The Prairie Homestead

Homesteading | Self Sufficient Living | Living off the Land

Jill Winger

37 Comments | |    Last Updated: September 4, 2016

DIY Spoon Garden Markers

Someday I will have perfectly manicured gardens; complete with decorative flowers (edible, of course), a quaint stone walkway, and a bird bath with crystal-clear water. Today is not that day. Although my garden and I have been getting along much better since I implemented the deep mulch method, I'm still all about just getting it done around here. A lot of that probably has to do with the fact we are in the midst of a massive ...Continue Reading

37 Comments | |    Last Updated: February 17, 2020

6 Tips for Successful Desert Gardening

Today I'm welcoming Melissa from Ever Growing Farm to the Prairie Homestead. We share the challenge of gardening in less-than-ideal climates, and I love her ideas for gardening in the desert. Take it away Melissa! Growing food in the high desert can be an incredible challenge, but I am living proof that you can be successful at it! If you follow a few simple methods to help combat the hot, dry, and windy conditions that are the norm ...Continue Reading

64 Comments | |    Last Updated: March 17, 2018

Signs of Calving: 5 Things to Watch

"Honey, can you hand me my phone so I can take a picture of the cow's mucous?" That's pretty much how the conversations have been sounding around our house lately... Calving is always an exciting time, but I'm especially excited this year since we bred Oakley (our milk cow) to a super nice Brown Swiss bull. Usually, we just borrow a neighbor's bull and end up with a half beef/half dairy calf. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but ...Continue Reading

143 Comments | |    Last Updated: September 25, 2020

Homemade Hot Process Soap Recipe in a Crock Pot

The million dollar question: Do REAL homesteaders use crock pots and stick blenders? Well, I'm still not exactly sure what qualifies a "real" homesteader, but I'm gonna answer that question with a resounding YES. I have a deep appreciation for my stick blender. And my dishwasher. And my washing machine. And I'm pretty sure Ma Ingalls would have loved them, too, if she could have fit them into her covered wagon. So, why I am ...Continue Reading

104 Comments | |    Last Updated: March 17, 2018

How to Keep Wild Birds Out of a Chicken Coop

As homesteaders, we get pretty used to being the weird ones... Because let's face it, I'm betting that *most* of your friends probably aren't rendering tallow, or figuring out how to skim the cream from their fresh milk, or pulverizing homemade sauerkraut. But I recently started doing something that is on a whole new level of weird... So much so, that I often warn friends beforehand so they don't think I'm completely off my rocker. ...Continue Reading

57 Comments | |    Last Updated: April 29, 2018

15 Ways to Reuse Essential Oil Bottles

You know those cartoons where there's a little angel and a little devil sitting on the character's shoulder? Yeah, I feel like that sometimes. My ambitious side seems to constantly be at-war with my practical side, and it's a never-ending battle. Ambitious Jill: C'mon... Let's double the size of the garden this year, and get more cows and heritage pigs! Practical Jill: You're pregnant, have a jam-packed schedule, and you're ...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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