and you need a quick dessert, but you've been out in the garden all day and cooking is the last thing you want to do. Yeah, this baked peaches recipe is for those times. My other ...Continue Reading

121 Comments | |    Last Updated: May 28, 2020

How to Butcher a Chicken

**WARNING: Because this post is about butchering chickens, it contains graphic photos.  If you don't eat meat, I respect that decision, and you won't hurt my feelings if you click over here to read about these super-awesome fruit & herb slushies instead. However, my family and I have made the conscious choice to raise and eat meat, and I ask you to respect our choices as well. Comments left with the intention of starting a fight ...Continue Reading

195 Comments | |    Last Updated: December 27, 2023

On Homesteading Stereotypes, and Such.

Isn't it funny how... No matter how successful we become, how much we mature, how many places we go in life... There's still this instinct, a primal urge, to fit in somewhere, somehow. I've been pondering this a lot lately. It's like the high school cafeteria scene, with its neatly-organized tables of jocks, popular girls, and outcasts never really goes away. Rather, the cast of characters just changes clothes (well, most of ...Continue Reading

20 Comments | |    Last Updated: June 13, 2023

Homemade Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

It's an unfortunate reality... That we still require sustenance in the summertime. Because, I, for one, would be just fine with closing the kitchen during the months of June, July, and August, and spending every waking minute outside. As much as this girl loves cooking and making nourishing from-scratch food, there's something about summer that makes me lose all of my kitchen motivation. So we eat sandwiches, salads, ...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.
Read My Story