The Prairie Homestead

Homesteading | Self Sufficient Living | Living off the Land

Jill Winger

49 Comments | |    Last Updated: March 21, 2022

Homemade Potting Soil Recipe

(Pssst. This post is from 2015. I'm not pregnant anymore.) ;) I'm back from the dead. Or at least that's what it feels like, especially if dead = first trimester. That's right, there'll be a new Prairie Kid on the homestead come October. (Pssst. This post is from 2015. I'm not pregnant anymore.) The funny thing about me and the first trimester (actually, funny really isn't the right word...) is that my personality pretty much ...Continue Reading

32 Comments | |    Last Updated: January 30, 2019

How to Test Seeds for Viability

You dig, you till, you fertilize, you plant, you water... And then you wait. And wait. And you scratch your head when nothing pops out of the ground... Was it lack of water? A hungry animal? Poor soil? Bad seeds? Whatever the cause, it's always frustrating when you have to replant. Last year my bean rows had a germination rate of around 20%. It was dismal, especially considering all the big plans I had for those heirloom ...Continue Reading

85 Comments | |    Last Updated: November 7, 2019

How to Separate Cream from Milk

Some of you probably read the title of this post... ...and furrowed your eyebrows, wondering "Why on earth does is she even writing about that? It's so simple!" But it's funny how quickly something can become a lost art...." Take rendering lard and clabbering milk, for example. Not so long ago, lard and clabber were staples of every kitchen. And now, I'm betting if you were to take a random poll of people walking down the ...Continue Reading

42 Comments | |    Last Updated: November 2, 2022

Planning an Orchard for Your Homestead

I must confess... Just saying the word "orchard" makes me green with envy... fruit trees do NOT thrive here in Wyoming. My dreams of a homestead orchard probably aren't going to happen as long as we live here. So, I've invited Angi Schneider, author of The Gardening Notebook, to share her best tips for planning an orchard on the homestead.  Fruit trees and bushes are important on the homestead, with minimal effort they can ...Continue Reading

313 Comments | |    Last Updated: April 20, 2024

How to Make Sauerkraut

There are some parts of homesteading that seem almost magical. Like when watch the cream you skimmed from yesterday's milk suddenly turn into golden butter... Or when you are able to make vinegar appear from mere fruit peels. Or when you pack shredded cabbage into a jar and it turns into perfectly tangy sauerkraut a week later. That said, it took me a while to jump on the sauerkraut train.  I've never been a huge fan ...Continue Reading

44 Comments | |    Last Updated: January 14, 2025

8 Ways to Use Chickens in the Garden

  I'm honored to have Justin Rhodes from Abundant Permaculture guest posting today. Justin is a wealth of information when it comes to sustainable chicken-keeping, and you're going to love his tips for putting your flock to work in the garden. He is also currently in the thick of producing a documentary all about Permaculture Chickens. I've NEVER seen anything like this-- this information has been so hard to find up until ...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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