The Prairie Homestead

Homesteading | Self Sufficient Living | Living off the Land

Jill Winger

77 Comments | |    Last Updated: April 29, 2020

Homemade Tootsie Rolls (Without the Junk!)

I'll be the first to admit-- I am not a purist when it comes to only eating "real" food. Yes, I'm completely devoted to raw milk, cooking from scratch, and sourcing quality ingredients. BUT, I still follow the 80/20 rule. (Eat healthy 80% of the time, and don't worry too much about the other 20%...) I think that stressing out *too* much about what you eat is probably just as unhealthy as eating junk in the first place... That being ...Continue Reading

34 Comments | |    Last Updated: March 17, 2018

8 Tips for Adding Farmhouse-Charm to a Builder-Grade Kitchen

Our little prairie farmhouse has quite the history... Originally built in 1918, its walls have seen many families come and go. Every once and a while, a former resident will pull into the driveway and want to reminisce. I absolutely love hearing the stories of the folks who loved this piece of land before I did. I've learned that the original family who built the house raised four girls in the tiny upstairs bedrooms. And how their ...Continue Reading

44 Comments | |    Last Updated: March 17, 2018

16 Possible Reasons for Off-Flavors in Milk

(This post contains affiliate links) Ever had raw milk that tastes, well... a little "off"? If you have your own dairy animals, or purchase fresh milk from local farmers, it's likely you've run into a gallon or two that tastes a little different than what you were expecting. There are many factors that may play a part in off flavors in raw milk. The Encyclopedia of Country Living (one of my most fav homesteading books E-VAH.) ...Continue Reading

138 Comments | |    Last Updated: April 10, 2019

How to Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets

Ever get half-way through a project and wonder if you had to be half-crazy to have started it in the first place? Yeah... That was me about a month ago. My road to crazy was a gradual one... Thanks to too much time spent on Pinterest, I've had my eye on white kitchen cabinets for about a year... The problem was that I couldn't exactly justify ripping out my current cabinets and springing for brand new ones. Although I wasn't a fan of ...Continue Reading

101 Comments | |    Last Updated: January 16, 2025

Once a Day Milking for your Cow or Goat

Having a home dairy animal is considered by many to be the "ultimate" when it comes to modern-day homesteading. However, it can also easily be one of the most time-consuming aspects of having a mini-farm. I know I've heard plenty of "old-timers" talk about how much they disliked being tied down to their farm for months at a time because of the twice-daily milking routine. And to be quite honest, that particular aspect was the ...Continue Reading

60 Comments | |    Last Updated: January 21, 2025

The Best Homemade French Fries. Ever.

I have a deep, dark confession to make today... As I've progressed along in my read food journey, I've noticed that my taste buds have changed. I've gradually lost my cravings for many of my once-loved processed food favorites, and I'm pleased to report that my palate has happily adjusted to fresh ingredients and flavorful whole foods. However. There is one "junk food" that I still love just as much as ever. French ...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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