Pioneering Today Podcast - Homesteading in a Modern World

Join us for this month's Homestead Kitchen Round Table as we talk about our favorite preservation methods and tips for getting our fresh produce preserved for the year while minimizing the stress. For more information and any links mentioned in today's podcast, visit https://melissaknorris.com/466 Be sure to sign up for the upcoming Homestead Kitchen Crash Course. During this FREE 5-day workshop y...

We're continuing the conversation of from-scratch cooking today with RuthAnn Zimmerman. Both of us agree that cooking from scratch does not mean you're slaving away in the kitchen all day long, nor does it mean everything you eat has to be made from scratch. Listen to today's podcast on implementing Mennonite traditions to create simple meals and stronger families. For more information and any lin...

Struggling to make healthy, from-scratch meals during a busy week? In this episode of the Homestead Kitchen Round Table , Melissa is joined by Rachel, Michelle, and Sophia to share real-food batch cooking tips, time-saving kitchen strategies, and practical meal-planning ideas for busy families—whether you're cooking for two or ten. Say goodbye to last-minute processed meals and hello to nourishing...

Enjoy this podcast interview with Bevin Cohen as we discuss many medicinal herbs, their uses and the best time to harvest various herbs for the most medicinal properties. Though this post isn't an extensive look at each herb, if you'd like to learn more, be sure to grab a copy of Bevin's book, Herbs in Every Season to learn more! In his book, he shares 48 various herbs you can focus on throughout...

From a preparedness standpoint, knowing how to identify and properly harvest and prepare wild edibles means you'll be able to feed yourself (and your family) if ever the need arises. In this podcast interview, Whitney (The Appalachian Forager) and I are discussing some common foraging basics to keep you safe, as well as some basic mushroom identification tips you'll want to study before you go out...

Join me for another Roundtable podcast with my guests Michelle, Rachel and Sophia as we discuss all things herbalism. From growing new varieties of medicinal herbs to how to get our resistant family members to use herbal remedies. For more information and any links mentioned in today's podcast, visit  https://melissaknorris.com/461

Join me for this podcast interview with Chris Browning of Popcorn Finance as we discuss the importance of budgeting, saving and planning for the future. He's sharing his best tips for how to get out of debt and create a life that will sustain your homesteading dreams for the future. For more information and any links mentioned in today's podcast, visit https://melissaknorris.com/460 This podcast i...

Join me for this podcast interview with Dana K White from A Slob Comes Clean! We're talking about the multiple reasons why your home may continue to get cluttered and how to change your mindset to finally stay on top of it all. For more information and any links mentioned in today's podcast, visit https://melissaknorris.com/459

This week's podcast episode is all about hand-crank grain mills. Are they worth the hype or not? My guest, Bonnie Jones from GrainMaker, is a wealth of knowledge and sharing who hand-crank grain mills are right for. Plus, you'll definitely want to hear about GrainMaker's Heirloom Lifetime Guarantee on their 100% made in the USA grain mills! For more information and any links mentioned in today's p...

Welcome to the first-ever Homestead Kitchen Roundtable podcast episode! This is a free-form podcast chat with me, Melissa Norris and my guests Michelle Hedgcock, Rachel Costenbader and Sophia Eng. In this episode (which is #457 of the Pioneering Today Podcast), we're discussing time-saving kitchen tips and tricks we wished we knew as younger cooks. From our favorite go-to recipe when we need dinne...

Many of us desire to have backup and emergency systems in place to know our family will be well taken care of in times of emergency or power outages. That's why my family has been looking into a hand water well pump as a backup water solution for our generator. Join me in this podcast episode with Jonathan and Cody from Flojak, a made in the USA hand well pump company to learn more about these pum...

If you're listening to this podcast, you're probably thinking that sourdough baking is something you'd like to try. Hesitate no more, and let me assure you that baking with sourdough is 100% worth the effort to learn and implement into your daily life. Snag some of my best tips in today's podcast, then sign up for my upcoming FREE webinar where I'm sharing nine easy tips for sourdough to bake like...

Imagine being able to grow crops that basically preserve themselves! Would you believe me if I told you there are storage varieties of tomatoes that can last upwards of six months when stored correctly? You know I've purchased my storage tomato seeds already! If you want to learn more, join me for today's podcast episode with Don Tipping of Siskiyou Seeds. For more information and any links mentio...

In this podcast episode I'm recapping my experience at the Homestead movie premiere in Salt Lake City, UT. Being at the premiere brought up some important questions and I found myself having deep thought-provoking conversations with friends and family afterward. If you have yet to checkout the Homestead movie, or want to learn more, visit https://melissaknorris.com/angel . For more information and...

Join me with my guest, Susan Poizner, as we discuss fruit tree care and management. I'm excited for today's episode because I learned something new that I'm excited to implement in our orchard next year. Susan is a wealth of knowledge about all things fruit trees and I know you'll find today's podcast filled with wisdom and tips.  For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit...

Join me with my guest, Jason Ross, co-author of the Black Autumn book series which has been turned into a movie and TV series called Homestead. In this episode, we're discussing how homesteading can bring communities together for good and to learn skills that provide hope for the future unknowns. For more information and any links mentioned in this episode (including where you can grab David's boo...

It's incredible the difference between commercial and ancestral methods of cheesemaking. Join me for today's podcast with author David Asher as we talk about what you need to know for natural cheesemaking at home. Plus, you won't want to miss his tip on using sourdough starter to make a homemade cheese culture. You read that right, a sourdough starter! I can't wait to give it a try.    For more in...

You may not think of regenerative farming practices and skincare as topics that go hand-in-hand, but after this podcast you might! Not only can regenerative agriculture save the planet, but it can save your skin! Join me in this podcast interview with Charles Mayfield from Farrow Skincare to learn the long-lost secret to your best skincare.   For more information and any links mentioned in this ep...

Most of us will experience times of uncertainty at some point in our lives. This uncertainty can turn into worry and/or anxiety if not properly processed. However, there are ways to control our emotions and let them work for us instead of against us.  Join me with today's podcast guest, Britnay Nelson for this episode of the Pioneering Today Podcast (episode #448) as we discuss how to turn worry i...

As summer rolls into fall it's important for any homestead to walk through the checklist of things to do to be prepared for winter. The bonus of doing these tasks is that it sets you up for a great spring the following year. Join me as I walk you through everything we've been doing on our homestead. For more information and any links mentioned in this episode, visit https://melissaknorris.com/447...

Our diets are more important than Western civilization gives them credit for. Everything from what we put into our bodies and how our digestive system handles that food to the effects of that food is often overlooked (or ignored). Join me with my guest, Heather Woodruff, as we discuss how to heal our guts based on what we put in our bodies. For more information and any links mentioned in this epis...

Sometimes more modern doesn't mean better. For years, our ancestors raised, slaughtered and butchered animals for their families without the help of butchers. In this episode, my guest Andrea and I are discussing ways to get back to the old ways of butchering with a hybrid model that allows you more control of the cuts and costs less in the long run. For more information and any links mentioned in...

When it comes to eating the whole animal, our modern-day culture has fallen away from eating nose to tail. Sadly, some of the most nutrient-dense parts of the animal are in the cuts many people don't eat. If you've been wanting to give offal a try, this video interview is a must-watch. For more information, visit the blog post here:  https://melissaknorris.com/444 Grab your Pluck Seasoning and be...

When raising cattle, the feed is the most expensive part! If you can grow your own feed in a pasture, you'll be drastically cutting the cost of raising those cattle. For us, we purchased 40 acres of farmland two years ago and have been trying to rehabilitate the pasture grasses to help offset our feed bill. We knew we were battling thistle, but it turns out, the thistle wasn't the problem, it was...

If you've been curious about getting a freeze-dryer, then this podcast is a must-listen because we're diving deep into everything you'd want to know about freeze-drying before bringing one home! Today's podcast (episode #442) is special for me because it's with my best friend, Carolyn Thomas of Homesteading Family. In this episode, we share the behind-the-scenes of our freeze-drying journies and s...