

Pioneering Today Podcast - Homesteading in a Modern World
Melissa K Norris
Pioneering Today is all about getting back to basics, simple living, and self-sufficiency with old-fashioned skills and wisdom in a modern world. With heirloom gardening, canning, preserving the harvest, from scratch cooking, raising your own food, including livestock (backyard chickens, pigs, and cattle), natural medicine, herbs, DIY like soap making along with living a simple self-sufficient life, no matter where you live. Hosted by 5th generation homesteader, Melissa K. Norris, author of The Made-from-Scratch Life. This podcast brings you the conversation from MelissaKNorris.com and The Pioneering Today Academy, with Q&A's, teaching, tutorials, and always giving you practical ways and tips to live the simple and self-sufficient life.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 16, 2021 • 31min
Great Depression Era Living & Lost Off-Grid Preservation Technique for Green Beans
This week's podcast is very special to me as it includes my dad and me taking a trip down memory lane as we visit the old "Homestead" where he grew up. This is actually the audio taken from a YouTube video I published a couple weeks back, so if you'd like to watch the video along with the podcast, visit melissaknorris.com/312 and some of the conversations we're having may make more sense when you can see it. He's a wealth of information on living through hard times and the hardest working man I know.

Jul 2, 2021 • 42min
The Advantage to Using Grow Bags In Your Garden with Kevin Espiritu from Epic Gardening
There are many ways to grow food in the garden, but if you're short on space, using grow bags is a fantastic option to not only gain more space but grow food without having to build a permanent gardening option. Join me for this podcast episode with Kevin Espiritu from Epic Gardening as he shares his epic wisdom on using grow bags in the garden. For more information, visit melissaknorris.com/311

Jun 25, 2021 • 54min
7 Ways to Preserve Eggs at Home w/ Lisa Steele
Many people recommend artificial lighting to keep up egg production during the winter months, but this is hard on hens. Alternatively, I work with the seasons to allow the hens to produce eggs in their natural cycles. As a result, our homestead has high egg production in the spring, with low production in the winter. A critical homesteading skill is to learn which foods are seasonal, and some may be surprised to learn that eggs are seasonal too! For more information, visit melissaknorris.com/310.

Jun 18, 2021 • 57min
Creating a Homestead Business That Makes Money
If you're an entrepreneur or a homesteader looking to make an income from your time, skills, or physical products, this podcast is for you! Join me and Anne Briggs (from Anne of All Trades) as we discuss the realities behind owning your own business, and how to properly price products to make a profit. For more information and related links from this episode, visit melissaknorris.com/309.

Jun 11, 2021 • 1h 2min
Maximizing Your Homestead for Profit & Production with Joel Salatin
Sit down with Joel Salatin and me as we discuss methods for increasing the profits from your homestead, different methods for earning a living from your homestead, and ways to increase production (even on a small homestead). We also discuss the best animals and practices for regenerative agriculture and improving the land WITH your animals for both the health of the animal and the land. For more information, visit melissaknorris.com/308.

Jun 4, 2021 • 27min
The Science of Food Preservation
There are several different methods for food preservation, and in this episode of the Pioneering Today Podcast, we are going to cover what mechanisms are at play for nine of these methods. Not all forms of food preservation are appropriate for every food, so it's important to have a good understanding of what is happening during food preservation in order to know which method to use. For more information, visit melissaknorris.com/307.

May 28, 2021 • 32min
Homesteading Myths Busted
When we're dreaming of an ideal homestead, it's true that many of us picture acreage with a beautiful log cabin tucked in the treeline, or a huge farmhouse with every upgrade imaginable. But does that mean without those things you can't homestead? Absolutely not! I'm dispelling the most commonly believed homesteading myths in today's podcast. To read them all and to grab the show notes and links mentioned, visit melissaknorris.com/306.

May 21, 2021 • 48min
How to Grow Food YEAR ROUND Using Covers (Both Hot & Cold Weather) with Nikki Jabour
We're talking about how to grow food year-round using covers. Most often, people think of growing under cover for colder climates, but this method actually works for helping grow your garden in the heat of summer, too. Niki Jabbour, author of Year Round Gardening: Growing Under Cover and SavvyGardener.com and I are discussing all things gardening and chatting about methods for extending your growing season to all four seasons. Grab the show notes and links mentioned at melissaknorris.com/305.

May 14, 2021 • 44min
Foolproof Methods When Garden Overwhelm Sets In (Jessica Sowards of Roots & Refuge)
In today's episode, I'm talking with Jessica Soward from Roots & Refuge Farm and we're discussing foolproof methods that you need to build into your gardening plan. When gardening overwhelm sets in, having these methods available means there's less stress to be had! Grab the show notes and links mentioned at melissaknorris.com/304.

May 7, 2021 • 41min
Buying Homestead Property - What You Must Know
If you're considering buying land and starting a homestead, or even moving an existing homestead to a new property, this podcast is one you'll want to tune into to learn what to look for and things to be aware of BEFORE you buy. Today's episode is with Cathy Paine, who I interviewed all about raising American Guinea Hogs, and she's chatting with me, sharing all her insight into what you need to know when buying a homestead. For more information and shownotes visit melissaknorris.com/303.


