Melissa K. Norris inspires people's faith and pioneer roots with her books, podcast, and blog. Melissa lives with her husband and two children in their own little house in the big woods in the foothills of the North Cascade Mountains. When she's not wrangling chickens and cattle, you can find her stuffing Mason jars with homegrown food and playing with flour and sugar in the kitchen.
By Melissa Norris | Gardening , Podcast , Raising Your Own Food
Today we’re talking the best way to germinate seeds, including germination tips and how to get your seeds to sprout sooner, because the sooner those bad boys sprout, the sooner they grow into plants and the faster we are putting homegrown food on the table. Can I get an Amen? Listen in below to the […]
Read MoreBy Melissa Norris | Podcast , Raising Your Own Food
How much time per week does it take to raise a year’s worth of food or a large vegetable garden with fruit? Today we’re diving into how much time it really takes to raise a year’s worth of food. This is a question I get asked often, so I wanted to share a glimpse into […]
Read MoreBy Melissa Norris | Homestead Life , Podcast
Getting homemade food on the table every day can be hard. Finding time in our busy lives to cook all of our meals from scratch can seem nearly impossible some days. But with a little forethought and planning, it is possible to get healthy, flavorful, home-cooked food on your family table each and every day. […]
Read MoreBy Melissa Norris | Podcast , Raising Your Own Food
These spring gardening tips will help you get a bigger harvest from your garden this year and will help save you some frustration in the future. I truly believe gardening and raising our own food should be as easy as possible. At the time of publishing, it’s mid-March, which means it’s the time of year […]
Read MoreBy Melissa Norris | Homestead Life
Learn how to season cast iron pan and/or Dutch oven, because my friends, a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or Dutch oven will be one of your most beloved and used homestead kitchen items ever. And when done right, truly produces a non-stick finish without the harmful chemicals or coatings of Teflon. Because cast iron is […]
Read MoreBy Melissa Norris | Canning , Canning , Food Preservation , Fruit, Jam and Jelly , Podcast , Pressure Canning , Recipes , Water Bath
Preserving rhubarb is one of my favorite spring forays, especially canning rhubarb. My heart can’t help but love rhubarb, a vegetables that lends itself as a fruit and is one of the first things we can harvest in the spring, long before my berries and fruit trees produce. It makes a mean dessert, excellent sauce […]
Read MoreBy Melissa Norris | Podcast
Today we’re talking all about how to prepare for a snow storm on your homestead, or for emergencies like storms and extreme weather or any other type of big event that might leave you stuck at home, unable to get to the grocery store and possibly without power. Now, for homesteaders or for those of […]
Read MoreBy Melissa Norris | Fruit , Gardening , Podcast , Raising Your Own Food
Starting an orchard and growing fruit on your homestead is one of the most rewarding of our food production. But it can also be frustrating if you’ve planted and aren’t getting any fruit or a low harvest. We’ll talk about the proper steps to ensure a good harvest when putting in an orchard and how […]
Read MoreBy Melissa Norris | Herbal Remedies , Natural Medicine Cabinet , Podcast
If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about how to use herbs and natural remedies, how to build your own natural medicine cabinet using plants that you can either grow at home or get fairly easily, and when to use home remedies and when to turn to modern medicine, you’re in the right place! I am […]
Read MoreBy Melissa Norris | Natural Medicine Cabinet , Podcast
8 medicinal plants you need to add to your garden this year, not only are these some of my favorite power house medicines on the homestead, but they’re beautiful to grow just for appearances. I’ve always focused mainly on food production and the more common culinary herbs, and until just a few years ago, the garden […]
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