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Melissa K. Norris

Melissa K. Norris

5th-generation homesteader. Helping modern women live from scratch.

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Preparedness/Survival

Comfrey plant in a brass colander.

Comfrey Poultice (For Sprains, Strains & Broken Bones)

Read moreComfrey Poultice (For Sprains, Strains & Broken Bones)
A pantry filled with home canned and home-grown food.

How to Keep a Well-Stocked Pantry for Easy, Nourishing Weeknight Meals

Read moreHow to Keep a Well-Stocked Pantry for Easy, Nourishing Weeknight Meals
A snowy road lined with trees.

10 Ways to Keep Warm Without Electricity

Read more10 Ways to Keep Warm Without Electricity
A bag of pig feed.

Stocking Up on Animal Feed (+ How Much to Feed Animals)

Read moreStocking Up on Animal Feed (+ How Much to Feed Animals)
A woman crouched by a woodstove with a fire going, holding an oil lamp.

Must-Know Emergency Preparedness Tips (For Everyone)

Read moreMust-Know Emergency Preparedness Tips (For Everyone)
A woman's hand holding dry bean seeds.

Heirloom Seeds - An Introduction

Read moreHeirloom Seeds - An Introduction
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
A snowy road lined with trees.

Surviving Winter Without Power & Great Depression Christmas Traditions

Read moreSurviving Winter Without Power & Great Depression Christmas Traditions

11 Ways to Cook Off-Grid Without Power

Read more11 Ways to Cook Off-Grid Without Power
Picture of an antique violin hanging on a painted barn wood door. Text overlay says, "6 Things to Do for Fun When the Power Goes Out".

6 Things to Do for Fun When the Power is Out

Read more6 Things to Do for Fun When the Power is Out
Picture of an antique kerosene lamp sitting on a bed of hay with barn wood in the background. Text overlay says, "4 Things You Need When the Lights Go Out".

4 Things You Need When the Lights Go Out

Read more4 Things You Need When the Lights Go Out

8 Tips to Live Like the Pioneers

Read more8 Tips to Live Like the Pioneers

6 Rules for Bartering Success

Read more6 Rules for Bartering Success
Woman standing at stove putting jars of home canned tomato sauce into pressure canner

10 Food Preservation Methods Everyone Should Know

Read more10 Food Preservation Methods Everyone Should Know
Dehydrated tomato slices on a dehydrator tray.

5 Reasons Dehydrated Food is a Preparedness Must & 5 Tips for Dehydrating at Home

Read more5 Reasons Dehydrated Food is a Preparedness Must & 5 Tips for Dehydrating at Home
Five bags filled with dried beans. Text overlay says, "6 Tips on Buying Food in Bulk".

6 Tips on Buying Food in Bulk

Read more6 Tips on Buying Food in Bulk
Morel mushrooms in a basket on the forest floor.

Where to Find Morel Mushrooms

Read moreWhere to Find Morel Mushrooms
A bottle of Fairchild's apple cider vinegar on a kitchen counter.

39 Apple Cider Vinegar Uses

Read more39 Apple Cider Vinegar Uses
Two quart mason jars filled with freeze dried eggs sitting on a counter with a basket of eggs beside it.

Freeze Dried Eggs for Long-Term Storage (+ Reconstituting Freeze Dried Eggs)

Read moreFreeze Dried Eggs for Long-Term Storage (+ Reconstituting Freeze Dried Eggs)
A woman's hand picking raspberries.

How to Plant Raspberries

Read moreHow to Plant Raspberries

8 Tips for Bulk Food Storage

Read more8 Tips for Bulk Food Storage

How to Start a Fire Without a Lighter

Read moreHow to Start a Fire Without a Lighter
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.

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My Most Popular Posts

Soft Sourdough Sandwich Bread (Beginner Friendly Recipe)

A fork and knife carving a whole roasted chicken.

Oven-Roasted Chicken Recipe | Crispy Skin & Juicy Whole Chicken  

A stack of homemade graham crackers on a plate.

Easy Homemade Graham Crackers

Peach cobbler served on a plate with vanilla ice cream on top.

Healthy Peach Cobbler

Close up shot of a double chocolate zucchini muffin.

Bakery Style Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

A stack of sourdough tortillas on a towel lined counter.

Easy Sourdough Tortillas (Soft and Flexible)

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)

Summer Preserving Recipes

Three jars of strawberry jam hot out of the canner.

Strawberry Jam Without Pectin (Low Sugar Recipe)

A jar of fermented pickles sitting on an outdoor table.

Fermented Pickles Recipe|Easy Old-Fashioned Salt Brine Pickles

Jars of blueberry jam with a jar of yogurt topped with blueberry jam.

Blueberry Jam Recipe Without Pectin (+ Low-Sugar)

placing dill in mason jar crunchy dill pickles on table

Best Homemade Pickles Recipe (Garlic Dill Pickles)

An opened jar of cherry jam with a spoonful.

Cherry Jam Recipe Without Pectin and Low Sugar

Jars of mustard pickles sitting on a counter.

Homemade Mustard Pickles (+ Canning Instructions)

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Melissa K. Norris

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  • About Melissa K. Norris — Modern Homesteading ExpertStart Here
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Articles

  • Gardening
  • Homesteading
  • Recipes
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Podcast

Summer Meal Planning Made Easy (Quick & Easy Summer Meals)

Healing Plants of the Bible: 16 Biblical Herbs and Their Traditional Uses

Why So Many People Feel Called to Homesteading

What Grows Best in a Pacific Northwest Vegetable Garden?

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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