Old Fashioned On Purpose

For a long time, I’ve lived under the belief that gardening season in Wyoming runs from June to September.  In the midst of the Covid-19 epidemic I’ve been obsessively reading about new and different approaches to gardening that quite frankly have blown my past beliefs to pieces.  Today I’m dishing out my favorite new tips and tricks that I’ve learned over the past couple weeks and explain what I’...

It’s a rather interesting time to be alive, isn’t it?  Even though I tend to spend a lot of time at home under normal circumstances, the current state of the world has made it even more extreme.  Even though I haven’t been going anywhere, it feels like I have even less time than ever before.  Are you feeling that way as well?  After getting too caught up in things I have no control over, I knew it...

Somehow, someway, more chicks have found their way onto our homestead.  In the name of food security and the uncertainty surrounding our current time, I broke a promise I made to myself just a couple weeks ago.  If you’re feeling that same itch or you have yet to purchase chicks this season, I’m here to give you a thorough rundown on the best practices when it comes to finding the right chicks to...

While this most certainly is a homestead focused show, the whole reason I’ve been able to sustain and grow my homestead is because I took the time to establish other businesses.  Whether you’re currently pursuing another business or have been thinking about venturing out on your own, growing an online presence is a necessity at this point.  Case in point, many of you listening arrived at my podcas...

Have you ever discovered a forgotten piece of equipment at just the right time?  With the madness going on at the grocery, I stumbled upon an old dusty grain mill.  While I’ve stuck to all-purpose flour for quite some time, our current circumstances have forced a slight pivot in terms of the grains I use.  If you’ve never used a grain mill and you find yourself running out of flour, this episode w...

What is and isn’t a homesteader?  If you’re anything like me, this question has weighed on your mind at one point or another.  To be honest, the deeper I dove into this topic, I quickly realized how difficult it is to define what homesteading is.  I’ve come to find that homesteading is less about certain behaviors or checking off certain boxes and more about living by a mindset and a lifestyle.  L...

Time and time again, I get inundated with questions about sourdough.  On this very special episode (which was broadcast live on Facebook) I answer every sourdough question you could throw my way.  We cover everything from why sourdough starter separates, why it molds, how to tell if sourdough is active, and everything in between.  If you’ve ever had any questions as to why your sourdough isn’t pan...

During uncertain times, basic survival needs like food security become a topic of daily discussion.  While I realize homesteading is essentially preparing us for times like these, not everyone that listens to this podcast are on a homestead.  Many of you live in a city or in suburbs and don’t have a ton of extra space.  Today I’m here to lay out what I’d do if I had to start over in the suburbs. ...

Lately it seems Christian and I have been talking a lot about our dreams for the homestead.  More than anything, we’ve realized we share a strong desire to increase our food production this year.  Listen today as we take our vision well beyond just adding more chickens and cows.  We’re taking steps to further protect our crops from hail and other natural elements to preserve our final yield.  Most...

On today’s episode, I’m taking a bit of a departure from my traditional format to dive into the present state of our homestead.  I cover everything from prepping raised beds, meat chickens, what we’re doing with our milking setup, and so much more.  While we might still be waiting for the cold weather and the snow to pass, things are slowly starting to ramp up in our world.  Let’s get ready for sp...

The chicks are here!  Yes, it’s that time of year.  Last year we were a bit behind the eight ball and missed out on meat chickens.  Not this time my friend.  If you’ve ever wanted to raise meat chickens but have yet to take the plunge, this episode is for you.  I dive deep into what makes a great meat chickens, why you shouldn’t let your chickens grow too fast, what to feed your chicken, and so mu...

With everything going on in the world today, it’s important to always check back in on some basics.  For everyone that has followed me for any period of time, you’d know canning is easily one of my favorite things when it comes to homesteading.  I know what many are you thinking right now:  why can dry beans?  On today’s episode I’m going to explain the many benefits of canning dry beans as well a...

What do you do when everything goes as you hoped, or perhaps even better than you hoped?  While it’s great to be able to produce our own food on the homestead, sometimes we find ourselves with a perishable bounty that needs to be dealt with.  On today’s episode, I explain how I’m dealing with an excess of eggs.  While selling some is always an option, listen to find out how I use this abundance in...

Seemingly in the blink of an eye, the world became homeschoolers.  For some of you listening, it’s business as usual.  For others?  Full time panic mode has ensued.  Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a rookie doing this for the first time, I’m here to offer some guidance that anyone can use regardless of experience.  I explore some of the most common issues people have when it comes to homescho...

To say the world is full of uncertainty is a bit of an understatement at the moment.  We’re living in some uncharted waters as a country and as humans in general.  I for one can say my mind has been spinning over the past couple weeks.  Even with the craziness in the world, the events of the past few weeks has reassured me the choice we made to begin the homesteading journey.  Not only are we in a...

Have you ever tried to save a piece of cast iron and found yourself in way too deep?  This was my story just last week.  After staring at a skillet in my kitchen for years, I finally decided to do something about it.  After testing several  different solutions, most unsuccessfully, I stumbled upon something that finally worked!  Listen today to find out how coconut oil, lard, or flaxseed oil might...

Contrary to popular belief, I wasn’t born into the homestead life.  If you go back and listen to some of my first episodes you can get the full story on how Christian and I caught the homestead bug.  In the end, learning how to homestead has been nothing more than an insatiable desire to learn and taking massive imperfect action everyday.  Listen today as I dig into some of my favorite places to g...

While we’d all love an open, sunny spot to plant our garden, the reality of it is some things are beyond our control.  Rest assured, a shady spot doesn’t always mean a death sentence.  On today’s episode, I explain how it's possible to grow a garden even without ideal sunlight.    Links from show:  >>Blog Post: https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2020/02/vegetables-that-grow-in-the-shad...

Have you ever jumped head first into starting seeds and quickly find yourself overwhelmed?  Trust me, when I first started expanding my garden I was right there with you.  The truth is that this will always be the case unless you build a system for planting seeds.  Well my friends, with the days getting longer and the air outside feeling a bit different, it’s finally time to start the seeds.  Toda...

While I love to cook, at times it can become a drag.  With everything we have going on with the kids, our various businesses, and the responsibilities of running a homestead, at times I end to fallback on the tried-and-true recipes that my family has loved throughout the years.  While this might be easy and efficient, things tend to get stale over time.  On today’s episode I’m here to share some o...

It’s no secret by now.  If you’ve been listening at all to the podcast lately, you’d know that I’ve got gardening on my mind.  I’ve said i many times before but I’ll say it once again; gardening is likely a close second on my “what I love about homesteading list”, trailing only the animals.  Wha’s the best news out of all this win it comes to gardening?  It’s far easier than you think.  Listen to...

Between late frosts in the spring, early frosts in the fall, blizzards in the middle of May, and everything in between, Wyoming is one of the most difficult climates you’ll find to grow a garden.  So I do I combat this every year?  I focus on understanding the frost cycle and only grow what will thrive in our zone.  I start seeds inside to capitalize on prime growing season.  Learn why you should...

Believe it or not, many of the best ways to use up leftover sourdough starter have nothing to do with baking bread.  If you’ve ever wondered what to do with your leftover sourdough starter, then this is the episode you’ve been waiting for.  Join me on today’s show where you’ll learn my top 5 favorite discard recipes, including pancakes, waffles, and biscuits.  So slow your roll, don’t ditch that d...

I’m not going to lie.  This episode is likely to ruffle some feathers.  However, this is a topic that’s been weighing on my mind for quite some time.  On various videos or social media posts, I’ve received a number of questions about how Christian and I have been able to afford our homestead.  Many assume we come from a wealthy background, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.  I’m here to...

If you’ve been listening or following me for a while, you’d know that it was horses that actually spurred my initial interest in homesteading.  While most people wouldn’t consider a horse as a traditional ‘homestead’ animal, I’ve found that they hold a very special place in our daily lives.  On today’s episode, I explain how to make sure you’re getting the right type of horse for you and your fami...