Essential Homesteading Skills

[viggie]

I am busy making up a goal list (on 43things) of things I feel I need to learn in order to homestead. I'm looking for your help in sharing skills and chores you feel are essential. It could be a simple daily chore or complex processing you have to do once a year.

I'm going to start urban homesteading next season, so not everything will apply to me now...but I want to get a better idea of what I'm getting myself into and what I can start working into my routines now to prepare

[ihedrick]

Learn how to take care of your equipment and it will take care of you. This can include how to sharpen knives, tuning up power equipment, storing equipment for the winter, and such.

[uncle Will in In.]

If you don't make the mistake of jumping into to many things that look like real money makers before you are hands on familiar with the bottom line of their unseen costs you will be OK. Just work your way into things without going whole hog right off the bat. The most important thing you must be aware of is you will need an income to support your family for much longer than you may think.
Enjoy the new life. <>UNK

[viggie]

I was hoping for more specific things to learn or add to my weekly routines. Like I have already began baking sourdough every week, started seeds indoors for some fresh winter veggies, and dehydrate fruits and veggies from the garden (or from sales this time of year). Some things on my list are learning to make cheese and soap.

[viggie]

Originally Posted by rose2005

Make sure you build shelters, have adequete fencing, hay, feed and water before you get the animals!

Go slow. Don't rush into it. Read as much as you can about whatever you are interested in.

Talk to your local extension agent about gardening. When to begin, what does best in your area. There may even be classes you can take.

Rose

Thanks! I did take a class before starting my first garden this season. It was very helpful. I can't have animals where I am currently...but I can see myself doing something like that when I move out...lol...get too excited sometimes.

[Gary in AL]

An open and inventive mind about whatever you have to do.

[ihedrick]

Can you have rabbits? One pair of rabbits can provide you some meat for your freezer. They don't make noiise or take up too much space. Yoou can learn about budgeting your time for feeding, cage cleaning, and health maintenance issues. How about makking your own laundry soap? Learn to sew; so you can make your own cloths, repair torn fabric items, quilting, etc.

[viggie]

Originally Posted by ihedrick

Can you have rabbits? One pair of rabbits can provide you some meat for your freezer. They don't make noiise or take up too much space. Yoou can learn about budgeting your time for feeding, cage cleaning, and health maintenance issues. How about makking your own laundry soap? Learn to sew; so you can make your own cloths, repair torn fabric items, quilting, etc.

I'm a vegetarian actually But you are right...sewing definitely needs to be added to my list. I've only tried a few times but never mastered the straight line...lol.

[7thswan]

Have someone teach you to Pressure can. It can be real scary to some people, and it helps to have an experienced person do it with you. Carpentry skills come in handy, it would be fun to learn with Habitat for Humanity.

[viggie]

Originally Posted by 7thswan

Have someone teach you to Pressure can. It can be real scary to some people, and it helps to have an experienced person do it with you. Carpentry skills come in handy, it would be fun to learn with Habitat for Humanity.

Those are good ones. I think I'm on the right track because I did start a lil woodworking making coldframes and stuff...definitely needs practice though. And I totally agree about pressure canning scariness! I don't know anyone who cans and I haven't done any canning at all...so thinking of trying water bath next season and working my way up.

[Linkovich]

Originally Posted by 7thswan

Have someone teach you to Pressure can. It can be real scary to some people, and it helps to have an experienced person do it with you. Carpentry skills come in handy, it would be fun to learn with Habitat for Humanity.

No kidding about the scary part! The first time I pressure canned I phoned by boyfriend screaming that I thought the thing was going to explode! Sadly, that was only two weeks ago! But learning how to can, or properly freeze and preserve food is a good thing to learn. Also learn about meal planning and recipes, so you won't have items going rotten in your fridge. Bad thing if you want to be self-sufficient! Learn the million and one uses for every vegetable, fruit, etc. so you won't have that problem, and when in doubt, make soup!

Learning how to maintain a home can also be useful, so it won't fall down on you before its time. Perhaps also learning about herbs and their uses, so you aren't dependant on 3 week wait times (at least here in Canada) or extortionate bills (or so i've heard in the US) for every scrape or bruise. www.bulkherbstore.com is not a bad place to begin learning, and its amazing what you will see grows right in your backyard!

[Michael Kawalek]

Hi Vigilant
I'd say the most important single thing you can learn is how to search for information at your public library. This may sound very old school, but just about everything I've learned working on my own land first came from a book that I either bought or checked out.

I learned canning from a book, and now do my own pressure canning. I learned carpentry from a book and put the roof on our cabin. I learned hunting from a book and just finished putting this year's deer in the freezer on Saturday. I learned fruit tree grafting from a book and now pass out grafted varieties to all my friends because I have so many extra.

You can't ever learn everything there is to know about homesteading, but you can learn from other people through their writings.

Maybe the very first thing you should read is Carla Emery's book "Encyclopedia of Country Living". Two inches thick and massive amounts of valuable information!
Michael

[viggie]

I need to look for a good book on medicinal herbs, thanks Linkovich. And speaking of books, that's an excellent point Michael. I have just started collecting reference books, they've been really useful already.

[byexample]

It's amazing how many different skills you'll use and need on a homestead. Here's my list of skills that I now see as very important skills that we've used and learned over the last 6 years:

- Plumbing
- Household Electricity
- Building and maintaining off-grid power systems
- Canning / dehydrating / preserving
- Gardening
- Carpentry
- Working with concrete
- Fencing
- Cooking from scratch
- Animal care (including nail / hoof care, giving shots, cleaning wounds, etc.)
- Composting (really important if you aren't going to have animals for fertilizer)
- Irrigation controls
- Plant propagation / seed saving
- Plant identification
- Plant disease & pest identification
- Auto mechanics
- Cheese making

In the end you really want to know some about as many things as you can... especially the things you will be dependent on. I strive to be able to fix and maintain as many things here as I possibly can. To me the homesteading lifestyle is all about independence and self-reliance.

Be well and good luck!

[viggie]

Wow great list byexample. Lots to think about there.

[viggie]

Well...I can't see the point in butchering if you don't eat meat. But the rest are great

I've been researching and harassing my friends for ideas, so here is the rest of the list so far in case anyone else is looking for ideas.

Making Vinegar
Making Sour Kraut
Learning to Pickle
Making dehydrated mixes
Making Linen
Processing grains
Making a mini forge
Making and using a solar oven
Making Hardtack
Making paper
Making nutbutters
Making candles
Carding, Spinning, knitting/crocheting
Sewing by hand and machine

[FrontPorch]

Chickens. Most places even allow them in the suburbs now. A few hens are the best way to get your feet wet with animal care. Lots to research and learn about them but they're easy to care for.

[Cabin Fever]

nunchuck skills

bow hunting skills

computer hacking skills

[mpillow]

Sounds like you have ADHD....

Learn to barter what you like to do and do well for what you don't like or can't do.

Learn to love beans and rice.

[dngrous]

Have several people write up a list of basic problems they've encountered in their own homes, vehicles, etc.

With that list, write up how you'd perform the repair, and if you don't know how, then you'll know what you should learn.

Make it like a self-test, and then go back and compare answers as to how they WERE fixed.