• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Melissa K. Norris

Melissa K. Norris

Simple Modern Homesteading for a Healthy & Self-Sufficient Life

Log In
  • Start Here
  • Podcast
  • Articles
    • Natural Medicine Cabinet
    • Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Gardening
    • Homestead-Life
    • Canning Recipes
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Classes
    • General Store
  • Academy
  • Log In
  • Start Here
  • Podcast
  • Articles
    • Natural Medicine Cabinet
    • Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Gardening
    • Homestead-Life
    • Canning Recipes
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Classes
    • General Store
  • Academy
  • Log In
You are here: Home / Blog
A woman standing beside a mobile chicken tractor with chickens inside.

How to Keep Animals Cool in Hot Weather

Read moreHow to Keep Animals Cool in Hot Weather
An opened jar of cherry jam with a spoonful.

Cherry Jam Recipe Without Pectin and Low Sugar

Read moreCherry Jam Recipe Without Pectin and Low Sugar
A woman conditioning a wooden dough scraper with wood butter and her hands.

How to Care For & Condition Wood Products

Read moreHow to Care For & Condition Wood Products
A woman standing in front of a red barn holding up a wire basket full of farm fresh eggs.

Homesteading Myths and Tips for Success

Read moreHomesteading Myths and Tips for Success
Image of a small ziplock baggie filled with dehydrated sourdough starter and instructions written on the bag.

Rehydrating Sourdough Starter

Read moreRehydrating Sourdough Starter
Image of a fruit tree guild.

Planting a Fruit Tree Guild

Read morePlanting a Fruit Tree Guild
Ingredients for elderberry syrup: honey, dried elderberries and apple cider vinegar.

29 of the BEST Elderberry Recipes (Dried Elderberry Recipes)

Read more29 of the BEST Elderberry Recipes (Dried Elderberry Recipes)
A woman holding seedlings in her hands, standing outside by a potting bench.

Potting Up Seedlings & How to Separate Seedlings

Read morePotting Up Seedlings & How to Separate Seedlings
A clean cast iron pan sitting on a wooden counter top with a towel and a wooden bench scraper beside it.

How to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet to Maintain Seasoning

Read moreHow to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet to Maintain Seasoning

How to Make Real Buttermilk (Cultured Buttermilk Recipe)

Read moreHow to Make Real Buttermilk (Cultured Buttermilk Recipe)
  • Previous
  • Page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 19
  • Page 20
  • Page 21
  • Page 22
  • Page 23
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 44
  • Next
A woman in the kitchen with jars of home canned food.

Howdy, I’m Melissa!

I’m so glad you’re here. This is the place for all of us who loved Little House when we were young and thought Laura was our best friend. It’s where we grow dinner in the backyard and think everything looks and tastes better when it comes from a Mason jar. Here, you’ll find my favorite from-scratch recipes, herbal remedies and tutorials, and all my gardening tips from my 20+ years of growing and raising our own food.

More About Melissa
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

My Most Popular Posts

Sourdough starter in a jar with a loaf of bread in the background.

How to Make a Sourdough Starter + Tips for Success

Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread (Beginner Friendly Recipe)

Homemade Pop Tarts From Scratch (Hand Pies)

A cooked whole roast chicken in a cast iron skillet.

Easy Oven Roasted Chicken Recipe (Crispy & Juicy)

A white plate with a helping of strawberry rhubarb dump cake and a fork. Text overlay says, "Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake Real Food Style: Homemade Cake Mix & No Jello".

Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake without Jello & Homemade Cake Mix

Bacon wrapped asparagus on a white plate.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus (Easy Appetizer or Side Dish)

A stack of homemade graham crackers on a plate.

Easy Homemade Graham Crackers

Plated by Season: Home‑Cooked. Home‑Grown. On Your Table in 30 Minutes or Less.

75+ seasonal, from‑scratch recipes + a monthly harvest chart. Real meals. Minimal fuss.

Grab Your Copy ($20, Free Shipping)

Spring Preserving Recipes

A jar of pickled asparagus with spears on a plate.

Pickled Asparagus Recipe (Canned, Quick, or Refrigerator)

two jars of strawberry jam sitting on a tabletop with fresh strawberries around it.

Strawberry Jam Recipe without Pectin and Low Sugar

Jar of fermented lemons on a counter with a bag of citrus and sliced lemons on a plate

How to Store Lemons (For a Year!) – Fermented Lemons

Fermented pickles in large jars.

Quick & Easy Fermented Pickles Recipe

A basket full of strawberries.

How to Preserve Strawberries: Keep Those Berries Fresh!

Sidebar


Melissa K. Norris

Follow me:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • About Melissa K. Norris — Modern Homesteading ExpertStart Here
  • Classes
  • Academy
  • Contact
  • Log In

Articles

  • Gardening
  • Homesteading
  • Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • DIY

Podcast

How My Mom Fed Our Family on $100 a Month (And the Simple Habits That Still Work Today)

Spring Meal Planning (Without the Overwhelm)

Why Dieting Stops Working After 40 (The Blood Sugar Loop Explained)

Why Winter Isn’t Actually Slower (and What to Do Instead)

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


© 2026 · Melissa K. Norris Pioneering Today LLC

  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility

Melissa K. Norris and Pioneering Today LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Privacy Manager