Pioneering Today Podcast - Homesteading in a Modern World

One of the questions I get asked the most is how do you manage to get so much done with work and a homestead? Today I'm sharing the truth about balance, seasons, and the fallacy of doing it all. I also give tips on how I've learned to keep the homestead functioning while still working a full-time job (including a day job off the homestead) and what my current schedule looks like. For links/resource https://melissaknorris.com/261 Get The Family Garden Plan HTTP://familygardenplan.com

Learn the 10 things most organic gardeners forget about to help you grow more food in the space you have, even if it's not ideal full sun! Many of us need to grow our own food this year, but not everyone has a really large space. Nicky and Dave live in a very urban environment & using the concept of permaculture and a food forest, they have the first-hand experience in growing in a smaller urban space they're sharing with us today. Resources and links https://melissaknorris.com/260 Grow & harvest a years worth of food with the Family Garden Plan free charts here https://melissaknorris.com/familygardenplan/

Learn how to integrate new chicks into existing flocks, plus, all your questions on mixing meat birds with laying hens and how to keep dual-purpose chickens. Common mistakes you NEED to avoid for the health of your chickens and what to do if your chicken is being bullied by the rest of the flock. Resources at https://melissaknorris.com/259

Even without going Amish, we can glean a lot from their lifestyle to help us live more self-sufficient and simple with these 7 tips. Learn how one company has helped preserve the Amish way of life while coming full circle and offering Amish and homesteading tools to the public. Episode resources at https://melissaknorris.com/258 Go to lehmans.com/PIONEER from May 22 to June 30, 2020 to receive 10% off any order $50 or more. Enter code PIONEER at checkout.

While a productive garden is the goal, they should also be a place of sanctuary and beauty. Adding in these elements (even if you battle with shade) or small spaces, can bring you more joy in the garden, something we all could use more of, including weed suppression tips. For resource https://melissaknorris.com/257 Join the Pioneering Today Academy now for your step-by-step plan to raise and preserve your own food https://melissaknorris.com/pta

What you need to know to raise chickens for meat, including what breed is best, where to purchase, how much food they need, butcher age, and what you need to do differently with meat birds to avoid early death or leg problems. Links and resources at https://melissaknorris.com/256 Snag your free seat in my newest live class here How to Plan Your Crops & Harvest for a Year's Worth of Food

These 8 common mistakes made by new gardeners are easy to avoid once you know what they are and though common with new gardeners, even us veteran gardeners may be making some of them! Resources and links at https://melissaknorris.com/255 Free seat for the Organic Gardening Workshp https://melissaknorris.com/workshop over 6 days of videos walking you through growing your own vegetables in your backyard.

These are non-food items to keep on hand at all times with tips to make sure you have what you need to run your home and homestead smoothly, from the vehicles, equipment and the cleaner/medicine cabinet. I share my favorites & where I get them. For resources, recipes, and guides go to https://melissaknorris.com/254 Learn how to make homemade soap, herbal salves/ointments, beeswax candles and more https://melissaknorris.lpages.co/handmade-masterclass/

These are the 13 pantry items I always have on hand and the amounts I'm now keeping as a bare minimum since COVID19. Having these items on hand ensures you can make a number of different foods for your family, no matter what is or isn't going on in the world. For links and resources go to https://melissaknorris.com/253 100+ of my best from-scratch recipes inside Hand Made http://handmadethebook.com/

We're implementing steps right now to raise more of our own food than ever before. I share how we're walking through these decisions, what we're adding, and what you should evaluate now on your homestead to have everything in place, including planning for livestock and feed. Resources at https://melissaknorris.com/252 Grow a Years Worth of Food with my book The Family Garden Plan HTTP://familygardenplan.com

What's better than planting something once and having food for years to come? Pretty much nothing! How about some fruit & nut tree varieties that will produce sooner than most? Now we're talking and we added in some uncommon edible plants you probably haven't heard of but make a gorgeous addition to your yard (where we're all spending a bit more time than usual!) Resources at https://melissaknorris.com/251 Get the Family Garden Plan HTTP://familygardenplan.com

Many of us are relying on our gardens this year for food than ever before. In this episode, I, Jill from the Beginners Gardener and Kevin from Epic Gardening share what our preparedness garden plans look like this year and our top 3 crop choices from 3 very different gardening climates to help you create YOUR gardening plan to feed your family. Get the free how much to plant per person for a year's worth of food chart HTTP://familygardenplan.com

These homemade reusable substitutes for single-use store-bought items will serve you well, especially in these times when toilet paper can be hard to come by. Learn valuable tips for homemade versions of paper towels, toilet paper, plastic wrap and more! Resources at https://melissaknorris.com/249

Having a home that is beautiful and functional is extremely important, especially now when many of us are spending more time there. These tips will help you create a vintage and handmade home with easy frugal ideas with inspiration from Lisa of Farmhouse On Boone. Resources at https://melissaknorris.com/248

Today I answer your questions on growing your own food straight from your messages. Now more than ever people are needing to grow a garden to provide for their family and I answer your questions. Snag resources at https://melissaknorris.com/247 Get your FREE seat in the Organic Gardening Workshop NOW https://melissaknorris.com/workshop

During this unprecedented time with the Coronavirus, I'm sharing what we're doing (and you can too) to stay calm, be prepared, and help others. Where to find staples (and what we're stocking), plans for growing food and herbal medicine, plus involving the family and kids. FREE Organic Gardening Workshop https://melissaknorris.com/workshop and links to tutorials resources from today's episode https://melissaknorris.com/246

Weeds have long plagued me in the garden & weed fabric does NOT work, but I've finally found some things that do work to keep weeds out of the garden naturally long term. Resources at https://melissaknorris.com/245 Get your seat to the FREE Organic Gardening Workshop here https://melissaknorris.com/workshop from seed starting to permaculture

No matter what your thoughts are on the coronavirus this is the time to assess how your food storage and supplies are. Where I live schools are being shut down and my guest has people in quarantine around her, stores are empty of supplies, and she shares how being in the real midst of this affects your mindset. This is not meant as fear-mongering, but what is a reality where we are and how to use this time to assess your skill sets where they stand right now. Resources at https://melissaknorris.com/244 Free Organic Gardening Workshop https://melissaknorris.com/workshop

Sustainability and food security is a huge factor in why people start homesteading and can be created with a home garden. Luke from MIGardener shares how much he grows in a small area and how his garden sparked him to start a seed company that made seeds affordable (less than $1 per packet). Go to https://melissaknorris.com/243 for resources AND a 15% off coupon code. Get the Family Garden Plan to know exactly how much to plant for your family and grow from seed to jar http://familygardenplan.com

Learn how to care for fruit trees in fall & winter, including how to determine your pruning based on YOUR climate (this was fascinating!). Know what to do in fall and what you need to do in winter to ensure the vitality of your fruit trees and how to keep disease down. Go to https://melissaknorris.com/242 for 10% off coupon code from Raintree Nurseries. Want step-by-step tutorials and lessons on growing and preserving your own food seasonally? Doors to the Pioneering Today Academy are only open for a short time https://melissaknorris.com/PTA

Evaluating where we're spending our time, especially when we feel overwhelmed, is extremely important for anyone, but especially homesteaders. Not only do I share tips on how to evaluate activities when you don't have enough time but also what you need to know about the podcast moving forward (and no worries, it's not the last episode but it is the last Wednesday episode for the time being). To dive deeper with me check out the Pioneering Today Academy here while we're still open for new members https://melissaknorris.com/waitlist

Tips on how to declutter and organize your home. A homestead has more moving parts than most homes and without systems in place, it can quickly become a jumbled mess. Today TracyLynn gives tips on how to start with room resets and creating systems that work based on your habits and triggers for an organized home so you can get more done with less stress. Resources and links https://melissaknorris.com/240

Learn where to buy whole grains in bulk, my favorite sources, and which grains I buy in bulk. I'll dive into how I use each of those grains in my baking and cooking to help you create a well-stocked pantry. Grab resources and links https://melissaknorris.com/239 including recipes and guides for grinding your own flour at home and picking the best wheat berries for your family's needs.

Small space vegetable gardening is doable and Kevin Espiritu from Epic Gardening shares how he grows a TON of food in a small urban environment and how these tips will help you grow more no matter how much or little space you have. Plus, he walks me through growing herbs indoors with hydroponics during the winter months! Get the links & resources https://melissaknorris.com/238 hurry and snag your spot on the waitlist https://melissaknorris.com/waitlist for the Pioneering Today Academy

Not blessed with great gardening soil? No worries, these 3 easy tips on how to improve soil for gardening will help you out, especially if you have clay, compacted, hard, or sandy soil. We have good soil and I still use these tips every year in the garden. Links & resources at https://melissaknorris.com/237 Get on the waitlist for the Academy https://melissaknorris.com/waitlist for special exclusive videos and resources

Using herbs medicinally isn't something I was raised with, but over the years, I turn to my natural medicine cabinet first but one needs to understand how to brew a medicinal cup of tea differently than just a regular cup of tea. Learn choosing the correct herb, medicinal herb sourcing, how to brew your tea medicinally & growing your own. Resources & links https://melissaknorris.com/236 Get on the waitlist for the Pioneering Today Academy https://melissaknorris.com/waitlist

Picking the best location for a vegetable garden, herbs, or fruit trees depends on your growing climate and land. I walk you through the steps I take when putting in any new plants, beds, or moving ones that haven't been thriving so you can choose the best position for your garden with the 4 basic microclimates every yard has and how to identify microzones easily in the winter months. Resources at https://melissaknorris.com/235 Get the Family Garden Plan for step-by-step planning, growing and harvesting a year's worth of food http://familygardenplan.com

Breeding chickens naturally using selective breeding for eggs and chicks, either to build up your own flock or to create a homestead income from your chickens. What you need to know about heritage breeds, picking a breeder, where to get started with your flock, and how to create your breeding plan, either for your own flock or business, with best tips for pricing, shipping and more! Get links here https://melissaknorris.com/234 The Pioneering Today Academy only opens for new members a few times a year, get on the waitlist for exclusive goodies https://melissaknorris.com/waitlist

Crop rotation is one of the easiest ways to make a big difference in your garden's health and decreasing disease, but people often get confused on how to implement it. I walk you through the 4 main vegetable families so you can easily use crop rotation either yearly or seasonal, based on your garden space and crops. Resources for today's episode https://melissaknorris.com/234 Get on the waitlist for the Pioneering Today Academy https://melissaknorris.com/waitlist

Learn how to get started with no till gardening (including the pro's to this method) with Jo Lamp'l. Why you should consider no till gardening methods for healthier soil, including less weeds, and easy tips to transition existing beds to this method. Plus, excellent tips on growing tomatoes in containers successfully including some fun new varieties and how to use these tips for other container plants. Resources and links https://melissaknorris.com/232 Your step-by-step tutorial to raising a year's worth of food The Family Garden Plan http://familygardenplan.com

I share how we plan our homestead year based on what we need to produce from the homestead and how that works into the calendar year. How we evaluate what and how much to raise for meat and adding in or adjusting infrastructure to make sure that happens, including how we phase things when budget and time is an issue. Links and resources at https://melissaknorris.com/231 my step-by-step plan and guide for raising a year's worth of vegetables & fruit in The Family Garden Plan http://familygardenplan.com

Just how many fruit and berry plants do you need to grow a year's worth per person in your family? I break down how many fruit and berry plants we have per person, how to choose which options are best for you based on your climate and space, and average yield amounts. Get the chart and info in the blog post at https://melisskanorris.com/230 and snag your copy + bonuses of The Family Garden Plan http://familygardenplan.com to grow a year's worth of food for you family

The exact list of heirloom varieties I grow in our garden each year. These are my tried and true must-have every year. I also share how much of each variety I plant to take us through an entire year. Get The Family Garden Plan for all the resources and charts to help you grow a year's worth of food here http://familygardenplan.com/ for the written list visit the blog post at https://melissaknorris.com/229

Find out where I buy heirloom seeds and why you should be using some heirloom seeds in your garden if you're not. I also break down the difference in heirloom, hybrid and what GMO means for backyard gardeners as I still see a lot of WRONG info on what GMO seeds actually are. Grab my favorite sources and get your garden planning going with me! Resources & links at https://melissaknorris.com/28 Grow your best garden ever this year with less work and higher yield with the Family Garden Plan http://familygardenplan.com

Learn how to read seed packet information to help you pick the best varieties for your garden. What you must know about days to harvest and germination, spacing, and descriptions that turn in to your secret weapon to growing more food for your family in the same amount of space! For links and resources go to https://melissaknorris.com/227 get signed up for the free worksheets and charts in the garden planning challenge https://melissaknorris.com/mybestgarden

The biggest garden planning mistakes & how to avoid them. Common advice is to start planning your garden with where you're going to put your plants but that is NOT where your gardening should start. I walk you through how to plan your garden strategically based on 20+ years of gardening and raising a year's worth of food for my family based on said garden. Get link/resources for today's episode at https://melissaknorris.com/226 Join my FREE 5 Day Best Garden Plan Challenge here https://melissaknorris.com/mybestgarden

Get the top takeaways from this year's vegetable garden so you can make next year's garden better and increase the harvest based on this year's experience. I walk you through my biggest takeaways, what I won't be planting again, what I'll be doing more of, and my disease prevention plan. Get links and resources at https://melissaknorris.com/225 Order your copy of The Family Garden Plan and claim bonuses at http://familygardenplan.com to help you grow more food organically.

It doesn't get much better than a from-scratch Christmas dinner menu based on what was raised in the garden. Let's be real, that's how the homesteaders and pioneers of old did it. I share what we're serving this year for Christmas dinner along with recipes. Get ideas for your meals and what crops you might want to consider putting in if you aren't already growing them! Get recipes, links, and resources at https://melissaknorris.com/224 Use The Family Garden Plan to plan out your crops so you'll be serving your holiday menus from your own garden produce http://familygardenplan.com

Think you can't grow much on just 1/3 of an acre in the middle of the city? We talk about how Greg from Urban Farm U is growing 80 fruit trees, vegetables and herbs on 1/3 acre in the middle of Phoenix and how you can use the same 3 easy steps to become an urban farmer and growing food not only for your family but your community as well. And if you have more space or acreage, you're definitely want to listen in on some of the techniques he uses as well. Grab the links & resources at https://melissaknorirs.com/223 Grow a Year's Worth of Food with The Family Garden Plan & bonuses at http://familygardenplan.com

Over the past 20 years of homesteading I've compiled my top favorite homestead related gifts I've received as a gift. Some of these are surprisingly small but will give you ideas for either your own gift giving, sharing with your "santa", or perhaps to save up for or be on the lookout for in the upcoming year. Plus get a behind the scenes look at my newest book and what it involved (and why I never want to be a model) For links and resources go to https://melissaknorris.com/222

Living like it's the 1800's in a modern world, seems like a contradiction doesn't it, but even if you do have electricity and running water, there are some valuable tips to be learned that can help you save money now and if you do decide to go off-grid, help you make the transition. One of my favorite tips in this chat with Jacquie is how to bake pies and bread on top of a wood stove without any special equipment or using coals but she also shares some great ideas and inspiration for your garden. Get resources and links at https://melissaknorris.com/221 Want to raise a year's worth of food for your family without being overwhelmed? Get your copy of The Family Garden Plan and bonuses here http://familygardenplan.com

A week in the life on the homestead, what it looks like on our homestead in a week, especially when freezing temps and storms are rolling in. How we prep the garden, livestock and house when temps are supposed to be in the low teens with high winds, and how you can use the same checklist. Get links and resources at https://melissaknorris.com/220 and grow a year's worth of your own food with my new book & get FREE charts here http://familygardenplan.com

Does homesteading really save money when you take into account the items you need to buy, livestock, supplies, and the time required? Today we dive into this not often talked about subject with Amy Dingham on when you may or may not actually save money homesteading, what to expect, up front costs, evaluating ways to save money (and if they do) in this honest conversation about still an often taboo subject, money. For resources and links go to https://melissaknorris.com/219

Your homesteading skills will not only save you money but they can help you MAKE money. I share how I'm using our homesteading skills during this holiday season to raise money fast for a fundraiser and how you can do the same thing, for yourself or a fundraiser. Snag my recipes in today's blog post at https://melissaknorris.com/218 get my special Holiday Family Bundle right now at 65% to learn how to bake like Ma Ingalls & make your own homemade products https://melissaknorris.com/familybundle

This is my favorite "lazy" way to compost and build up our vegetable garden soil. If you didn't get to cover crops or a traditional compost pile, you're going to love my sheet mulching method. Learn which manures are best and what materials I prefer for the top layer and why it isn't too late to do this. Get links to all the resources at https://melissaknorris.com/217 Increase your harvest and maximize the space you have using organic and natural methods to raise a year's worth of the fruits and vegetables your family enjoys & get all the pre-order bonuses with my new book The Family Garden Plan at http://familygardenplan.com

What you need to know to get the best cuts of meat on your cut and wrap order, what to tell the butcher, and the cuts you MUST ask for that the butcher won't offer unless you do. Learn how to make sure you get the most out of your beef and choose the best cuts for you and your family in Part 2 of our Grass Feed Beef Series! For resources, recipes, and links go to https://melissaknorris.com/216

These baking hacks and tips show you how to freeze dough for delicious and easy homemade baked goods during busy nights and times without sacrificing any time or flavor! It can be a struggle to always get homemade food served, but these tips come in handy year round but especially during the holidays. I share how I prep pie crust, cookies, bread, rolls and cinnamon rolls ahead of time and what you need to know make it easier and successful. Get my recipes in today's blog post https://melissaknorris.com/215 For over 100+ from scratch recipes get my book Hand Made: the Modern Guide to Made-from-Scratch Living Need simplified steps and you're a visual learner, then check out the Homemade Bread & Baking System here

When raising grass fed beef there are key things you need to know on butcher day to get the most out of your cow. What to do before the butcher arrives and what cuts to ask for, and some are going to surprise you. How to get the best flavor on your meat and our favorite ways to prepare these lesser heard of cuts. Get the show notes and resources at https://melissaknoris.com/214 including our Freezer Space for Meat Guide, so you know exactly how many feet of freezer space you need per animal. Get Melissa's newest book with bonuses at http://Familygardenplan.com

How to have vegetables growing all year long (or as close as possible), including which plants will still grow during frosts and hard freezes, which ones can be left in the ground, and for those more tender veggies, how to use plant covers to extend the growing season. For links to resources and the plant covers Melissa uses go to https://melissaknorris.com/213 and for the guide to raising your own fruits and vegetables pre-order and get over $96 in bonuses the Family Garden Plan at http://familygardenplan.com

Learn what hygge means and 6 tips for implementing it on the homestead (and why you should!). Melissa talks with Kathie from seasonal homespun living on why embracing hygge during the winter months is good for both the body and soul and practical tips for this Danish tradition. Get all the resources, including recipes and links, at https://melissaknorris.com/212 and take Melissa's free sourdough training series here https://melissaknorris.com/