The Prairie Homestead

Homesteading | Self Sufficient Living | Living off the Land

Jill Winger

12 Comments | |    Last Updated: November 8, 2012

Prairie Boy’s Birth Story {A Natural Hospital Birth} Part One

October 25th was a typical day at home. Prairie Girl (formerly known as Prairie Baby-- that nickname won't work anymore!) and I cut up about 20 pounds of garden tomatoes that had decided to ripen all at once and spent the day working around the house. I was 39 weeks pregnant and absolutely huge and uncomfortable. I had hoped that I would have this baby earlier, but weeks 37 & 38 had already come and gone... I had been having lots ...Continue Reading

76 Comments | |    Last Updated: January 30, 2024

Ezekiel Bread Recipe

Today's post by Lexie of Lexie Naturals. Ezekiel bread derives its name from Ezekiel 4:9 when God instructed Ezekiel to fast by only eating bread made from wheat, barley, beans, lentils, and millet.   Ezekiel bread is very filling and perfect for fasting, losing weight, snacking, or breakfast.  If you have a young (or old) picky eater in the house, this is an excellent bread to have around.  It truly is ...Continue Reading

30 Comments | |    Last Updated: March 17, 2018

Five Ways to Preserve Your Carrot Harvest

This year's season of food preservation has been a whirlwind, let me tell ya... I suppose being hugely pregnant probably contributed to my "overwhelmed" feeling, but I plugged long anyway... I've had an insatiable urge to preserve everything I can get my hands on... I've dried fruit leather, pears, peaches, and tomatoes... Canned salsa, pickles, tomato sauce, applesauce, pearsauce, chokecherry jelly, beets, and beans... Frozen ...Continue Reading

6 Comments | |    Last Updated: February 9, 2020

{Free Printable} End-of-the-Season Garden Tracker

It never ceases to amaze me how I can forget the most obvious details of our homestead from year to year... When I'm in the thick of a certain season or project, it seems like a no-brainer that I'll remember every detail, but it never fails that I'll find myself struggling to remember how many goat babies we had last year or how much we paid for our hay... In my eBook, Your Custom Homestead, I talk a lot about keeping  ...Continue Reading

187 Comments | |    Last Updated: May 11, 2020

How to Make Cream Cheese

Learn how to make cream cheese with my super simple recipe. Homemade cream cheese is so delicious, you'll be eating it off a spoon. Here's what you need to know for your home dairy journey with making cream cheese. Learning how to make cream cheese is one of those things that makes you feel like a homesteading rockstar... But I have to warn you before you proceed, otherwise it just wouldn't be fair: Homemade cream cheese is one ...Continue Reading

19 Comments | |    Last Updated: July 31, 2022

Healthier Chocolate Zucchini Bread

As you may know, my gardening year was less than successful. In fact, I did so poorly that I actually killed my zucchini plants. (Betcha didn't know that it was possible, huh?) I was thrilled when my neighbor Jana offered to give me a baseball-bat zucchini. And since this is the first one I've had access to all year, it was kind of a treat, believe it or not! So I decided to make an actual treat, zucchini bread. Zucchini ...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