30 Skills to Build While You’re Homestead Dreaming

This is a good list. Some skills I have been practicing for a few years now. I have had success and failures. But keep learning how to do these things correctly because they are skills we all need. I saw the skill of brewing your own alcohol and at first dismissed it because I do not drink but then realized that I was forgetting that alcohol can be medicinal. I have now desire to make soft cheese but hard cheese is something I would like to perfect.

Please follow the link for the rest of the list. 30 Skills to Build While You're Homestead Dreaming - Reformation Acres

 

I am in the same boat I want to learn how to make cheese and alcohol but I don't drink either but know I could make some good stuff but would never try it cheese on the other hand I would love eating it

 

Once milk has been converted into cheese, butter, yogurt, buttermilk, etc., the various products can keep for long periods of time even without (electric) refrigeration. A root cellar is enough to keep most of such for months.

Or, a cool-box that works by simple evaporation.

A family can only drink so much whole milk a day. Converting several gallons a day into diversified food products that can be stored a while (or bartered) is a good way to minimize waste and maximize value.

Some other skills to bone up on:

Basic medicine, both human and animal.
Beekeeping, including hive construction and maintenance, plus swarm capturing.
Basketmaking (reed, bark, hide. Also woven fish traps, bird and small animal traps, cages, etc).
Rope-making from various materials both natural and repurposed (e.g. strip-cut plastic bags).
Plaiting for hats, sandals, rain capes, rugs, quilts, etc.
Tinsmithing: Sheet metal plus solder, rivits, etc. Make anything from tool boxes to evaporative coolers, including food cans.
Primitive tanning and rawhide work. Everything from leather strings to mocs, clothes, and whips.

On the eighth day, sleep late.

 

I was thinking there would be stuff more along the lines of carpentry, black smithing, armorer, arborist, something to do with fixin yur tractor or tiller.
Maybe plumbing, electrical to include propane related.

 

That was a fun read, I especially enjoyed the, "Laura Inggals leading the cow" logo! It sucks to get old and busted up, now days I hope like heck I never have to live on a homestead! A different story from when I was in my 20's. I am reasonably competent at several of the listed skills, and have observed a lot more. My mom was born on a Canadian homestead, and we lived that lifestyle in my formative years in NE Nevada. After we moved to PDX in OR, I worked on my grandparents dairy farm! It's a good life but it's hard! There's always a problem, be it animals, weather, fire, famine, flood! Or, just people!
I hope every one of you, with a desire to live a self sustaining life get the chance! Learn, learn, learn!
BTW, I recommend that folks that want to engage in a rural life haunt flea markets, yard sales and the like for Hand tools, heavy duty cooking and food processing, utility clothing, just everything you might need, including weaponry if that fits your bent. Again, good luck!

 

Getting rid of the modern conveniences is a good suggestion. Drills, chainsaws and microwaves. When do these things the old fashion way it takes time. My son and I took care of a downed tree with a hand saw and ax. It would have been done in a matter of minutes with a chainsaw but we hacked away at it.

 

There are a large number of historical "living farms" all over the US.

It would be worth your time to volunteer - esp if the farm is active (like the LBJ ranch in TX) and butcher animals, run looms and so on. Lots of opportunity to gain some mad skillz for the aftermath.....

 

Why would any one give up their chainsaw, just on the very remote chance there could be a zombie apocalypse.

 

Our chainsaw is gone. We have axes, hatchets and hand saws. As for Zombies, we have a few homemade weapons that will take care of them.

 

One skill they forgot was getting out of bed by 5 AM or two hours before sunrise, whichever is earlier, whether you want to or not as long as you are able to stand. Get dressed, piddle, tend the animals, THEN you get your breakfast.

 

Agreed - Have both on hand and learn to use the traditional tools. Here are few episodes of "The Woodwright's Shop with Roy Underhill" to get you started:

 

Back in the 1940's we had no electricity but still used a lot of dairy products. We had cream, both sour and sweet and used it in our food and we looked forward to sour cream sandwiches, butter will keep quite a while in a spring house, we made butter with both sour and sweet cream, cheese, soft and hard, will keep a while with no refrigeration other than spring water. Mother and grand mother made all kinds of dairy products and most were eaten with in a day or two. You can either cover cheese with cheese cloth soaked in salt water, dip it in wax, or make types that require mold etc, bleu cheese etc. In addition we cut ice and then ice box would keep many things for days, and with salt and ice, you can make ice cream. They also made a lot of custards, baked milk and egg dishes, and used it in breads.

I for one would think being able to process dairy products would be a valuable skill. Was taught by my grand father at an early age to put my cap on backward and keep my forehead against the cow, They at least used to tense up their stomach muscles and lean in order to raise a leg up and kick at you and that gave you a little warning.