The Prairie Homestead

Homesteading | Self Sufficient Living | Living off the Land

Jill Winger

95 Comments | |    Last Updated: July 24, 2020

How to Freeze Green Beans

Here I go again, breaking the rules... First it was canning peaches with honey, and then my no-sugar canned pears, and now I'm becoming a green bean rebel. You see, I have an extreme aversion to two things when it comes to food preservation: Super intricate methods with seemingly unnecessary steps (Ain't nobody got time for that when you have 15 bazillion bushels of food to put up...) Using boatloads of sugar to preserve ...Continue Reading

21 Comments | |    Last Updated: May 1, 2020

Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Recipe

Food is my love language. Clean laundry is my husband's love language. So yeah, there's a bit of tension there. I hate everything about laundry. I hate washing it, I hate putting it into the dryer, I hate folding it, I hate putting it away. And I despise ironing with every fiber of my being. Did you know some people actually iron their sheets? I'm pretty sure I couldn't be friends with someone who irons sheets. I'd rather be ...Continue Reading

22 Comments | |    Last Updated: November 7, 2019

How to Make Sour Cream

I can sum up the reason I have a milk cow in one word: CREAM. Ok, so there are more reasons than that, I suppose. But cream has a lot to do with it. Fresh cream sitting on the top of a gallon of raw milk is a beautiful thing, my friends. And there's so much stuff you can do with it. Homemade butter, homemade cream cheese, whipped cream frosting, swirling it into your coffee. Good grief, how could someone NOT love cream? If you ...Continue Reading

84 Comments | |    Last Updated: August 28, 2016

Diatomaceous Earth Uses in the Garden

Here I go again... Venturing into another "controversial" subject... I'm such a rebel. Nope, I'm not talking about GMOs, or vaccines, or any of that stuff today. But rather, diatomaceous earth. Whooooooooo.... Crazy, huh? I have such a knack for happening upon controversy in places I'd never expect it. But maybe that's because we live in the age of the internet and even the slightest, silliest things are controversial these days. ...Continue Reading

60 Comments | |    Last Updated: January 30, 2024

Homemade Herb Salt Recipe

Nothing, and I mean NOTHING... Compares to the flavors of fresh herbs picked footsteps from your door. This morning I tip-toed out on my front deck to pick fresh sage leaves for the pork chop recipe I was putting in the crockpot, and momentarily mourned the fact I can't enjoy those flavors all year long... The first thing I'm doing once our home addition project is complete is setting up some windowsill herb gardens so we have ...Continue Reading

105 Comments | |    Last Updated: December 22, 2021

Homemade Fly Trap

Learn how to make a homemade fly trap. This fly trap is made with repurposed trash, so you don't have to run to the store and buy supplies. It's a great way to naturally control the fly problems at your house and homestead without relying on potentially toxic chemicals. Your mission, if you choose to accept: To fight back against the pests, vegetable-eating insects, and biting bugs on your homestead (or backyard). Rules of ...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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