Old Fashioned On Purpose

After the worst garden season I’ve ever had, I had the pleasure of chatting with soil scientist Dr. Caitlin Youngquist on my podcast to help me figure out what was actually going on beneath the surface.
We dig into my soil test results, tips for adding organic matter to the soil, and whether no-dig or tilling makes sense in a struggling garden. We also talk about soil testing, possible herbicide contamination, and the most common garden soil struggles. If your garden is struggling and you’re not sure what to add—or what to stop adding—this episode will help you think about your soil much more clearly.
Podcast Episode Highlights:
Common categories of garden struggles
Looking at Jill's garden soil test results
Thinking about salts in the soil
Talking about phosphorous, nitrogen, etc.
Tips for adding organic matter to the soil
No-dig method, tilling, etc. and how might change things
A closer look at compost
Discussing soil tests
Talking about herbicides and soil contamination issues
Final thoughts
Resources Mentioned in This Podcast Episode:
Learn more about Azure Standard and their non-GMO, wholesome food options (especially bulk food) here: https://www.azurestandard.com/?a_aid=ANnu0O8ySU
–> Join Azure Standard for FREE and enjoy 15% off your first order of $100 or more. Simply use promo code OLDFASHIONED15 at checkout.
Dr. Caitlin Youngquist offers a membership based community for Wyoming homesteaders on Patreon. In it, you can dive into topics just like this, with monthly live learning sessions, groups forums, and conversations with experts from around the state. Check out the free resources there that she posted, and consider joining the fall cohort. They kick off with their first live event for the fall cohort on October 12th. Most of what they discuss is relevant for anyone homesteading in the mountain west - not only Wyoming. Learn more here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/DrCaitlin
For those looking for soil testing help, please visit Caitlin Youngquist's site here: https://www.dirtworkswyo.com/category/services. 
For more information about biochar, wool pellets, alkali soils, and soil testing, please visit: https://www.dirtworkswyo.com/blog
She also share videos about soil and compost on YouTube (@DirtWorksWyoming), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/dirtworkswyo/), and TikTok (@dr_caitlin)
Previous Podcast Episodes & Blog Articles on Soil Health:
Ancient Grains: Your New Best Friend in the Kitchen (previous podcast episode with Dr. Caitlin Youngquist)
The Worst Garden of My Entire Life (blog article with image of Jill's current soil test and more details on her current garden struggles)
Data Centers & Dead Soil: What Are We Willing to Sacrifice for Progress? (podcast episode)
How to Feed Your Soil a Whole Food Diet (podcast episode)
How Fall in Love with Your Soil (podcast episode)
OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR YOUR HOMESTEAD:
Sign up for weekly musings from my homestead: https://jillwinger.substack.com/
Get my free homesteading tutorials & recipes here: www.theprairiehomestead.com
Jill on Instagram: @jill.winger
Jill on Facebook: http://facebook.com/theprairiehomestead
Apply to be a guest on the Old-Fashioned on Purpose podcast: https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/podcast-guest-application

Did you enjoy listening to this episode? Please drop a comment below or leave a review to let us know. This can help other folks learn about this podcast and we also really appreciate the feedback!

What does progress cost us and how do we decide when the price is too high?
In this episode, I’m thinking about the great Wendell Berry, my recent garden and soil struggles, the rise of data centers, and the way we’ve learned to value land. I’m exploring the tension between exploitation and stewardship, progress and preservation, and the important difference between asking whether we can do something and whether we should. 
Podcast Episode Highlights:
Pondering progress these days
Thinking about Wendell Berry and his influence
What my recent garden woes has made me think more about
Thinking about the value of land
Exploitation vs. nurture
Cycle of life vs. straight line
Thinking about contradictions, criticisms, and either/or
Asking questions matters
CAN we do something vs. SHOULD we do something
What does progress cost us?
Final thoughts
Resources Mentioned in This Podcast Episode:
Learn more about Azure Standard and their non-GMO, wholesome food options (especially bulk food) here: https://www.azurestandard.com/?a_aid=ANnu0O8ySU
–> Join Azure Standard for FREE and enjoy 15% off your first order of $100 or more. Simply use promo code OLDFASHIONED15 at checkout.
Check out my Substack essays here: https://jillwinger.substack.com/
Previous Podcast Episodes & Blog Articles on Deep Thoughts on the Land:
When the Problem Becomes the Solution (podcast episode)
When the Ground Can No Longer Feed Us (blog article)
What I’m Doing Differently on Homestead #2 (podcast episode)
Breaking Out of the Ag Echo Chamber (podcast episode)
OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR YOUR HOMESTEAD:
Sign up for weekly musings from my homestead: https://jillwinger.substack.com/
Get my free homesteading tutorials & recipes here: www.theprairiehomestead.com
Jill on Instagram: @jill.winger
Jill on Facebook: http://facebook.com/theprairiehomestead
Apply to be a guest on the Old-Fashioned on Purpose podcast: https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/podcast-guest-application

Did you enjoy listening to this episode? Please drop a comment below or leave a review to let us know. This can help other folks learn about this podcast and we also really appreciate the feedback!

When I started my first homestead in 2008, I had plenty of enthusiasm and absolutely no patience. Nearly two decades later, I’m beginning again on a new piece of ground, but this time I’m not starting from scratch; I’m starting from experience.
In this episode, I’m sharing the biggest lessons shaping how I approach my new home and 20 acres, from making slower decisions and resisting the urge to do more, to building for real life instead of the fantasy version of homesteading. We’ll also talk about comparison, asking better questions, and why starting over can look very different when you know yourself better.
Podcast Episode Highlights:
What I've learned about my life lately 
Starting over vs. starting from experience
Point #1: Making slower decisions
Point #2: More isn't always better
Point #3: Real life and not fantasy homestead
Point #4: Don't compare 
Point #5: Asking different questions
Final thoughts
Resources Mentioned in This Podcast Episode:
Learn more about Azure Standard and their non-GMO, wholesome food options (especially bulk food) here: https://www.azurestandard.com/?a_aid=ANnu0O8ySU
–> Join Azure Standard for FREE and enjoy 15% off your first order of $100 or more. Simply use promo code OLDFASHIONED15 at checkout.
Check out my Substack essays here: https://jillwinger.substack.com/
Previous Podcast Episodes & Blog Articles on Life Knowledge:
Embarrassment is the Cost of Entry (podcast episode)
The Incredible Gift of Failure (podcast episode)
It Takes Guts to be Bad at Something (podcast episode)
When Everything Feels Out of Control, I Do This (blog article)
OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR YOUR HOMESTEAD:
Sign up for weekly musings from my homestead: https://jillwinger.substack.com/
Get my free homesteading tutorials & recipes here: www.theprairiehomestead.com
Jill on Instagram: @jill.winger
Jill on Facebook: http://facebook.com/theprairiehomestead
Apply to be a guest on the Old-Fashioned on Purpose podcast: https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/podcast-guest-application

Did you enjoy listening to this episode? Please drop a comment below or leave a review to let us know. This can help other folks learn about this podcast and we also really appreciate the feedback!

If you’ve ever wondered how a book goes from a half-formed idea in your head to something sitting on a bookstore shelf, I’m pulling back the curtain on exactly how it happened for me.
In this episode, I’m walking through my experience with agents, book proposals, pitching publishers, advances and royalties, writing, photography, and the surprisingly long road to publication. I’ll also explain the different publishing paths available and what authors actually need to know about marketing once the book is finished. This isn’t an exhaustive guide to publishing—it’s the real story of how my books came together and what I’ve learned along the way.
Podcast Episode Highlights:
Why I'm talking about my experience on writing and selling books
Most common types of ways to publish your book
How you get paid from publishing companies
The process of turning a book idea into a book
Details on having an agent
Details on writing a book proposal
Pitching to publishers
The long process to actually getting the book published
How I do my writing process and photography for the book
What you need to know about marketing your book
Final Thoughts
Resources Mentioned in This Podcast Episode:
Learn more about Toups and Co. here: https://toupsandco.com/pages/prairie25
First time buyers can use the code Prairie25 to get you 25% off your first Toups order.
Find my cookbook here: http://homesteadcookbook.com/
Find my Old-Fashioned on Purpose book here: http://oldfashionedbook.com/
If you're interested in joining my small group business coach/mentorship program, email me at: Jill@theprairiehomestead.com
OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR YOUR HOMESTEAD:
Sign up for weekly musings from my homestead: https://jillwinger.substack.com/
Get my free homesteading tutorials & recipes here: www.theprairiehomestead.com
Jill on Instagram: @jill.winger
Jill on Facebook: http://facebook.com/theprairiehomestead
Apply to be a guest on the Old-Fashioned on Purpose podcast: https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/podcast-guest-application

Did you enjoy listening to this episode? Please drop a comment below or leave a review to let us know. This can help other folks learn about this podcast and we also really appreciate the feedback!

Grocery prices keep climbing, but most of the advice I’ve heard for spending less still seems to boil down to “use coupons” and “don’t grocery shop while you’re hungry.” After years of running a restaurant, I’ve started thinking about my household food economy very differently.
In this episode, I’m sharing the practical strategies I’ve picked up from the restaurant world and how they’ve changed the way I shop, cook, stock my pantry and freezer, and even think about the garden. Because spending less on groceries isn’t about doing everything perfectly. It’s about building a food system that actually works for your life.
Podcast Episode Highlights:
High grocery prices, lame advice, food economy thoughts, etc.
Strategy: focus on price per meal
Strategy: don't forget the waste-adjusted price
Strategy: buy ingredients, not intentions
Strategy: build an anti-takeout pantry
Frugality doesn't need to mean purity
Strategy: buy in bulk BUT keep these things in mind
Strategy: be careful about how much you shop
Learn the 'clean out the fridge' formats
Stop making everything from scratch
Careful about using your freezer
Thinking about the garden for your grocery bill
Let's talk about protein
Final thoughts
Resources Mentioned in This Podcast Episode:
Learn more about Toups and Co. here: https://toupsandco.com/pages/prairie25
First time buyers can use the code Prairie25 to get you 25% off your first Toups order.
Find my cookbook here: http://homesteadcookbook.com/
Check out Azure Standard here: https://www.azurestandard.com/?a_aid=ANnu0O8ySU
Learn more about Meal Craft here: https://mealcraftmethod.com/
Previous Podcast Episodes & Blog Articles on Food:
How I’m Cooking These Days (podcast episode): https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/tph_podcasts/season-18-episode-13-how-im-cooking-these-days
Why Meal Planning Doesn’t Work for You (and what to do instead!) (podcast episode): https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/tph_podcasts/season-14-episode-21-why-meal-planning-doesnt-work-for-you-and-what-to-do-instead
How to Find Nourishing Food WITHOUT a Farm (podcast episode): https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/tph_podcasts/season-11-episode-11-how-to-find-nourishing-food-without-a-farm-with-liz-haselmayer
How to Store a Year’s Worth of Food for Your Family (Without Waste and Overwhelm) (blog article): https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2021/09/how-to-store-a-years-worth-of-food-for-your-family-without-waste-and-overwhelm.html
How to Store and Use Bulk Pantry Goods (blog article): https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2021/10/how-to-store-and-use-bulk-pantry-goods.html
OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR YOUR HOMESTEAD:
Sign up for weekly musings from my homestead: https://jillwinger.substack.com/
Get my free homesteading tutorials & recipes here: www.theprairiehomestead.com
Jill on Instagram: @jill.winger
Jill on Facebook: http://facebook.com/theprairiehomestead
Apply to be a guest on the Old-Fashioned on Purpose podcast: https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/podcast-guest-application

Did you enjoy listening to this episode? Please drop a comment below or leave a review to let us know. This can help other folks learn about this podcast and we also really appreciate the feedback!