Podcast · Leisure & Travel

Everyday Homesteading

by Homesteading Family · English · Leisure & Travel

Desperate to grow, cook, and preserve real food for your family in only 5-10 hours a week, but stuck as a new homesteader looking for practical, tried and true methods that work? You wanted those pantry shelves filled yesterday, but the more you try, the more it seems a distant pipe dream. Onli

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 35 min
Latest: 10 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

10 Oct 2026 · 27 min

How I Reversed my Pre-Diabetes (Health Update)

In this episode, I’m sharing a very personal update on my health journey and what I’ve learned along the way. What started as frustration over stubborn weight eventually led to deeper testing, toxin exposure, high insulin levels, leptin resistance, thyroid concerns, and a whole lot of questions. The good news is that I’m seeing real progress. My insulin numbers are coming down, I’ve lost weight, my energy is better, my brain fog is gone, I’m sleeping better, and I’m getting stronger. This ...

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

S6 · E55 · 3 Oct 2026 · 37 min
Crazy Gas Prices and Free Potatoes
What do high gas prices have to do with free potatoes? More than you might think! When everyday expenses keep climbing, it’s easy to feel like there’s very little we can do about it. But Josh and I have found that growing food, cooking from scratch, and choosing our homestead projects carefully can help us take back a little control. In this episode of Everyday Homesteading, we’re sharing the story of a $2,000 garden investment we made when money was tight, why we call this year’s potatoes ...
S6 · E54 · 26 Sep 2026 · 34 min
The Secret to Healthier Soil? | Soil Health Part 3
In Part 3 of our Soil Series, I’m diving into soil organic matter and why it’s one of the most important pieces of healthy, productive soil. We’ll look at what organic matter actually is, how it feeds soil biology, improves water retention and soil structure, and the practical ways you can build more of it with compost, mulch, cover crops and less tillage. For more information, read the full blog post here: https://homesteadingfamily.com/soil-organic-matter/ - Thanks to the School of Tradit...
S6 · E53 · 19 Sep 2026 · 50 min
The Meat We Eat: How We Choose It, Buy It & Cook It
If you’re trying to feed your family better-quality meat, it can be hard to know what all the labels really mean. Grass-fed, grass-finished, pasture-raised, organic... and once you bring that meat home, does it need to be cooked differently? In this episode, Josh and I are talking about the meat we eat here on our homestead and why the way an animal is raised and fed matters so much to us. We’ll explain the difference between grass-fed and grass-finished beef, what pasture-raised really mea...
S6 · E52 · 12 Sep 2026 · 36 min
How I Care for Myself (So I Can Take Care of Others)
Self-care isn’t about escaping your responsibilities. It’s about caring for your body, mind, and soul so you can show up well for your family. In this episode, I share what self-care looks like in my own life, including my morning routine, health habits, and why true self-care should actually move you toward greater health. You can watch and read more at the blog post here: https://homesteadingfamily.com/self-care-for-moms/ TIME STAMPS: 0:00 - Introduction 1:04 - American Blossom Linens 4:...
S6 · E51 · 5 Sep 2026 · 42 min
Late Summer Garden Tasks
By late summer, the garden can start to feel a little wild. The weeds are growing fast, the harvest is piling up, watering needs are changing, and life outside the garden is getting busier, too. So what actually needs your attention right now, and what can you let go? In this episode of Everyday Homesteading, we’re talking through our top priorities for the late summer garden. We’ll cover why harvesting should come first, how to adjust your watering as the season changes, what to do with ba...
S6 · E50 · 29 Aug 2026 · 38 min
Your Soil Needs More Than NPK | Soil Health Part 2
Healthy soil requires more than nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. In Part 2 of our soil health series, we're taking a deeper look at the essential minerals plants need to grow strong, resist stress and produce truly nutrient-dense food. In this episode, you’ll learn: 🪨 The difference between macronutrients and micronutrients 🌱 How nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulfur support plant growth 🔍 Common signs of mineral deficiencies 🧪 Why soil pH and biology affect nutr...
S6 · E49 · 22 Aug 2026 · 33 min
6 Old-Fashioned Homemaking Habits That I Use Every Day
Some of the best homemaking advice isn't new at all. Over the years, I've learned a lot from old household manuals, historical books and the way generations before us managed their homes. While I certainly love my modern conveniences, there are some old-fashioned practices that still make our household and homestead run so much more smoothly. In this episode, I'm sharing six that I still use today, including: 🏡 Giving each day of the week a purpose 🥕 Shopping the garden and pantry before th...
S6 · E48 · 15 Aug 2026 · 30 min
Don't Make THESE Preserving Mistakes
Preserving season can be incredibly rewarding, but when the garden is producing faster than you can keep up, it can also become overwhelming fast! Over the years, we've learned plenty of lessons the hard way about what makes harvest and food preservation season easier... and what makes it much harder than it needs to be. In this episode, we're sharing some of the biggest food preservation mistakes we've made and the practical habits that now help us manage the abundance without burning ours...
S6 · E47 · 8 Aug 2026 · 26 min
My Values Are Showing: The Quiet Power of a Home Well Lived
Homesteading and homemaking are often treated as two separate pursuits, but what if they were never meant to be? In this episode of Everyday Homesteading, I'm sharing why I believe homemaking is the true foundation of homesteading. From growing food and preserving the harvest to preparing meals and caring for my family, it's all part of the same purpose: creating a home that reflects our values and nurtures the people we love. If you've ever felt like you're trying to "balance" homemaking a...
S6 · E46 · 1 Aug 2026 · 46 min
The Summer Slump in the Vegetable Garden (How We Survive!)
Have you ever walked into your garden and felt completely overwhelmed? You're not alone! Every gardener reaches a point where the weeds seem to multiply overnight, the harvest starts piling up, and it feels like there's never enough time to keep up. In this episode of Everyday Homesteading, we're sharing the practical routines, mindset shifts, and garden systems that have helped our family grow and preserve most of our food without burning out. From daily garden walks and harvesting routines...
S6 · E45 · 25 Jul 2026 · 28 min
Stop Poisoning Your Soil: It's Worse Than You Think!
Healthy soil doesn't happen by accident. It starts with protecting the living ecosystem beneath your feet. In this first teaching episode of my Soil Health series, I'm sharing why keeping your soil chemical-free is the foundation for everything else we'll cover. Whether you're growing vegetables, fruit trees, flowers, or pasture, the health of your soil determines the health of your plants. We'll look at how herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and synthetic fertilizers affect the beneficial...
S6 · E44 · 18 Jul 2026 · 54 min
The Missing Piece of Modern Homesteading
Have you ever stopped to consider that caring for the land isn't just a homesteading skill, but part of our Christian calling? In this episode of Everyday Homesteading, I'm joined by Brendan McClenahan from Plant With Purpose and the TEND Initiative to explore what the Bible says about stewardship, creation, and why growing food can deepen our faith. For many Christians, conversations about caring for the earth have become complicated. But long before environmental movements existed, God ga...
S6 · E43 · 11 Jul 2026 · 32 min
8 Reasons Your Canning Jars Didn't Seal
Have you ever finished a canning session only to discover one or more jars didn't seal? It happens to every home canner at some point, and even after more than 20 years of canning and preserving food for my family, I still have an occasional seal failure. In this video, I'm sharing the most common reasons canning jars don't seal, how to troubleshoot failed seals, and what you should do if you find an unsealed jar. We'll also cover simple habits that can help you prevent seal failures in futu...
S6 · E42 · 4 Jul 2026 · 24 min
How I Preserve a Year's Worth of Food Without Burnout
Are you working yourself to exhaustion trying to preserve every possible food for your pantry? I used to think a successful pantry meant recreating the grocery store at home. But after more than 20 years of homesteading, I've learned that's one of the fastest ways to burn out. In this video, I'm sharing the mindset shift that completely changed the way I preserve food. Instead of asking, "What do I want to eat?" I started asking, "What preserves well?" That one simple change has saved me cou...
S6 · E41 · 27 Jun 2026 · 35 min
Our Daughter is Running the Garden!
What does it really look like to manage a large homestead garden? In this episode of Everyday Homesteading, I'm joined by my oldest daughter, Rachel, who has taken over management of our main crop garden this year. We sit down for a candid conversation about what's working, what we're learning, and a few garden bloopers that prove even experienced gardeners don't always get it right! Rachel shares what it means to be responsible for a garden without having to do all the labor herself, how we...
S6 · E40 · 20 Jun 2026 · 29 min
The Truth About Soil Health (And Why It Changes Everything)
What if the secret to healthier plants, bigger harvests, fewer pests, and less work in the garden isn't another fertilizer or amendment? What if it's your soil? In this episode of Everyday Homesteading, we're kicking off a brand-new Soil School series by exploring the foundation of every productive garden: healthy soil. You'll learn why soil is much more than dirt, how a thriving soil ecosystem works, and the six key elements that create resilient, nutrient-dense gardens. Over the next seve...
S6 · E39 · 13 Jun 2026 · 45 min
Botany in an Hour: The Secret Key to Better Gardening, Foraging & Herbalism
Have you ever tried to identify a plant, opened a field guide, and immediately felt overwhelmed? You're not alone. In this episode, I'm joined by Rachel Parks of Botany in an Hour to talk about a simple approach to botany that can completely change the way you look at plants. Instead of trying to memorize thousands of individual species, Rachel explains how learning a handful of plant families can help you become a better gardener, herbalist, forager, and homesteader. We discuss why underst...
S6 · E38 · 6 Jun 2026 · 49 min
Natural Pest Control That Actually Works (Without Chemicals)
If you’ve ever struggled with pests in the garden, this episode will completely change how you think about natural pest control. Instead of reaching for sprays first, we’re talking about a layered, holistic approach to growing healthier plants that naturally resist pests better. From building living soil to attracting beneficial insects and knowing when organic interventions are actually appropriate, this conversation is all about working with nature instead of fighting against it. In this ...
S6 · E37 · 30 May 2026 · 28 min
3 Canning Rules That Confuse New Food Preservers
In this podcast, I’m diving into three canning concepts that confuse even experienced home canners. These are the kinds of things that can leave you second-guessing whether your jars are actually safe on the pantry shelf. In this episode of Everyday Homesteading, I’m breaking down: - Why I never store jars with the rings tightened on - What changing liquid levels in your jars actually mean - Why proper headspace matters so much - What causes siphoning and how to prevent it - How false seals...
S6 · E36 · 23 May 2026 · 33 min
How Often Should You Water Your Garden?
Should you water your garden every day? The short answer is probably not. In this episode, we’re breaking down one of the most common gardening questions and helping you understand how to water your garden for healthier plants, deeper roots, and better harvests. You’ll learn: • How often most gardens actually need water • Why daily watering can weaken plants • The difference between deep watering and shallow watering • The best time of day to water • How soil type changes your watering sched...
S6 · E35 · 16 May 2026 · 52 min
Are You Falling for the "Great Society" Trap?
How do we preserve family, community, and truth in a culture that seems to be moving faster and faster away from them? In this episode of Everyday Homesteading, I sat down with my friend Rory Groves for a thoughtful conversation about modern culture, technology, family economy, and what many families are sensing right now: that something important has been lost. Using the republished book Henry and the Great Society as a starting point, we talked about how modernization changed family life, c...
S6 · E34 · 9 May 2026 · 29 min
How We Are Upgrading Our Homestead this Year
After years of pushing hard on our homestead, we reached a point where we had to ask a tough question: Is everything we’re doing actually sustainable? Last year, we intentionally slowed down. Not completely, but enough to take a step back and evaluate what was working and what wasn’t. And what we learned changed how we’re approaching this year in a big way. In this episode, we’re sharing the real-life changes we’re making on our homestead. The projects we’re moving forward with, the systems w...
S6 · E33 · 2 May 2026 · 30 min
7 Things I WISH I Knew BEFORE Buying a Freeze Dryer
I’ll be honest… when I first heard about freeze dryers, I thought they were a gimmick. I didn’t want to spend money on an expensive appliance that would just sit there collecting dust. But after using one in my own kitchen, I can tell you this clearly… I was wrong. In this video, I’m sharing the 7 things I wish I knew before getting a freeze dryer. These are the lessons that would have saved me time, food, and a whole lot of frustration when I was first starting out. If you’re wondering w...
S6 · E32 · 25 Apr 2026 · 32 min
How to Start a Garden (Without Overthinking It)
If you’ve ever felt like you need to learn everything before starting a garden, you’re not alone. In today’s episode, we’re simplifying the process and showing you how to start a garden without getting overwhelmed. Gardening is a journey. And the truth is, you don’t need perfect soil, perfect seeds, or perfect knowledge to begin. You just need a few key principles and a willingness to learn as you go. This episode is all about helping you take that first step with confidence. In this episode ...
S6 · E31 · 18 Apr 2026 · 43 min
The Dangerous Egg Washing Mistake (And How to Do It Safely)
Are your chicken eggs coming into the house dirty, especially during mud season? In this episode of Everyday Homesteading, Carolyn is joined by Amy, cofounder of Good Egg, to talk about how to keep eggs clean starting in the coop—and how to properly handle fresh eggs once they’re in your kitchen. We’re covering everything from nesting box strategies to the right (and wrong) way to wash eggs, plus how storage methods affect shelf life. If you’ve ever wondered whether to wash your eggs, how l...
S6 · E30 · 11 Apr 2026 · 1 hr
Nature Deficit Disorder (Why Your Kids Need a Garden)
How do you get your kids excited about gardening, especially if you’re still learning yourself? In this episode of Everyday Homesteading, I’m joined by Luke Hammond from Dirt Academy Kids to talk about why gardening is one of the most powerful tools we have for raising capable, grounded kids. We dive into: Why so many adults who garden today had childhood garden experiences The real-life skills kids learn in the garden How gardening helps improve kids’ health and t...
S6 · E29 · 4 Apr 2026 · 36 min
Why Our Daughter Chose to Stay Close to Home
What happens when your child grows up… and chooses to stay? In this episode of the Everyday Homesteading podcast, I’m joined by my oldest daughter, Rachel, as we share the story behind her and her husband’s decision to stay close to home and build a tiny house right here on our homestead. We’re talking about what it really looks like to build a life near family in today’s world—from navigating independence and boundaries to learning how to work together as separate households with a shared vi...
S6 · E28 · 28 Mar 2026 · 27 min
3 Things You Must Get Right for Safe Canning
Canning safety can feel overwhelming, especially when you hear all the warnings and conflicting advice out there. But what if it’s actually much simpler than you think? In today’s episode, I’m breaking down the three things you absolutely must get right for canning safety so you can preserve food with confidence and peace of mind. We’ll talk about: Why so many people feel afraid of canningThe truth about botulism and real riskHow pH determines whether you water bath or pressure canWhy process...
S6 · E27 · 21 Mar 2026 · 38 min
Do you have these Quiet Skills for TRULY Resilient Living?
We spend a lot of time learning the hands-on skills of homesteading like baking, gardening, and preserving. But what if those aren’t the skills that actually make a home run well? In this episode, we’re talking about the quiet skills that don’t get much attention but make all the difference. Things like planning ahead, creating rhythms, finishing what you start, and learning how to say no. These are the habits that protect your peace, prevent burnout, and help you build a sustainable homestea...

About Everyday Homesteading

Everyday Homesteading is a English leisure & travel podcast from Homesteading Family. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Homesteading Family
Language: English
Category: Leisure & Travel
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 35 min
Latest episode: 10 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1525610340

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