Jill Winger
@homesteader
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Following
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Helping you reclaim what modernity has stolen. Author of Old-Fashioned on Purpose & The Prairie Homestead Cookbook. Intentional over Industrial.
Wyoming
Joined April 2011
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I wish women read more non-fiction.
I feel like a total nerd when everyone is talking about the latest trending novel and I'm over here like:
"I read a fascinating book about phosphorus last week..."
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The longer I homestead, the more I realize it’s not about self-sufficiency. It's about community sufficiency. Small, local, grassroots... that's where true independence lies.
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Take the leap
Buy the land
Have the conversation
Quit the job
Start the sourdough
Read the book
Get the chickens
Launch the business
Stop waiting for the “right time.” It doesn’t exist.
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Underrated potato growing hack:
Use organic grocery store potatoes as seed-- they cost way less than actual seed potatoes.
Going into my 4th year doing this and it works perfectly.
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Take the leap
Buy the land
Have the conversation
Quit the job
Start the sourdough
Read the book
Get the chickens
Launch the business
Stop waiting for the “right time.” It doesn’t exist.
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I’ve preserved thousands of pounds of tomatoes. 🍅
Most methods are tedious and time-consuming.
No one has time to individually peel 597 tomatoes to make sauce.
Use my lazy strategies instead:
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14 years ago, we started our homestead w/:
- No mentors
- No knowledge
- A run-down old property
Now our property is a model for other homesteads across the globe.
The secret? Imperfect action & willingness to fail.
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Last night our town (pop. 175) auctioned off cinnamon rolls & quilts and raised $9000+ to help open a charter school in our community. It was beautiful. And just one more reason I’ll continue to champion small town America. 💕
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The most underrated rule of food production? Grow what *wants* to grow where you live.
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I’ve been canning for over a decade.
In that time, I’ve helped thousands of people learn how to can.
It’s not complicated, but sometimes people get lost in the weeds.
Here are the biggest mistakes newbies make (and how to avoid them):
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The most underrated rule of food production?
Grow what *wants* to grow where you live.
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My pantry used to be loud, full of marketing, slogans, instructions, and upsells.
But since learning to cook, my pantry is peaceful.
The jars of flour, beans, herbs, nuts, and rice wait for me. They’re in no rush.
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Homesteading is a movement of preservation—not just for food, but for skills, knowledge, and what it means to be human in an increasingly non-human world.
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Turn off the news
Plant vegetables
Cultivate local community
Learn to cook
Do hard things
Have face-to-face conversations
Spend time in nature
Take responsibility
Regardless of the chaos around us, the formula for a fulfilled life remains the same.
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Bake the bread
Make the gravy
Roll the pie crust
Simmer the broth
Culture the yogurt
Brine the pickles
Don't believe the processed food marketers. From-scratch food is easier than you think.
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You can love homesteading and not buy into the conspiracies and "sky is falling" stuff.
There are lots of us doing it just b/c we love good food, healthy soil, & working with our hands.
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Planting vegetables is hard.
Dealing w/ empty food shelves at the store is hard.
Sourcing from local farmers is hard.
Paying inflated prices for factory-farmed food is hard.
Choose your hard.
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The marketer's lied.
Cooking from-scratch isn't drudgery.
It's freedom.
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They’ve told us that cooking is drudgery, but we know the truth. With every loaf of bread, every pot of soup, every roasted chicken, we’re declaring our independence. As we reclaim these lost skills, we connect the earth to our plates. And that is when everything changes.
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Homesteading is simple.
Things you don’t need:
Tons of land, a fancy farmhouse, prairie dresses.
Things you need:
A kitchen, resilience, a willingness to fail. Some seeds.
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“You homesteaders are just romanticizing the past.”
Nah.
We're craving challenge because modernity has left us wanting. There's a difference.
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Homesteaders trade sweaty days in the garden, meals that require hours instead of minutes, and dirt under our fingernails for independence, satisfaction, and meaning.
Those enamored w/ consumerism and convenience will never understand.
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I don’t homestead out of fear.
I homestead out of love: love for my family, love for the soil, love of good food, and love of life in general.
Your motivation matters.
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What's your
#1
favorite tomato variety to grow?
I'm a San Marzano girl all the way, mostly b/c we prefer growing for sauce versus a lot of fresh eating.
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Psst. You're overcomplicating sourdough. If Ma Ingalls kept hers alive in a covered wagon, yours is gonna be fine.
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Hallmarks of a Homestead Kitchen:
- Overflowing scrap bucket
- 29 unlabeled jars in the fridge
- Cast iron. Everywhere.
- Random ferments & vegges on the counter
- So. Many. Mason. Jars.
Anyone relate?
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Yep. Vegetables are merely a side effect of my gardening— the real harvest is the increased sanity. 😉
There is a crisis of disembodiment
in our culture.
I’m into gardening because it’s one of the best embodiment practices.
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The kitchen is liberation. It’s the conduit between the garden & the table; a ticket to self-sufficiency; a laboratory of nourishment; an upholder of food security. It makes a bold statement in a world drowning in consumerist ideals. And it’s time to reclaim our ground here.
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"How do you find a community that fully matches your beliefs and values?"
You don't.
You learn how to befriend people from all walks of life and prioritize relationships over opinions.
Otherwise all you have is an echo chamber.
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Since starting a TV fast on Dec 1, our kids have:
Read more books
Cooked a ton
Started leatherworking
Learned to braid paracord
Needless to say, we won’t be renewing out streaming subscriptions.
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No matter which “hard” you choose in your life: homesteading, homeschooling, entrepreneurship, etc, there will always be someone telling you to chill out, dial it in, or stop trying so hard. Don’t listen to them.
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The longer I live in rural America, the more I'm convinced that the older farmers & ranchers who reside here are national treasures.
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When you transition to cooking with simple, whole ingredients, it's amazing how quiet your pantry becomes.
No more marketing, slogans, and upsells plastered on packaging.
Instead, the jars of flour, beans, herbs, & rice just wait for you. They’re in no rush.
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Yes, I'm a homeschooler, homesteader, & homemaker.
BUT. This current "Trad Wife" fad I'm seeing online is eerily similar to the 1990s fundamentalist religious dogma I was raised in & I can't click away fast enough. No thank you.
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“I now suspect that if we work with machines the world will seem to us to be a machine, but if we work with living creatures the world will appear to us as a living creature.”
― Wendell Berry
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Bake the bread
Make the gravy
Roll the piecrust
Roast the chicken
Simmer the broth
Culture the yogurt
Brine the pickles
Don’t believe processed food marketers
From-scratch food is easier than you think.
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I don’t homestead out of fear.
I homestead out of love: love for my family, love for the soil, love of good food, and love of life in general.
Your motivation matters.
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The kitchen is the most magical room of a home. It’s a workbench where we mold raw ingredients into nourishment. A laboratory where we harness the chemistries of bacteria, yeast, salt, and fire. And a studio where we hone the arts of creating crusty loaves & bubbly ferments.
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What if kids could identify native plants as quickly as the latest cartoon character? Or could cook as confidently as they beat a level in a video game?
They are more than capable. We just have to give them the opportunity.
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They’ve told us that cooking is drudgery, but we know the truth. With every loaf of bread, every pot of soup, every roasted chicken, we’re declaring our independence. As we reclaim these lost skills, we connect the earth to our plates. And that is when everything changes.
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Three questions that changed my life:
1. Do we have to keep doing it that way?
2. What if this impossible thing was possible?
3. Why *not* me?
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The biggest investment I’m currently making in my homestead future?
Lifting weights & walking several miles each day.
I don’t give a crap about my “summer body” but I’m hardcore about my “old lady farmer” body.
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The longer I live in rural America, the more I'm convinced that the older farmers & ranchers who reside here are national treasures.
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Homesteading is a never-ending source of dopamine:
- Baking bread: you get to admire the loaves
- Gardening: you feel warm & fuzzy when the seedlings emerge
- Preserving food: you get to admire the jars
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Fresh bread & homegrown veggies are great. But the part I love most about homesteading are the transformations:
From consumer to creator
From passive to active
From industrial to intentional
From sedated to alive ✨
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When I hear people say certain foods taste “gamey,” I wonder if our modern palates are just accustomed to the more bland, industrialized versions. What if we’ve collectively forgotten what they are *supposed* to taste like?
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The immense satisfaction of pulling a giant weed out by its roots cannot be overstated.
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I love a well-worn working kitchen.
It’s interesting that the nicest kitchens always look well-used and contain many useful utensils, while more “modern” kitchens have many expensive gadgets but fewer cheap, useful utensils. Most new kitchens are only for show.
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Bake the bread
Make the gravy
Roll the piecrust
Roast the chicken
Simmer the broth
Culture the yogurt
Brine the pickles
Don’t believe processed food marketers
From-scratch food is easier than you think.
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I've completely transformed the WORST raised bed in my garden with cover crops.
It went from being almost unusable clay to the most incredible, crumbly, fertile soil.
I planted winter rye there for 2 years and that's it. Unbelievable.
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“When work is done for love—of the place where it is done, of the materials, the artistry, and the product of the work, of the people it is done with and for—then the sign or evidence of it will be beauty.”
- Wendell Berry
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"Figure out what everyone is doing, then do the opposite"
It's amazing how often this little life rule points me in the right direction....
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What if our kids could recognize native plants as quickly as the latest cartoon character? Or were as comfortable making food as beating a level in a video game? Kids are more than capable. We just have to give them the chance.
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When we bought our property in 2008; we were the “crazy” ones. Now we’re the cool kids. 😉
9 years ago when we bought land and told our friends and family that we planned to grow our own food and homeschool our kids every single one of them thought we were NUTS. Now no one does!! Funny how life is like that sometimes. Trust your gut! Even if it makes you an outlier.
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Sometimes I use a tiny bit of soap on my cast iron pans.
So far I haven't been struck by lightning and my pans are perfectly fine.
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The most underrated hack for saving money on groceries:
Buy in bulk and keep a well-stocked pantry. The more often you go to the grocery store, the more you'll spend.
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For me, the last 12 years have been a process of questioning systems:
The industrial food system
The public education system
The pharmaceutical system
The consumer debt system
Opting-out is far more possible and REWARDING than you’ve been led to believe.
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The Homesteader’s Motto:
“Why buy it when you could make it yourself??”
(Even if it takes an extra 279 hours 😉)
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I've been questioning systems for the past 14 years:
The industrial food system
The public education system
The pharmaceutical system
The consumer debt system
Turns out, most of the paths they tell you are non-optional are, in fact, VERY optional.
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Dear People of the Internet,
Not every. single. topic. needs to be turned into a discussion about politics.
Signed,
Someone who is exhausted from moderating riots in the comments
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I like how Joel Salatin puts it when he says we ask for too much “too much salvation by legislation”
Stop looking at policy makers to change your life:
1. But locally
2. Cook your own meals
3. Avoid processed junk food
You vote with your dollar not with your ballot.
Become your own policy maker.
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I haven't purchase Crisco, margarine, or vegetable oils in over 12 years.
Butter, lard, tallow, and olive oil are all you need.
Industrial fats are inflammatory and unnecessary.
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Them: "You realize you can buy that at the store... right??"
Homesteaders: "And your point is....?"
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Things I’ve learned from renovating a 109-year old soda fountain in a tiny rural town of 175 people:
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2. Make tomato powder.
I’m obsessed with this one. Slice, dehydrate, then grind them up in a blender.
Add powder to recipes OR reconstitute with water to make “tomato paste on demand.”
Here’s my post with all the powder-making deets:
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My most powerful parenting hack:
DO LESS.
Let the kids figure it out.
Let them take charge.
Let them experience a little risk & danger.
It'll supercharge their curiosity in ways you never thought possible.
They're more capable than you think.
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The 3 biggest mistakes we made when starting our homestead??
1. Thinking too small with our plans & layout
2. Using cheap materials that fell apart quickly
3. Comparing our homestead to others instead of sticking with what made US excited
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Don’t wait to be ready before starting a homestead.
You’re never ready.
Just start.
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If I was shopping for property right now (with the current high prices) I would:
- Look at non-trendy states (NOT TN or TX)
- Look for property far from town
- Buy ugly. Turn-key is not your friend.
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Magic happens in the kitchen.
It’s a workbench where raw ingredients become nourishment.
A laboratory that harnesses the power of bacteria, yeast, and fire.
And a studio where we hone the crafts of crusty loaves and bubbly ferments.
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“I now suspect that if we work with machines the world will seem to us to be a machine, but if we work with living creatures the world will appear to us as a living creature.”
― Wendell Berry
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So many people waiting for the next politician to solve their problems right now...
Friend, no one is coming to save you. Put your head down, focus on your own life, and watch true change come.
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The Most Incredible Roasted Chicken:
Salt it GENEROUSLY.
Leave it uncovered in your fridge for 24ish hours.
Roast at 350 til temp is 165*.
No other seasonings, no fanciness. But it'll be the best chicken you've ever put in your mouth.
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I'm sorry, but you can't convince me that the nutrients of "food" coming out of a laboratory or test tube will EVER be remotely close to the nutrient value of food grown in healthy soil or well-managed pastures.
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In the beginning, I gardened for the vegetables.
These days? I garden for the soil. The grounding. The meditation. The connection.
Potatoes and beans are just happy side effects.
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Growing food is hard.
Paying high prices for factory-farmed food is hard.
Owning a business is hard.
Working a 9-5 you hate is hard.
Stacking firewood and building fence is hard.
Being out of shape and aging prematurely is hard.
You choose.
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You know the people who roll their eyes when you talk about your homestead projects and think you're silly for caring about old-fashioned things?
Use their negativity as fuel. There's nothing better to keep you motivated.
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We spend so much time looking for shortcuts, hacks, tricks, and tips... when the answer is almost always to just DO the work.
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Turn off the news
Plant vegetables
Cultivate local community
Learn to cook
Do hard things
Have face-to-face conversations
Spend time in nature
Take responsibility
No matter the chaos around us, the formula for a satisfying life remains the same.
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Often when people complain about healthy food costing more, I think they're confusing luxury purchases at Whole Foods (aka organic chocolate or organic potato chips) with good, old-fashioned whole ingredients & food from the earth.
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You'll never find purpose on the couch.
You won't find meaning by watching a screen.
The bleachers are safe, but they're no place to live.
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Your homestead doesn't have to produce an income.
If it does? Great. But don't underestimate the value of personal food production.
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Every single time I see some talking about AI, I have to pause and remind myself they’re not referring to artificial insemination.
#rancherproblems
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How can you revive a small community?
Be the one to take action. Don't wait for someone else to start. And then commit to the long-haul. It's going to get hard, but you can't run at the first sign of trouble.
Success favors those who stick around.
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Moving to a rural community where “neighboring” is a verb has been a delight. The dynamic is different when you depend on others to help you with cattle work, projects, etc.
It seems like when people stop needing their neighbors they stop bothering to know their neighbors.
Community is built by interdependencies, not good intentions.
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My Fav Kitchen Swaps:
Yeast --> Sourdough
Canned Cream Soup --> Simple Roux
Crisco --> Lard
Margarine --> Butter
Canola Oil --> Olive Oil
Boxed Broth --> Homemade Stock
2% Milk --> Whole Raw Milk
White Sugar --> Maple Syrup or Honey
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I used to DREAD our long Wyoming winters.
Now I relish the quietness, the fire, & the stillness.
Summer will be here soon enough.
Let winter be winter.
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Flour, water, and time.
That's all you need to make a really good sourdough starter. You don't need to buy a packaged one or use weird ingredients.
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"Love your place and it'll love you back."
It applies to homesteaders, soil, nature, towns, & communities of all types.
Not always easy, but always worth it.
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When starting a homestead (or any big project), you can either:
Find 100 excuses why it won’t work -OR-
Find 100 creative work-arounds for your situation.
The choice is yours.
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Fred Rogers said,
"Life is deep and simple, and what our society gives us is shallow and complicated."
...and I think about that a lot.
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"Figure out what everyone is doing, then do the opposite"
It's amazing how often this little life rule points me in the right direction....
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"We can't figure out why depression is on the rise?!"
I dunno... Maybe the fact that people:
Spend zero time in nature
Consume instead of create
Exist on industrial junk food
Don't move their bodies
...has something to do with it?
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What if kids could identify native plants as quickly as the latest cartoon character? Or could cook as confidently as they beat a level in a video game?
They are more than capable. We just have to give them the opportunity.
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Need help preserving other stuff?
I created a canning course with detailed instructions, recipes, and alllll my tricks.
Check it out here:
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You don't have to grow an entire grocery store. Instead, focus on what *wants* to grow in your climate and dig deep into that.
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No matter which “hard” you choose in your life: homesteading, homeschooling, entrepreneurship, etc, there will always be someone telling you to chill out, dial it in, or stop trying so hard.
Don’t listen.
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