101 Skills for the Modern Homesteader

101 Skills for the Modern Homesteader

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Preserving food? Check. Driving a tractor? Check. Milking a goat? Check.

For me, one of the most exciting aspects of modern-homesteading is learning new skills. When I first moved to Wyoming at the tender age of 18, I had an entire mental checklist of all the things I wanted learn and do.

And as I’ve morphed into a modern-day homesteader, that list has grown along with me.

There is something so empowering about learning how to do something new with your hands. Or mastering a skill that, at an earlier point in your lie, would have seemed completely foreign.

It’s actually quite addictive, really… Since we are at the start of a brand new year, I figure there’s no better time than to start making plans.

So without further adieu, may I present to you:

101 Skills for the Modern Homesteader

(Keep in mind that no one person will likely master all of these skills. And some just aren’t applicable to certain situations. (I sadly won’t ever be harvesting maple syrup from my homestead… I know that.) But hopefully you can pick and choose some ideas to inspire you!)

1. Learn how to milk a goat, cow, or sheep.

2. Learn how to successfully compost kitchen scraps and manure.

3. Learn how to make the perfect pie crust.

4. Learn how to cook a whole chicken.

5. Learn how to grow a vegetable garden in your climate.

6. Learn how to prune a tree.

7. Learn how to read the weather.

8. Learn how to tell time without a clock by using the sun.

9. Learn how to give an animal an injection

10. Learn how to foal, kid, lamb, and/or calve.

11. Learn how to pull a calf or baby goat during a difficult birth.

12.… [Continue Reading]