The Prairie Homestead

Homesteading | Self Sufficient Living | Living off the Land

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Season 13: Episode 19: The Resistance, Mental Toughness, & Developing an Old-Fashioned Mindset

Here on the podcast we talk a lot about choosing an old-fashioned path. Sometimes that’s skills like cooking or gardening, but other times, it’s a definitive choice in how we choose to think and move through life. I believe one of the most powerful old-fashioned practices we can adopt is to push against the modern victim mindset. Today I’m thrilled to be joined by Mike Roberts of The Converse Cowboy. We’re diving deep into mental ...Continue Reading

Homesteading Skills to Develop Over Winter

Homesteading doesn't stop because the garden is full of snow or the hens have decided to go on an egg-laying hiatus during the winter. This time of year doesn't mean that there aren't any outdoor homesteading chores to do: the animals still need to be fed, ice needs to be chopped out of the livestock water tanks, and the snow needs to be shoveled. But the winter months seem to be a bit slower without the hustle and bustle of gardening ...Continue Reading

How to Afford a Homestead

Over the last few years, there has been a noticeable shift… a homesteading movement... and I for one couldn’t be more excited.  Decisions to bypass the system, support local businesses, and live more sustainably are being made across the country. The good news is, you don’t need 50 acres, a milk cow, and a commercial-sized garden to join in. It has always been my belief that homesteading is a state of mind. Homesteading is ...Continue Reading

How to Start a Homestead From Scratch

We were newlyweds, staring at our newly purchased home and property. The house was tiny, the outbuildings were trashed, the fence lines were destroyed, and it was miles and miles from the nearest grocery store... Our property was a disaster when we purchased it– falling down fence, a washing machine in the back pasture, and waist-deep trash piles in the barn and shop. BUT- we knew it just needed some sweat-equity to bring it ...Continue Reading

Chocolate Pudding Cake Recipe

This chocolate pudding cake recipe has been a stand-by in my kitchen for nearly 15 years. Mostly because it was the only dessert I knew how to make back in my "Jill hates cooking" days. (If you had told me back then that I'd write a cookbook, I would have firmly said you were ridiculous and insane...) But I digress. This chocolate pudding cake is rustic, sturdy, and no-nonsense. And I haven't shared it with you before mostly ...Continue Reading

Because It’s Not About Canning and Chickens

I was a bored, pregnant newlywed 40 miles from civilization with not enough money to drive to activities in town. That's how it all started. Not the most epic beginning to this story, I know... Basically, the garden and kitchen projects gave me a way to pass the time without feeling like a total loser.  I figured out how to make tortillas, how to clean a chicken coop without bleach, how to milk a goat, and then a cow, and all ...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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