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Melissa K. Norris

Melissa K. Norris

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

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essential oils

A woman dipping her finger into homemade healing salve.

Herbal Wound Healing Salve Recipe

Read moreHerbal Wound Healing Salve Recipe
A jelly jar full of finished herbal salve.

Herbal Salve Recipe for Dry Skin

Read moreHerbal Salve Recipe for Dry Skin
A woman labeling a tin of homemade healing salve.

DIY Sore Muscle Rub Salve

Read moreDIY Sore Muscle Rub Salve

15 Homemade Natural Herbal Bath and Body Gifts

Read more15 Homemade Natural Herbal Bath and Body Gifts
A woman cutting evergreen branches with snips.

Christmas Stovetop Potpourri

Read moreChristmas Stovetop Potpourri
Two bottles of essential oils with fresh lavender.

Safety of Essential Oils - What You Need to Know

Read moreSafety of Essential Oils - What You Need to Know
homemade soy candle in jar on table with blanket and pine cones

How to Make Soy Candles at Home with Essential Oils

Read moreHow to Make Soy Candles at Home with Essential Oils
Image of an essential oil diffuser with bottles of essential oil, an essential oil diffuser necklace, a cedar bow, and red velvet draped in the background. Text overlay says, "7 Holiday Essential Oil Blends for a Natural Homestead ".

7 Holiday Essential Oil Blends for a Natural Homestead

Read more7 Holiday Essential Oil Blends for a Natural Homestead

Homemade Bath Salt Recipe

Read moreHomemade Bath Salt Recipe
Two lotion bars siting on a table.

How to Make Homemade Lotion Bars - Just 3 Ingredients

Read moreHow to Make Homemade Lotion Bars - Just 3 Ingredients
Image of bars of soap with decorative twine. Crochet and needle point projects are to the top and side.

How to Make Homemade Melt & Pour Goat's Milk Soap

Read moreHow to Make Homemade Melt & Pour Goat's Milk Soap
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
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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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