Melissa K. Norris
  • Start here
  • Podcast
  • Articles
  • Books
    • The Family Garden Planner
    • The Family Garden Plan
    • Hand Made
    • The Made From Scratch Life
  • Classes
  • Academy
Log In

Pioneering Today Academy Index

The following index is a list of all the courses available in Pioneering Today Academy (PTA). Once you're logged into PTA, just click on a link as listed below and you'll go directly to that lesson.

Below has each overall category and then the subcategories to help you navigate and find courses for which you are interested.

Live Video Rebroadcasts (includes monthly Q&A's and Monthly Gardening Tasks)

You can jump to each topic by clicking below

Gardening
Growing Fruit
Home Canning
Seed Saving
Raising Livestock
Homesteading Skills
Herbal Deep Dive & Natural Medicine
Pantry Cooking


Growing Your Own Fruits & Veggies

Planning & Seed Starting/Planting & Season Extension

Planning Your Garden

  • Garden Planning Worksheets & Charts
  • How to Identify Micro-Climates
  • Picking the Best Location for Your Plants
  • How to Prepare a Soil Test Sample
  • How to Amend Your Soil & Signs
  • Companion Planting Guide
  • Crop Rotation Guide
  • Raising Food for a Year Masterclass
  • Create Your Fertilizing Plan & Recommendations for Your Garden

Seed Starting

  • How to Start Seeds Indoors
  • Seed Starting Containers and Light Options
  • Introduction to Winter Sowing
  • How to Winter Sow Seeds
  • How to Start Onions from Seeds
  • How to Trim Onions & When to Transplant
  • How & When You Need to Cold Stratify Your Seeds
  • Planting Cold Stratified Seeds

Planting Your Garden

  • Direct Sowing Tips
  • Transplanting Tips for Success
  • How to Fertilize Container Plants
  • Garlic and Onion Planting
  • How to Make a Teepee Trellis – Vertical Gardening
  • Vertical Gardening – How to Grow More in the Same Amount of Space
  • Container Gardening Best Practices
  • Container Gardening – Spacing, Number of Plants per Pot
  • Succession Planting and Intercropping
  • Create Your Fertilizing Plan & Recommendations for Your Garden

Crop Extenders & Cold Frames

  • Crop Extenders to Grow Earlier in the Spring and Later in the Fall/Winter
  • How to Construct a Straw Bale Cold Frame

Fall Gardening

  • How to Plant a Fall Garden
  • Fall Gardening Tips to Improve Your Soil and Frost Protection
  • 3 Reasons Cover Crops are a Gardener's Secret Weapon

Grow Greens Indoors All Winter

  • How to Grow Microgreens in Small Places
  • Troubleshooting and Harvesting Microgreens
  • How to Grow Sprouts (Grow Food in Just 3 Days INDOORS)

Fruits

Pruning Fruit Trees & Berries

  • How to Prune & Trellis Raspberries
  • How to Plant and Prune Blueberries
  • How to Prune Fruit Trees
  • How to Prune Older Trees & Diseased Branches
  • How to Prune Grapes
  • How to Summer Prune & Advantages

Fruit & Berry Planning & Planting

  • Fruit Self and Cross Pollinating Factors
  • How to Plant Fruit Trees
  • Why and How to Mulch Blueberries
  • Mason Bees the Solution to Pollination

Fruit Tree Management

  • Care of 1 to 3 year old Fruit Trees at Blossom Time
  • How to Thin Fruit & Why You Should
  • How to Organically Protect Fruit from Flying Insects

Veggies

Growing Tomatoes

  • How to Plant Tomatoes for Disease Free Success
  • Best Watering Practices for Successful Tomatoes
  • How to Prune Tomatoes and Troubleshooting Blossoms Not Setting Fruit

Other Veggies

  • Garlic and Onion Planting
  • How to Trim Onions & When to Transplant

Harvest & Curing Tips

  • How to Harvest and Cure Onions and Garlic
  • How to Store and Braid Garlic and Onions

Pest and Disease Management, Soil Amending & Fertilizing

Natural Pest & Disease Control

  • Organic Pest Control for Most Common Insects
  • Using Copper Spray (organic disease control)
  • How to Organically Protect Fruit from Flying Insects

Composting

  • How to Build a Compost Pile
  • Compost Temperatures & When to Turn Your Pile
  • Types of Composting & Which is Best for You

Soil Amending & Fertilizing

  • How to Fertilize Container Plants
  • How to Amend Your Soil & Signs

Home Canning with Confidence

Intro to Canning & Safety Rules and Tips

  • Welcome to Canning!
  • Canning Equipment and Terminology
  • Canning Safety Rules
  • How to Store Your Home Canned Jars & Safety Tips
  • Troubleshooting
  • Using an Outdoor Canning Kitchen
  • Pressure Canner Operation Safety and Confidence Tips

Water Bath Canning

Tomatoes

  • Tomato Canning Safety & Removing Skins
  • How to Can Salsa, Recipes & Safety Tips
  • How to Can Tomato Sauce & Peeling Tricks
  • How to Can Tomatoes with Acid Chart

Pickling

  • How to Make Cucumber Pickles and Picking Recipe eBook
  • How to Make Pickled Beets

Fruits

  • Pie Filling & Recipe Book
  • Fruit (Syrup Recipes & Processing Time Charts)
  • Applesauce Using Reusable Tattler Lids
  • Fruit Juice & Syrup
  • Apple or Pear Sauce in the Instant Pot

Jams & Jellies

  • Pectin Sources for Jams & Jellies & Recipe Book
  • 3 Tests to Check the Set or Gel of Jam and Jelly
  • 3 Ingredient Strawberry Jam & Troubleshooting Tips (no store bought pectin)
  • How to Can Fruit Butter with Recipe book including variations
  • Sugar Free Jams & Jellies and Using Pamona's Pectin

Steam Canning

  • Intro to Steam Canning
  • Steam Canning Tutorial & Bruschetta in a Jar Recipe

Pressure Canning

  • Pressure Canner Operation Safety and Confidence Tips

Vegetables

  • Green Beans with the Raw Pack Method
  • Pumpkin and Winter Squash

Meat, Dried Beans, Broth & Soup

  • Dried Beans/Peas & Pork and Beans Molasses Recipe
  • How to Make and Can Bone Broth
  • Meat & Smoked Salmon Canning Tutorial & Recipe
  • Combination and Soup Recipes

Seed Saving

  • Heirloom Seed History and Sources
  • Self-Pollinating Plants
  • Cross Pollination Guide
  • How to Hand Pollinate Squash
  • How to Save Tomato Seeds When You Need to Ferment
  • How to Save Bean Seed & Tips for Avoiding Contamination
  • How to Store Your Seeds and Shelf Life

Raising Livestock

Chickens

  • Starting Your Chicken Flock
  • How to Hatch Out Chicks at Home (even without a rooster)
  • Chicken Feed Options & Do Not Feed List
  • Best Bedding Options for New Chicks
  • How to Raise Meat Chickens & the Night Before Butchering
  • How to Butcher Chickens at Home
  • Raising Chickens in Winter Without Electricity/Heat in the Coop
  • Bringing Chicks Home – Your Care Guide & Checklist
  • How to Prevent Chickens From Being Picked On

Pigs

  • Getting Started with Pigs

Cattle

  • Livestock in Winter Without a Barn

Pasture & Land Management

  • How to Manage Your Pasture and Livestock Rotation

Homesteading Skills

  • Seasonal Harvest Guide

Cast Iron, Outdoor & Woodstove Cooking

  • Intro to Cast Iron Cooking
  • Cleaning Cast Iron
  • Seasoning Cast Iron & Restoring Older Pieces
  • Intro to Outdoor Dutch Oven Cooking & Fruit Dumpling Recipe
  • Intro and Basics of Cooking on a Woodstove
  • Cooking on a Woodstove

Food Skills

General

  • How to Render Lard
  • How to Make Cinnamon Ornaments
  • How to Make Homemade Chai Tea Concentrate
  • How to Freeze Eggs for Year Round Use

Broth

  • Bone Broth – Best Practices for Storage & Roasting…and which is right for you
  • Why & How to Prepare Chicken Feet for Broth
  • Instant Pot & Best Practices for Reusing Bones

Bread & Pastries

  • A Week's Worth of Baking in 1 Hour a Week

Grinding Flour & How to Use Fresh Ground Flour

  • Types of Grains & Which are Best for What (terminology, places to buy)
  • How to Grind Flour at Home & Choosing a Mill
  • Ancient Grains – Spelt – Converting Recipes & Baking Rules
  • Ancient Grains – Einkorn – Baking Guide & Recipes
  • Ancient Grains – Flaky Pie Crust with Fresh Ground Spelt, Einkorn, and Lard
  • Perfect Sandwich Loaf with Hard White Wheat

Gluten-Free Fresh Ground Flour & Baking

  • Gluten Free Grinding & Baking
  • Gluten Free Baking Biscuits, Breads, and Crackers

Bread

  • Intro to Homemade Sandwich Bread
  • How to Make Perfect Sandwich Bread with All-Purpose Flour
  • How to Know Dough is Kneaded Enough (Window Pane Test)
  • Best Dough Rising Tips
  • How to Form Bread Loaves
  • How to Know Loaves are Ready to Bake
  • Best Baking Tips for Perfect Loaves & How to Tell When it's Done
  • How to Slice & Best Bread Storage Options

Master Dough

  • Master Dough Recipe
  • Master Dough Artisan Loaf
  • Master Dough Hamburger Buns
  • Master Dough Cinnamon Rolls
  • Master Dough Pizza 
  • Fresh Ground Flour Master Dough Recipe
  • Sourdough Master Dough Recipe

Pastries

  • How to Make a Perfect Flaky Pie Crust & Freezing Options
  • How to Make Croissants – Part 1
  • Croissants – Part 2 – Lamination Process (creating the layers)
  • Croissants – Part 3 – Forming the Rolls & Baking
  • Croissants – Part 4 – Other Uses for Dough & Pain au Chocolat

Sourdough

  • Sourdough History & Health Benefits
  • Sourdough Bread Terminology & Tools
  • How to Make Sourdough Starter
  • Starter Care Options & Discard Pancake/Waffle Recipes
  • How to Troubleshoot & Test if it's Strong Enough for Bread
  • Sourdough Starter Maintenance Using the Fridge
  • How to Convert Recipes to Sourdough
  • How to Make Sourdough Sandwich Bread
  • Gluten-free Sourdough Sandwich Loaf
  • Sourdough Brownies
  • Sourdough Artisan Loaf with All-Purpose Flour
  • Sourdough Artisan Loaf with Fresh Ground & Ancient Grain Einkorn
  • Sourdough Artisan Loaf Gluten-free & Baking Loaf without a Dutch Oven
  • Sourdough Master Dough Recipe
  • Sourdough Muffins and Quick Bread

Cooking From the Pantry

  • Homemade Cabbage Rolls
  • Homemade Pizza Sauce 
  • Homemade Meatballs with Fruit Glaze

Dehydrating

General

  • Dehydrating Equipment & Temperature Chart
  • Using a Solar Oven for Dehydrating
  • How to Blend Your Own Teas from Dehydrated Items
  • Best Options for Storing Dehydrated Food (How to Know When it's Done)

Vegetables

  • How to Dehydrate Zucchini (including zucchini noodles)
  • How to Dehydrate Kale Chips & Using a Solar Oven for Dehydrating
  • How to Dehydrate Carrots (2 Ways)

Fruits

  • How to Dehydrate Berries & Cherries

Herbs & Flowers

  • How to Dehydrate Flowers & Leaves
  • How to Preserve Herbs in Salt

Fermenting

  • Fermenting Equipment and Intro
  • How to Ferment Cucumbers (Pickles) & Recipe
  • How to Make Traditional Sauerkraut
  • How to Make Spanish Sauerkraut Curtido
  • How to Make Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Intro to Kimchi & Daikon Radish Kimchi
  • Smoked Kale Kraut Tutorial & Recipe
  • Traditional Kimchi Recipe & Tutorial
  • Best Fermenting Practices

Kombucha

  • Kombucha Intro, History & Supply List
  • How to Make Kombucha
  • Kombucha 2nd Ferment & Flavor Recipe Guide
  • Continuous Brew Method

Pasta

  • Intro to Homemade Pasta
  • How to Make Homemade Pasta & Fresh Pasta Storage Options

Herbal Deep Dive & Natural Medicine

Facts, Techniques, & Safety Notes

  • Herb Course Material & Supplies
  • Understanding How to Use Herbs Effectively & Identifying Energetics
  • How to Make Medicinal Tinctures
  • How to Make Glycerin Tinctures & Choosing Your Tincture Liquid
  • Astragalus Root Tincture – Preventative
  • Safety – What You Must Know About Using Elderberries
  • Fever Protocol, Hot Herbal Infusions & Temperature Tamer Tea
  • Best Perennial Kitchen Herbs & Growing Tips

Medicinal Herbs

  • Introduction to Herbal Deep Dive

Chamomile

  • Chamomile Medicinal
  • How to Grow Chamomile

Holy Basil

  • Holy Basil
  • How to Grow Holy Basil

Marshmallow

  • How to Grow Marshmallow
  • Marshmallow Medicinal Uses

Wood Betony

  • How to Grow Wood Betony
  • Wood Betony Medicinal Uses

Stinging Nettles

  • Stinging Nettles for Food and Natural Medicine

Natural Health & Medicine

  • How to Make a Custom Immune Boosting Tea
  • How to Make Fire Cider for Cold and Flu Season
  • How to Make Elderberry Syrup
  • Astragalus Root Tincture – Preventative
  • How to Make First Signs Tincture
  • Fever Protocol, Hot Herbal Infusions & Temperature Tamer Tea
  • How to Make Herbal Cough Syrup
  • How to Make Herbal Steams
  • How to Make Herbal Infused Oil with an Instant Pot or Slow Cooker (Hot Infusion)
  • How to Make Mixed Herbal Oil & Echinacea Tincture
  • How to Make Herbal Salve (Warming Sore Joint/Muscle Recipe)
  • How to Make Herbal Infused Lip Balm (Plus Tinted Lip Balm)
  • How to Make Herbal Infused Lotion Bars
  • How to Make Whipped Body Butter

Soap Making

  • Soap Making Safety, Terms & Supplies
  • How to Use Natural Colorants & Scents in Your Soap
  • How to Make Melt & Pour Soap
  • How to Make Cold Processed Soap
  • How to Make Swirled Soap – Orange Spice Recipe Using Lard

Melissa K. Norris

Follow me:

  • Start Here
  • Courses
  • Academy
  • Contact
Log In

Articles

  • Gardening
  • Homesteading
  • Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • DIY

Podcast

  • How to Create a Gardening Plan for More Harvest and Less Stress
  • How to Make a Sourdough Starter + Tips for Success
  • My Health Journey & Tips for Fitness
  • Where to Buy Heirloom Seeds – Heirloom, Hybrid & GMO Differences
  • Declutter Your Home (Month by Month)

Books

  • The Family Garden Planner
  • Hand Made
  • 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

Copyright 2021 - Melissa K. Norris Pioneering Today LLC

  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use

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.

FYI, we use cookies on this website. If you're okay with that, you don't need to do a thing! Just click "Ok" and keep browsing.Ok