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

Melissa K. Norris

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

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

Fruit

A woman cutting an elderberry cutting from an elderberry tree.

Growing Elderberry from Cuttings

Read moreGrowing Elderberry from Cuttings
A woman pruning an elderberry bush with loppers.

How to Prune Elderberry Bushes for Maximum Growth

Read moreHow to Prune Elderberry Bushes for Maximum Growth

How to Grow Elderberries & Planting Tips

Read moreHow to Grow Elderberries & Planting Tips
Strawberries ready to pick off the vine.

How to Plant Strawberries + Tips for Success

Read moreHow to Plant Strawberries + Tips for Success
Blueberries on a bush.

How to Get Rid of Mummy Berry Disease on Blueberry Bushes

Read moreHow to Get Rid of Mummy Berry Disease on Blueberry Bushes
ripe blueberries on bush in summer

Pruning Blueberry Bushes & Blueberry Bush Care

Read morePruning Blueberry Bushes & Blueberry Bush Care
Raspberry Canes

How to Prune Raspberries

Read moreHow to Prune Raspberries
A woman smiling while pruning a fruit tree.

How to Prune Apple Trees (Winter or Summer?)

Read moreHow to Prune Apple Trees (Winter or Summer?)
Image of a fruit tree guild.

Planting a Fruit Tree Guild

Read morePlanting a Fruit Tree Guild
A woman's hand picking raspberries.

How to Plant Raspberries

Read moreHow to Plant Raspberries
A woman pruning an elderberry bush with loppers.

Fruit Maintenance & When to Prune Berry Bushes

Read moreFruit Maintenance & When to Prune Berry Bushes
Seeds just starting to germinate in small compostable containers.

Gardening in April (Garden Tasks by Month)

Read moreGardening in April (Garden Tasks by Month)
A metal container with lavender growing inside.

Container Gardening for Vegetables- Everything You Need to Know

Read moreContainer Gardening for Vegetables- Everything You Need to Know
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

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)

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

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


© 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