The Prairie Homestead

Homesteading | Self Sufficient Living | Living off the Land

Jill Winger

33 Comments | |    Last Updated: March 17, 2018

70+ Homestead Hacks: Life Hacks for Homesteading

If there's one thing I've learned about homestead/farmer folk... ...it's that you guys are a ingenious bunch (especially when it involves baling twine or duct tape!) I'm all about conserving time whenever possible, and I'm always on the look-out for a good homestead hack to add to my collection. What’s a “Homestead Hack?” Good question. Here is how Wikipedia explains it: “Life hacking refers to any productivity trick, shortcut, ...Continue Reading

122 Comments | |    Last Updated: March 17, 2018

6 Ways to Keep Miller Moths Out of Your House

We're bracing ourselves for battle. They could show up at any time, ready to attack, and we have to be ready. No, I'm not talking about zombies, but it's almost as bad. I'm talkin' about miller moths. If you're wondering what the heck is a miller moth, be glad. Because that means you've never had to deal with them. Usually at the end of May/early June (or whenever it starts to get really hot), the little buggers hatch. Now, ...Continue Reading

47 Comments | |    Last Updated: May 1, 2020

Whipped Cream Frosting Recipe

I'm really not a fancy foodie person... Even though I try to pretend sometimes. I'm actually a pretty basic, down-to-earth cook. So, when I first saw a tutorial for "stabilized whipped cream," I totally wrote it off as something only cake-decorators would be interested in. But after I figured out what it was, I got TOTALLY excited. Why you should learn how to make stabilized whipped cream (even if you aren't a fancy cake ...Continue Reading

32 Comments | |    Last Updated: October 29, 2025

Become a Beekeeper: 8 Steps to Getting Started with Honeybees

Beekeeping is one of those things that utterly fascinates me, but I haven't added any bees to my homestead... YET. In the meantime, I love learning from homestead beekeepers such as Amy from The Vomiting Chicken. Not only are bees a wonderful addition to a homestead of any size, keeping bees has much greater importance than just providing you with raw honey. Read on for details! They're dying by the millions. Since 2006 honeybees ...Continue Reading

119 Comments | |    Last Updated: December 22, 2021

Homemade Hand Cream Recipe (for hard working hands)

This homemade hand cream recipe is perfect for hard working hands, especially after working in the garden. It nourishes and soothes your skin and is made with non-toxic (and easy to find) ingredients.  Hands belonging to a homesteader take a lot of abuse... Especially when said homesteader is not a fan of wearing gloves. Like me. I mean, yeah, I do wear gloves when it's really cold, or when I'm doing something ...Continue Reading

27 Comments | |    Last Updated: April 9, 2025

10 Tricks to Stop Your Milk Cow from Kicking

I'm welcoming back Kate from Venison for Dinner today as she wraps up her two-part series on milk cows that kick. I love these tips and have used several of them! So now you've figured out WHY your cow is kicking...but what are you going to do about it?! Put these ten practical tricks to help the cow AND help you! The first thing you must ALWAYS do, is calm yourself down. Without fail, if we are in a rush, feeling antsy, trying to ...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