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Melissa K. Norris

Melissa K. Norris

Simple Modern Homesteading for a Healthy & Self-Sufficient Life

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Yarrow in the foreground and lavender in the background.

Modern Homesteading Resources, Recipes & More

Simple modern homesteading for a happy, healthy, and self-sufficient life.

Featured Articles

Fresh From Scratch Recipes


Buttermilk ranch dressing in a Mason jar.
Read moreHomemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing (Probiotic)

Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing (Probiotic)

Close up shot of a double chocolate zucchini muffin.
Read moreBakery Style Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Bakery Style Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

A woman's hands spooning fermented salsa onto a tortilla chip.
Read moreFresh Fermented Salsa Recipe

Fresh Fermented Salsa Recipe

Homemade mayonnaise in a jar.
Read moreFail-Proof Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe (In 2-Minutes)

Fail-Proof Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe (In 2-Minutes)

An opened jar of cherry jam with a spoonful.
Read moreCherry Jam Recipe Without Pectin and Low Sugar

Cherry Jam Recipe Without Pectin and Low Sugar

A hand holding up a jar of bread and butter pickles.
Read moreBread And Butter Pickles Recipe – No Canning Required

Bread And Butter Pickles Recipe – No Canning Required

Howdy, I’m Melissa.

Welcome to My Homestead

I’m a 5th-generation homesteader who loves getting her hands dirty in the garden, stuffing food into Mason jars (after I wash my hands of course), and hunting down as many traditional old-fashioned skills as possible to put into use on our homestead.

We live on 14.96 acres in the foothills of the North Cascade mountain range of Washington state and have been homesteading for 25+ years. We raise 100% of our own meat from our organic grass fed beef (holler to the Black Angus and majestic Scottish Highland cattle), a flock of hens and ducks for fresh eggs, meat chickens we butcher ourselves, and organic pork (cuz you haven’t eaten bacon until you’ve had home grown).

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More About Melissa
Woman harvesting medicinal herbs and flowers from a garden.

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Get the best homesteading resources & tips

Canning & Food Preservation Recipes for Long-Term Storage


homecanned green beans in jar on counter
Read moreHow to Can Green Beans the Easy Way – Raw Pack

How to Can Green Beans the Easy Way – Raw Pack

An opened jar of cherry jam with a spoonful.
Read moreCherry Jam Recipe Without Pectin and Low Sugar

Cherry Jam Recipe Without Pectin and Low Sugar

placing dill in mason jar crunchy dill pickles on table
Read moreBest Homemade Pickles Recipe (Garlic Dill Pickles)

Best Homemade Pickles Recipe (Garlic Dill Pickles)

Read moreHow to Make Mustard Pickles – Great-Grandma’s Recipe

How to Make Mustard Pickles – Great-Grandma’s Recipe

A bowl of dehydrated cherries on a wooden counter.
Read moreHow to Dehydrate Fruit (Cherries, Blueberries, Grapes, Raspberries & Blackberries)

How to Dehydrate Fruit (Cherries, Blueberries, Grapes, Raspberries & Blackberries)

Three jars of peppers in fermenting jars.
Read moreHow to Ferment Peppers

How to Ferment Peppers

Listen to the Top-Ranked Modern Homesteading Podcast-Pioneering Today

Learn the best tips and tricks from growing a homestead garden, preserving the harvest, raising your own livestock, creating a homestead kitchen, and building a natural medicine cabinet from Melissa, a 5th generation homesteader, and other homesteading experts living this lifestyle.

Check Out The Episodes

Join us FREE for the conversation each week.

The Latest Podcast Episodes

A family sitting on a wooden fence.

Back to the Frontier (With Stacey Loper)

Read moreBack to the Frontier (With Stacey Loper)
A woman in a white dress standing in a field with cows.

Immunity for Polluters: How New Laws Threaten Your Soil & Food Supply

Read moreImmunity for Polluters: How New Laws Threaten Your Soil & Food Supply
A barn with a mountain in the background.

Homestead Security: Why Community May Be Your Best Defense

Read moreHomestead Security: Why Community May Be Your Best Defense

Gardening Tips & Tutorials


Picture of a vegetable garden with mountains and a blue sky in the background.
Read more13 Basic Steps to Starting a Vegetable Garden

13 Basic Steps to Starting a Vegetable Garden

Wooden two-sided compost bin.
Read moreHow to Compost at Home (7 Easy DIY Ways)

How to Compost at Home (7 Easy DIY Ways)

A metal container with lavender growing inside.
Read moreContainer Gardening for Vegetables- Everything You Need to Know

Container Gardening for Vegetables- Everything You Need to Know

Coffee grounds in a woman's hands by the garden.
Read moreCoffee Grounds in the Garden (4 Ways to Use Them)

Coffee Grounds in the Garden (4 Ways to Use Them)

Cucumber seedlings growing next to a cattle panel trellis.
Read moreGardening in July (Garden Tasks by Month)

Gardening in July (Garden Tasks by Month)

Picture of a vegetable garden with mountains and a blue sky in the background.
Read more6 Ways to Drought Proof Your Garden

6 Ways to Drought Proof Your Garden

Book cover for Everything Worth Preserving

Preserve Food for a Healthy Well-Stocked Pantry & Peace of Mind

Discover the 9 home food preservation methods to safely store delicious food for year-round eating with Melissa’s step-by-step tutorials, recipes, and easy-to-use charts.

Get the Recipes & BOOK NOW

YouTube Videos


We covered 1/2 the garden in wood chips | One Year Later | Did it IMPROVE the Soil?

Self-Sufficiency Tips from the Great Depression | What My Grandparents Raised

She DOUBLED the Vegetable Harvest by doing this ONE Thing | Summer Garden Tour

How Much to Plant Per Person for a Year's Worth of Food

Garden Tour (This FEEDS a Family of 4 for a Year)

14 Vegetables to Plant NOW for Fall Harvest [Fall Gardening]

See More Videos

Melissa K. Norris

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Articles

  • Gardening
  • Homesteading
  • Recipes
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Podcast

Back to the Frontier (With Stacey Loper)

Immunity for Polluters: How New Laws Threaten Your Soil & Food Supply

Homestead Security: Why Community May Be Your Best Defense

Farm Dog Breeds (Which is Best for You?)

Books

  • Everything Worth Preserving
  • The Family Garden Planner
  • Handmade
  • The Made from Scratch Life
  • The Family Garden Plan

Education

  • Organic Gardening Workshop
  • Home Fruit Preservative Canning e-course
  • Home Canning With Confidence
  • Homemade Bread & Baking Class
  • Natural Homemade Bath and Beauty
  • Pioneering Today Academy


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