The Homestead Challenge Podcast | Suburban Homesteading, Gardening, Food From Scratch, Sustainable Living

One-Day Pre-Winter Homestead Reset

Feeling behind on fall homestead chores? This realistic pre-winter homestead reset focuses on the garden, pantry, freezer, easy meals, and home so you can prepare for winter without an overwhelming checklist. See what you can realistically accomplish in just one productive day before the busy holiday season begins.

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Do you love the idea of Christmas but find yourself completely overwhelmed once the holiday season actually arrives? That has been me for the past few years, and this year I’m trying something different.

Instead of waiting until December to deal with the clutter, shopping, meals, unfinished projects, and endless mental load, I’m starting now. I’m decluttering one manageable space at a time, getting Christmas shopping out of the way, leaning heavily into freezer and crockpot meals, gathering the last herbs, and giving myself permission to close down the garden instead of squeezing out one more round of productivity.

This isn't about creating another list of things you should be doing before Christmas. It's about serving your home and family in a way that creates more margin later.

In this episode, I’m sharing what that looks like in my own home and asking one simple question: What can you do now that your future self will be really grateful you already handled?

Because I’m not spending October preparing so I can do more in December. I’m preparing now so I can have less to do—and more room to actually enjoy the season.

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Preservation season isn't over just because the tomatoes and cucumbers are finally slowing down!

Honestly, I’m a little burnt out on preserving at this point in the year, too. But there are still plenty of things growing in the garden and available locally that are worth putting up for winter—and some of them can double as inexpensive homemade gifts for the holidays.

In this episode, I’m sharing five things I’m still preserving in October:

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Apples: I’m using local seconds to make applesauce and apple butter, then turning many of the leftover scraps into apple scrap vinegar.

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Herbs: Before frost takes them, I’m drying more rosemary and other herbs to use in winter simmer pots and homemade gifts.

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Winter squash: Some will be cured and stored whole, while the rest will be cubed and frozen so it’s ready to toss into soups and other winter meals.

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Cabbage: Homemade sauerkraut is a fall and winter staple in our house, and it’s one of my favorite beginner-friendly fermentation projects.

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Herb salts: My chives are still going strong, so I’m making more chive salt along with other herb salts to use at home and give as gifts.

If you’re completely over preservation season, you do not have to fill another pantry shelf. Instead, take a quick look around your garden, visit one of the last farmers markets of the season, or see what your local orchard has available.

Choose one thing you can preserve now that will make winter a little easier—or give you one less gift to worry about when the holidays arrive.

And speaking of the holidays... are we ready to talk about Christmas yet? Because I’m already trying to get ahead so I can actually enjoy the magic of the season instead of spending December stressed out!

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https://thehomesteadchallenge.com/homemade-sauerkraut-learn-to-ferment-from-a-total-newbie-i-promise-its-not-that-scary/

This episode started with something I've been noticing through the farmstand: people aren't necessarily looking to completely change their lives—they're looking for simple ways to make the lives they already have a little better. And honestly? That's what I want from homesteading too. Pasted text

Homesteading can quickly become an endless list of things we're supposed to learn, grow, preserve, bake, make and buy. But instead of constantly asking, “What should I learn next?” I want us to start asking, “What do I actually want homesteading to give me?”

In this episode, we chat about:

• Why convenience doesn't have to be the enemy of homesteading
• Creating convenience for your future self through preserving, freezer meals and pantry staples
• Why I recommend replacing something instead of adding something
• Figuring out what you actually want a homesteading skill to give you
• Four questions to ask before taking on another skill or project
• Getting rid of the things sitting on your “guilt shelf”
• Why you don't have to be completely self-sufficient
• Using local farms, bakeries, makers and other community resources as part of your homesteading lifestyle
• Why there really isn't a line you have to cross before you're allowed to call yourself a homesteader
• Choosing skills that align with your actual goals instead of someone else's version of homesteading

You don't need acreage, livestock or a pantry filled with everything you've ever canned to live a homesteading lifestyle. You can slowly build skills, make better swaps for your household and create a life that feels healthier, more capable and more connected—without doing everything yourself.

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Do you actually need more food, supplies, and preparedness gear—or could you become more prepared simply by making better use of what you already have?

In this final episode of my pantry preparedness series, I’m challenging you to imagine what would happen if you couldn’t go to the grocery store for two weeks. Could you make breakfasts, lunches, and dinners from what’s already in your pantry and freezer? Do you know how to turn basic ingredients into meals? And if the power went out, do you know what’s in your freezer, where your flashlights are, or how you’d handle the food you already have?

We’re also talking about something I think is just as valuable as the food on your shelves: skills. Knowing how to cook from scratch, bake bread, preserve food, can, freeze, ferment, grow food, make broth, or simply get creative with ingredients can make your household more resilient without building a giant stockpile.

I’m also touching on financial preparedness, finding the weak spots in your household, and the constant temptation to believe that one more gadget, freezer, generator, or dream freeze dryer will finally make us “prepared enough.”

The goal isn’t to prepare for every possible scenario or create another massive to-do list. Take inventory, learn how to use what you already have, identify one weak spot, and choose one small thing you can do this week to make your household a little more resilient.

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What does pantry preparedness actually look like when you’re not interested in stockpiling a year’s worth of food?

This week, I’m taking you behind the scenes of what preparedness looks like in my own home—and it turns out it’s a lot less about filling shelves and a lot more about creating a food system that keeps moving.

I recently bought food in bulk and spent about four hours preparing 14 freezer meals for busy school nights, sports, workdays, holidays, and all of those evenings when having dinner ready can keep us from spending money on takeout. But finding room for 14 new meals meant finally dealing with the tomatoes I’d been freezing from the garden all summer, so now those tomatoes are moving from the freezer to the canner and eventually onto my pantry shelves as enchilada sauce and barbecue sauce.

In this episode, I’m also talking about how I decide what’s actually worth stocking up on at Costco, why a 20-pound bag of rice makes absolutely no sense for my family, how preparedness can save time as well as money, and why having the skills, supplies, and systems to handle the food you already have can be more valuable than simply accumulating more.

My preparedness isn’t ever really “finished.” Summer is for growing, harvesting, eating fresh, and freezing. Fall is for preserving and stocking. Winter is for eating through what we’ve stored, making soups and stocks, and eventually looking ahead to what we want to grow again next year.

It’s a constantly moving system—and I think that’s a much more practical way to think about preparedness for busy families.

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With grocery prices rising and uncertainty making headlines, it’s easy to feel like you should be stocking up—but pantry preparedness doesn’t have to mean panic buying or filling your basement with food you’ll never eat. In this episode, we’re kicking off a new pantry preparedness series by talking about what it actually means to have a resilient, useful pantry, how preparedness differs from stockpiling, and the simple questions that can help you figure out what your household really needs. Before you buy a single extra thing, I’m challenging you to shop your own pantry, freezer, and fridge and start building food security around the way your family actually eats.

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Before most of these things ever made it onto my farmstand, they had a place on my own shelves. In this episode, I’m taking you behind the stand to share everything from pantry mixes, jams, teas, and homemade cleaning products to sugar scrubs, simmer pots, bug spray, fresh herbs, flowers, and more. I’m sharing how I actually use them in my own home, what makes a great homemade gift, and why you absolutely don’t need to learn how to make everything at once.

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After a busy summer away from the podcast, I’m back for an honest late-summer homestead check-in! We’re talking about what worked this summer, what definitely didn’t, garden wins and failures, what I’ve actually been preserving, and the lessons I’m taking into next year. Plus, I’m sharing my realistic August reset as we head toward back-to-school season and figuring out how to get back into routines without wishing summer away.

When it comes to preserving your harvest, there isn't one "right" method. In this episode, I'm walking you through the decision-making process I use for every crop in my garden and explaining why some vegetables go straight into the freezer, others get dried or fermented, and some are best enjoyed fresh.

Rather than preserving food because we feel like we should, I'm sharing how I think about convenience, storage space, family preferences, and how Future Brittany will actually use each ingredient months from now.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why canning isn't always the best preservation method
• The question I ask before preserving any harvest
• Why I dry nearly all of my herbs
• My favorite ways to preserve tomatoes
• Why I ferment cucumbers instead of canning them
• Freezing versus canning green beans
• The easiest way to preserve peppers
• Storing potatoes and winter squash
• What I do with zucchini and yellow squash
• Preserving broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage
• How storage space affects preservation decisions
• Taking inventory before preserving another season's harvest

The biggest takeaway

Instead of asking, "How should I preserve this?" ask yourself, "How will I actually use this six months from now?" That one simple question can help you save time, reduce waste, and build a pantry you'll truly enjoy using.

Don't let your summer herb harvest go to waste! In this episode of The Homestead Challenge Podcast, Brittany shares how she's preserving herbs now to create thoughtful homemade Christmas gifts later. From herbal salts and tea blends to drying herbs, cut flower bouquets, and experimenting with herbal chapsticks, you'll learn practical ways to make the most of your garden while preparing for the holidays months in advance. Whether you're growing herbs in a backyard garden or a few containers on the porch, this episode will inspire you to harvest with purpose and help future you enjoy a less stressful holiday season.

https://thehomesteadchallenge.com/drying-and-storing-fresh-herbs/

One of the biggest gardening mistakes I made for years?

Thinking that once everything was planted in the spring... I was done.

This year, every time a spot opens up in my garden, I'm putting more seeds in the ground. More lettuce. More beans. More carrots. It's such a simple habit, but I think it's going to make a huge difference in how much fresh food we get to enjoy this season.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm sharing my very relaxed approach to succession sowing. No complicated spreadsheets or perfect timing required—just a few extra seed packets and a willingness to keep planting.

Are you still planting things in your garden? What are you sowing this week? 🌱

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Have you ever dreamed of opening a farm stand, even if you live in the city? In this episode, I'm sharing the real behind-the-scenes process of starting my front yard farm stand, Falls City Farmstead, in suburban Ohio. From choosing products and navigating Ohio cottage food laws to pricing handmade herbal products, managing liability concerns, and overcoming the fear of theft, I'm walking you through every decision I made along the way.

Whether you want to sell flowers, extra garden produce, homemade goods, eggs, or herbal products, this episode will encourage you to start where you are and build something that fits your life. If you've ever wondered how to start a farm stand, create a small homestead business, or turn your hobby into a source of income, this episode is for you.

In this episode:

• How to start a farm stand in the city
• Choosing what to sell from your homestead
• Ohio cottage food laws and labeling considerations
• Pricing homemade products
• Farm stand theft concerns and liability
• Marketing a small local business
• Why community matters more than competition

Follow @falls.city.farmstead on instagram :)

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In this episode of The Homestead Challenge Podcast, we're talking all about bugs in the organic garden. Learn which insects are beneficial, how trap crops work, when to leave pests alone, and when it's time to intervene with simple organic solutions. If your garden has holes in the leaves, aphids, cabbage worms, or chipmunks causing trouble, you're definitely not alone.

#organicgardening #vegetablegarden #homesteading #gardenpests #backyardgarden

In this June garden update, we're sharing what's growing in our Zone 6 garden, the challenges we're facing this season, and a few personal life updates along the way. From harvesting herbs and strawberries to dealing with pests, watering struggles, and the unexpected loss of a beloved family dog, this episode is an honest look at real-life homesteading and finding peace in the garden during difficult seasons.

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Sage is one of the easiest herbs to grow, but it's also one of the most overlooked. In this episode, we explore practical ways to use garden sage, including culinary projects, herbal remedies, preserving methods, and why this hardy perennial deserves a place in every homestead garden.

Whether your sage plant is thriving or you've never known what to do with it, you'll leave with simple ideas to start harvesting and using this versatile herb.

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Summer canning doesn't have to mean marathon weekends, Pinterest-perfect pantries, or preserving every tomato you grow. In this episode, we're talking about what summer canning actually looks like in a busy suburban home—from deciding what's worth canning and using a two-day workflow to freezing harvests, preserving in small batches, and fitting it all into real life with kids. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by food preservation, this episode will help you create a canning rhythm that works for you.

https://thehomesteadchallenge.com/canning-tips/

In this episode, we’re talking about the hidden consumerism that can sneak into the homesteading lifestyle and why it’s so easy to buy the fantasy version of homesteading instead of actually living it. We chat about homestead perfectionism, comparison culture, overbuying supplies, hobby collecting vs. hobby doing, and why buying food for your family is not failure if you’re actually using it. If you’ve ever felt pressure to have the perfect pantry, garden, or homesteading setup, this episode is a gentle reminder that simple, imperfect homesteading still counts.

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In this episode of The Homestead Challenge Podcast, we’re talking about how to build homesteading community in the city or suburbs without starting a commune or forcing yourself to be extroverted. From community gardens and native plant sales to Facebook Marketplace swaps, school gardens, and local farm stands, I’m sharing simple, low-pressure ways to connect with other gardeners, homesteaders, and like-minded people right where you live. If you’ve been craving real community, local food connections, or fellow “weird” garden people, this episode will encourage you to start small and find your people.

https://thehomesteadchallenge.com/community-for-modern-homesteaders/

In this episode, we’re talking about a simple homesteading mindset shift that has been helping me slow down, spend less impulsively, and feel more connected to my home: create before you consume. I’m sharing how homesteading hobbies like gardening, baking, organizing, and herbalism helped me stop constantly chasing more, plus practical ways to avoid perfectionism and consumerism in the homesteading lifestyle.

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