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20 Homesteading Skills To Learn In 2020
Hobby Farms Magazine ^ | December 30, 2019 | Rodney Wilson

Posted on 03/02/2020 11:56:55 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin

It’s time for another new year, and many people have set their sights on resolutions—things to do differently and, presumably, better during the next trip around the sun.

For a good many people, this means learning new homesteading skills to become more self-sufficient. That may lead to leaving the grid for some, but lots of folks these days are just looking to do more for themselves—whether by becoming full-on, self-sufficient homesteaders or simply gaining a little more control over their lives and finances by picking up some new skills.

Are you among those people looking to gain some self-reliance this year? Great! We’ve compiled a list of 20 homesteading skills to learn in 2020. It’s by no means comprehensive—homesteading is a lifestyle, not a checklist—but these are some important skills for sustenance living.

1. Gardening

This one’s at the beginning of the list for a reason—growing your own food for the first time feels like a kind of magic. Whether you grow kale in raised beds, start a no-till tomato patch or raise peppers in containers, watching food grow and ripen under your care is an absolute joy, and it’s one of the most important homesteading skills you can learn.

2. Caring for Fruit Trees

Fruit trees need their own kind of care, and it’s important to know how and when to prune them as well as grafting techniques. If you have fruit trees (or are thinking about getting some) research proper care to maximize their yield come harvest season.

3. Cooking

After you harvest your garden’s yield, you’re going to need to cook healthy meals from it. Sure, you can nibble on carrots or cabbage raw, but cooking increases the bioavailability of certain nutrients, maximizing your energy takeaway from fruits and vegetables. Science stuff aside, a home-cooked meal is a satisfying and savory celebration of self-reliance.

4. Baking Bread

Most homesteaders will say you need to master art of making sourdough bread, a cornerstone of homesteading skills, and it’s true that you’ll probably want to eventually—capturing and nurturing those yeasts is both economical and special. But sourdough can be intimidating for beginning bakers, so don’t feel bad about buying some dehydrated yeast to get you started on your bread-making journey.

5. Making Butter

Is butter making one of the essential homesteading skills? Probably not (the book title “Make the Bread, Buy the Butter” comes to mind) … but it’s pretty cool to see the cream pull together into a glob of yellow butter. If you’re not up for working a churn for hours on end, a whisk attachment on a stand mixer does the job a lot quicker.

6. Preserving Food

It’s difficult to keep fruits and vegetables producing inside over cold winters (and it’s not very economical, either), so you’ll need to learn to preserve your harvest to enjoy on snowy days. Canning—either water bath or pressurized, depending on the acidity of the contents—will keep food safe and fresh, but make sure you learn correct techniques, as bacteria is not the canner’s friend. Bacteria is your friend with fermentation, though, and there are tons of cool recipes for letting food “spoil” for delicious flavors and shelf stability. You can dehydrate almost anything either in a stove, dehydrator or the open air. And of course there’s always the freezer.

7. Making Hard Cider

The home brewing movement has taught many of us to make our own suds, but for those who don’t routinely brew their own beer, fermenting cider is a great entry into home-crafted libations. All you need is some cider, brewing yeast (I like champagne yeast, which yields a less sweet product), some honey (to increase the ABV) and some basic home brew supplies. While making alcohol may not the most critical of homesteading skills, there’s no feeling quite like opening a bottle of homemade hard cider after a long day of work around the homestead.

8. Recognizing Good Firewood

Not all wood is created equal when it comes to heating your home. Learn to recognize different kinds of wood at a glance, and know which species of woods are best for burning. Even if you end up buying firewood to get you through the winter, you’ll understand what you’re getting and know how long a particular piece of wood will provide heat for your home.

9. Safely Cutting and Splitting Firewood

If you have your own woodlot, it makes a lot of sense to cut your own wood to heat your home in the cold months. Depending on how many trees you have, you might be able to get by on naturally fallen trees, but it’s still essential to know the basics of safely felling trees. You’ll also need to cut the tree into plugs and, once they’ve cured, split the firewood you’ll need to get through the winter (whether by maul or by machine).

10. Cleaning Your Chimney

When an early cold snap hits, you’ll quickly learn you’re not the only one calling the chimney sweep to clear out a ventilation system. Stay comfortable and save some money by learning to sweep your own chimney. You can purchase the right-sized brush and extension poles at the local hardware store, then it’s just a matter of scaling your chimney (carefully and with proper securement) and working the brush down until all the collected creosote has fallen down into your fireplace or stove. (A powerful wet/dry vacuum can be very helpful in the cleanup.)

11. Hunting

Gardening is great, but for practicing omnivores, there’s a lot of protein to be collected in the local animal population. Learn proper hunting techniques for your preferred weapon(s), study the laws in your area, and always make sure you’re practicing utmost safety while out in the woods looking for prey. And unless you plan on taking your kill to a processor, you’ll need to learn to gut, clean and butcher the carcass of whatever animal(s) you kill.

12. Foraging

If you like the idea of the woods providing food but maybe aren’t too keen on taking the life of an animal, the forest floor can source a plethora of edible items for your dinner table. Of course, proper identification is key to making sure you don’t end up downing toxic plants and fungus, so take the time to learn, always carry a guidebook and remember—if you’re not sure, leave it alone.

13. Using Herbs for Healing

When illness or malady strike the homestead, nothing beats homegrown healing herbs to soothe the suffering. Not sure where to start? Well, here’s a good place—Hobby Farms has tons of information from a handful of writers on what to grow to ease discomfort and improve human health.

14. Beekeeping

Bees are powerhouse pollinators, and providing shelter and care for the winged friends will reap rewards in your garden. And while native bees are arguably more beneficial than their European counterparts, honeybees make that sweet, viscous foodstuff that’s long endeared their species to ours. Look for some classes offered locally to learn alongside a community of enthusiasts.

15. Chicken Keeping

This is one of the more obvious homesteading skills, right? While eggs are, admittedly, less critical than fresh fruits and veggies to one’s sustenance, it seems kind of silly to go without when you get dinner and a show—chickens are endless fun to watch and interact with. You’ll need to provide shelter, as well as answer some basic questions about how you’ll deliver food and water. And there’s some upkeep in terms of cleaning up poop and spent bedding, but, overall, chickens are a fun and easy addition to most homesteads.

16. Processing a Chicken

This may not be the most appealing of homesteading skills, but you’re going to need to know how to dispose of a hen once its laying capabilities no longer meet your family’s egg needs (or you need to deal with a surly rooster). Processing a chicken, as a physical act, is fairly easy—though the killing part is emotionally challenging for some. After that, it’s a matter of plucking, gutting, rinsing and getting the body temperature down in time for safe storage (or you can just pop it in the oven).

17. Soapmaking

The further you go down the homesteading trail, the more critical soap becomes—a hot shower is very important after you muck out a pig barn. So why not learn to make your own? There are varying levels of commitment to this task, from melting and pouring it into shapes, to making soap from fat and lye, to making your own lye with ashes from the fireplace. How you want to make soap is up to you, but nothing beats a homemade bar in the shower, and the extras can provide a nice source of income on the side.

18. Building and Maintaining Fencing

Whether you need to keep animals in or people out, you’ll need to be able to build a secure fence that’s up to the task at hand. And there are so many ways to approach this task—post and rail, chain link, electrical wire … the list is long. Do the proper research to determine which style of fence meets your tactical and aesthetic needs, as well as what tools will allow you to do it efficiently, then get to work building (and maintaining) it right.

19. Playing an Instrument

Is this necessary? No, but if you want to be able to provide your own entertainment and while away the hours productively, it’s really hard to go wrong picking up a musical skill. Guitar, banjos and mandolins are staples of homesteading traditions for their portability and ease of maintenance … but no one’s telling you not to take up the zither if that’s your heart’s desire.

20. Talking to Your Neighbors

This is important—there will come a time when you need your neighbors’ help, and you want to have established relationships long before this point. Also, if you’re in an area attractive to fellow homesteaders, it won’t take long for a neighbor or 10 to wander over to say howdy for an hour or two. The farther out you are, too, the more important neighborly relations are—porch stories under a clear, starry sky can be the perfect ending to a long, hard day tending the garden, chopping wood and processing chickens.


TOPICS: Food; Gardening; Outdoors; Society
KEYWORDS: homesteading; lifeskills; prepper; preppers
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear

Very cool.
How did you come into possession of your orchard? Was it something you were looking for or was it near you and the opportunity fell into your lap?


61 posted on 03/02/2020 3:26:05 PM PST by z3n
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To: polymuser

I also call it nature’s brillo pad.


62 posted on 03/02/2020 3:29:47 PM PST by MomwithHope (Forever grateful to all our patriots, past, present and future.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Whatsamatter, you? You forgot making pickles. No Wisconsin homestead is complete without knowing how to make sweet or dill pickles.

Don’t forget we got a musky fishing date on Lac Courte Oreilles when the ice breaks. I’ll bring the beer, you buy the potato chips, okay? And don’t forget the redworms for perch bobbing.


63 posted on 03/02/2020 3:42:56 PM PST by sergeantdave (Teach a man to fish and he'll steal your gear and sell it)
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To: sergeantdave

#6 - Preserving Food!

I’m starting my pepper plants this weekend. Going to make some more of my ‘Cowboy Candy’ which are pickled hot peppers. Yum!

I’ll bring the chips and I’ll keep the red wigglers in my cheek to keep ‘em warm. ;)

We still biting the head off the first Musky caught? Tradition!


64 posted on 03/02/2020 3:52:39 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

“I’ll bring the chips and I’ll keep the red wigglers in my cheek to keep ‘em warm. ;)

I love Wisconsin women who know how to keep bait warm and wiggly. If you keep 6/0 hooks dangling from your ears for easy retrieval, I’ll have to ask you for a date come penguin season at Apostle Island, you sly fox.


65 posted on 03/02/2020 5:02:16 PM PST by sergeantdave (Teach a man to fish and he'll steal your gear and sell it)
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To: Deaf Smith

LOL!


66 posted on 03/02/2020 5:06:00 PM PST by SgtHooper (If you remember the 60's, YOU WEREN'T THERE!)
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To: sergeantdave

Who has more fun than us, Sergeant Dave? Not many! :)

And I can get a few more piercings in my earlobes if that’s what it takes, LOL!


67 posted on 03/02/2020 5:29:47 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Retread article from Mother Earth News.


68 posted on 03/02/2020 5:33:24 PM PST by caver
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To: All

For me, I haven’t done bee keeping, I’ve made wine but not cider (Dandelion and Cranberry are my faves), I can split wood - Beau bought me my own maul because I couldn’t simultaneously LIFT his and swing it - I want to learn soap making, I’ve helped fix PLENTY of fences around here, and the only instrument I play is my auto harp - and I’m not very good according to my family, LOL!

I can cook, sew, preserve, garden, crochet, compost, stitch up a wound, balance the books, fish, hunt, con a ship, etc.


69 posted on 03/02/2020 5:35:45 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: All

...and while Beau has known everyone that lives around here since High School, I’ve made a good dent in getting to know the neighbors - our closest neighbors are a horse farm, a dairy farm, a beef cattle farm and I’ve made it a point to get to know the small grocery owners and the local bar/restaurant owner in our little Cow Town.

I think we’d all have a really awesome set of skills to swap and share if TSHTF.

God Bless America! MAGA! KAG! :)


70 posted on 03/02/2020 5:40:30 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: caver

Agreed. I’ve stopped getting that magazine since I’ve been reading it since I was a teen and there’s not much new under the sun anymore. ;)


71 posted on 03/02/2020 5:41:27 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

I was not knocking your post. It was just something I had read since the mid 70’s. I was a hard core Mother Earth News back to the nature and so forth for a number of years until I learned how hard it was to pull that off. I had a 40 hour job and have had for 45 years until I retired. It’s a glamorous looking life until you actually live it. I don’t regret any of it. I have learned so much in my inconsequential life. I could get by for a while without all of the modern conveniences, but not over the long haul. Thank you for your great posts!


72 posted on 03/02/2020 5:50:06 PM PST by caver
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Soap is easy. I don’t drip my own lye though-I buy it from the store. Depending on what type of lye you buy, you can make bar soap or liquid Dr. Bronner type soap. I’ve only made bar soap but someday I’d like to make some liquid soap like Dr. Bronners and add my own essential oils to it as I use it. I buy unscented, dilute it with water, add it to a foaming dispenser and use a few drops of whatever essential oil I want-sage, rlse, lavender....

It would be much cheaper to make that liquid soap at home.

Lots of YouTube tutorials on soap and simple recipes are all over the internet.


73 posted on 03/02/2020 7:08:48 PM PST by Califreak (If Obama had been treated like Trump the US would have been burnt down before Inauguration Day)
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To: z3n
We were not looking for an apple orchard just a place to homestead. He was retiring (again) and I figured that he would want a project.
74 posted on 03/02/2020 7:18:13 PM PST by Harmless Teddy Bear (A hero is a hero no matter what medal they give him. Likewise a schmuck is still a schmuck.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
" I’ve made wine but not cider (Dandelion and Cranberry are my faves),"

I've made Dandelion, Lilac and cherry wine. Now I'll have to try making cranberry wine!

Thanks for the idea!

75 posted on 03/02/2020 11:18:44 PM PST by 1_Rain_Drop
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To: Califreak

I’ve made soap from the leftover slivers and added coffee grounds to them.


76 posted on 03/02/2020 11:21:42 PM PST by 1_Rain_Drop
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

21. Protecting Property Against Intruders and Disposing of Their Carcasses.


77 posted on 03/03/2020 6:16:23 AM PST by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
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To: Ellendra

There is a guy in my town in NH that has this set up. All of his trees are up the hill from his shack. His tubes all drain by gravity feed to his storage tank on the north side of his shack in the shade. His storage tank sits up on a platform so the bottom is about 6” above the top of his pan. So, once he taps, the sap just flows down hill 24/7.


78 posted on 03/03/2020 6:35:00 AM PST by woodbutcher1963
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To: Califreak

I’ve made homemade laundry soap where you grate a number of things together. Works well on really dirty clothes.

My other laundry tip? And I’ve done a LOT of laundry through the years...do your load of whites last and let them soak over night, then finish the cycle in the morning. Don’t even need any bleach and everything turns out nice and white with just basic detergent.

I’ve also invested (about $3) in the wool dryer balls. They work great for getting rid of static.


79 posted on 03/03/2020 6:50:40 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

I’ll have to try your whites tip.

I hate messing with bleach.


80 posted on 03/03/2020 9:18:34 AM PST by Califreak (If Obama had been treated like Trump the US would have been burnt down before Inauguration Day)
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