Melissa K. Norris
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A woman standing beside a chicken coop with a basket full of fresh eggs.

Living Homegrown
& Handmade

Simple Modern Homesteading for a Healthy & Self-Sufficient Life


Howdy, I’m Melissa.

Welcome to My Homestead.

I’m just a plain country girl who loves playing in the dirt, stuffing food into Mason jars (after I wash my hands of course), and hunting down as many traditional old-fashioned skills as I can 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. We raise 100% of our own meat from our organic grass fed beef (holler to the sturdy white faced brown Herefords), a flock of hens for fresh eggs, meat chickens we butcher ourselves, and organic pork (cuz you haven’t eaten bacon until you’ve had home grown).

More About Melissa

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Get the best homesteading resources & tips

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

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.

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The latest podcast

Episode #376

Time-Saving Tips when Cooking From Scratch

How to Test Soil pH & Amend Acidic or Alkaline Soil

Episode #375

Yearly Planning Without the Overwhelm

Homestead & Old-Fashioned Living Articles

Scottish Highland Cow grazing in a field with a woman by a truck throwing out feed.

Scottish Highland Cows: A Unique Cattle Breed

A cow eating Brussel sprout stems.

Signs To Watch For With An Expecting Cow

A colander with Brussel sprouts and carrots harvested from the garden.

Gardening in January (Garden Tasks by Month)

home canned jars of tomato sauce on counter with ripe tomatoes

Proper Canning Headspace (Is it Important?)

A close up shot of an evergreen bouquet.

Easy Winter Bouquet (DIY Holiday Bouquet)

Chocolate gravy being spooned over a flaky buttermilk biscuit.

1930s Chocolate Gravy Recipe

YouTube videos

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Melissa K. Norris

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Articles

  • Gardening
  • Homesteading
  • Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • DIY

Podcast

  • Time-Saving Tips when Cooking From Scratch
  • How to Test Soil pH & Amend Acidic or Alkaline Soil
  • Yearly Planning Without the Overwhelm
  • Unplugging for One Year with Rory Feek
  • The Norris Farmstead: Our 40-Acre Homestead Farm-Stay

Books

  • Everything Worth Preserving
  • The Family Garden Planner
  • Hand Made
  • The Made From Scratch Life

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


Copyright 2023 - Melissa K. Norris Pioneering Today LLC

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