Everyday Homesteading
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. Online content is filled with impractical, untried homesteading advice, which wastes your precious time and money.
Everyday Homesteading steps in with practical, tested solutions, cutting through the chaos with clear plans tailored for busy beginners to reclaim your family’s health and independence through gardening, raising livestock, fresh seasonal cooking, herbal medicine and safe food preservation.
Hosted by veteran homesteaders, Josh and Carolyn Thomas, who grow 70% of their family’s food while running two businesses and homeschooling their large family, they have mastered practical homesteading for busy modern families. They have taught hundreds of thousands of new homesteaders to thrive with real-life homesteading through their online platforms Homesteading Family and School of Traditional Skills.
Tune in weekly to learn how to grow, cook, and preserve your family’s food, ditch health-destroying toxins, and save money monthly on groceries, all while building strong relationships and a sustainable legacy for your kids. Hit play now!
Episodes
300 episodes
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, heal...
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 righ...
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.
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...
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 ...
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 ...
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 kee...
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 eve...
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 TEN...
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 se...
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...
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 conv...
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...
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 comple...
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 ...
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...
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, an...
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 mod...
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...
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 ...
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.G...
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...
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 pow...
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 ...
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 ...