Right now we are just a few hours away from the New Year- when this post comes out we will be a few days into the new year. For most of us a new year is a new opportunity to learn and grow a different lifestyle, life in general, skill sets and more. I talk with people on a weekly basis that desire to learn a new lifestyle in homesteading specifically but don’t know where to start. If this is you in the new year, this post is for you. 5 off. The best skills to learn on your homestead this year! Homesteading skills to learn in the new year!
**This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. None of the information shared is supposed to be taken as medical advice, or as a fact, we are sharing experience and opinion. For actually medical attention seek a doctor or medical provider. Please read full disclosure here.
Homesteading skills to learn in the new year:
I know many of us have the same feelings about our society, that we have lost so many values, skills, desire to apply for trade jobs over college-degree-required-to-sit-at-a-desk jobs. I know that we are all desiring to stop being on our phones so much and to learn to churn butter, forage for berries, bake homemade bread and more fulfilling tasks. Let this be the year that you take action, or continue to take action. The feeling of sitting at a desk, the feeling of scrolling on socials pales in comparison with truly living life the way the Lord intended.
Each of these things have their place in our world, desk jobs, contractors and more, but many of us don’t feel like we can continue living at a desk or on a phone, and if that’s you, continue on to read the five skills we recommend when starting your homestead. If you are looking to start on your simple path no matter where you are at in the journey, this post will give you ideas, insight and steps of action to take as we jump into the new year.
You may be starting the year with store bought bread in the pantry, but if it’s your desire to change that, you could end the year with fresh sourdough in the oven.
1.) Bread Baking at Home
The first thing I tell people to focus on, especially if they are in an urban area or apartment complex is to learn your kitchen skills. One that can challenge you, grow you, be absolutely rewarding and one that you can do so much with creativity is baking bread.
Sandwich bread, sourdough bread, French loaves, rustic loaves, cinnamon swirl breads and so many more. Add rosemary, cranberries, walnuts, lemon flavors, or whatever your heart desires with time and you can have so much fun with this skill. Bread baked and prepared at home is far superior in taste, quality and for our health. It makes for a cheap and absolutely lovely gift to friends. There is a million reasons to learn this skill.
Learning to bake bread is not expensive, and if you find the right recipes and mentors it needs no extra equipment like a lot of people will say.
If you are more interested in sourdough, click here for our sourdough freebie, no email required!
IF you are able to invest in this specific skill I do recommend you do this. This is because my skills got so much better when my equipment was working for me, and the quality of my breads were just unbelievably different when I was able to get the real deal bread equipment, click here for my Amazon Storefront list FULL of things to invest in one day as a bread maker!
2.) Swapping Toxic Products in Your Home
The second, and a very easy skill to learn is how to swap toxins in your home with non toxic options! This is one of those homesteading skills that really doesn’t require a lot on your part! If you are in a small space, constantly busy or working, this is still something you can do. It requires little time, simply out with the old and purchase the new.
If you have more time on your hands you can make your own replacements for detergents and all purpose cleaners (see our favorite all purpose cleaner ingredients here).
Though not everyone has this option, that is, to make their products at home. If you aren’t able to do that at this time, there are plenty of other ways to go non-toxic, such as:
- Toss the perfumes, toxic lotions, and room sprays, waxes and candles, and search for non toxic versions of these. Generally waxes, candles, and lotions are the primary options left when we eliminate toxins, I have yet to find a non toxic perfume and room spray. But I have begun using oils in my hair and dots of oils on my neck, hands etc. this can add a subtle and beautiful smell that is not pulling toxins into the body.
- Buy things that aren’t plastic and are not covered in plastic (this is so hard these days, but minimizing is key- not always complete elimination).
- Find companies with GOOD, REAL non toxic ingredients (I just found this company, Rustic Strength, they have amazing products) for the home.
- Next time you go to buy fabric products like clothes, bedding, bags and the like- check the fabric! Cotton fabric is the best, most other are synthetic, this is an easy way to slowly replace a toxin in your home.
3.) Canning & Preserving
Another homesteading skill that can appear to be intimidating from a distance, but so easy for anyone to learn is canning and preserving foods. This is in some cases becoming a necessity unless you buy food in bulk to have a stock pile!
*Stock piling is a really good idea for those who aren’t as interested in learning homesteading skills! This can be a whole different hobby and interest in and of itself. If you are interested in this go to my Amazon Storefront (linked here) where I have compiled a list of the best stock pile goods and equipment you may need for certain bulk items.
But more than anything I recommend learning the skills. Like the saying, if you simply feed the man a fish he is satisfied for one meal, but teach him to fish and he is satisfied for a lifetime.
There is different levels of canning and preserving.
Preserving is the act of preserving food no matter how you do it. This means canning of any kind is a type of preserving method. Preserving is also dehydrating foods, freezing foods, smoking foods and more.
Canning on the other hand is a type of preserving but preserving isn’t a type of canning. Canning happens in two primary methods: water bath and pressure. Water bath is the easier and often more useful canning method to learn. A lot of people understand it faster and feel safer using this method of preserving foods.
Preserving comes in all shapes and sizes, some without electricity, some with, some require the stove top and some don’t. To explore the different methods of preserving foods click here OR any of the pictures below where you will find jars, smoking equipment, canning books and more.
4.) Fermenting Foods
Something you can learn about no matter how far into your homesteading journey you are is fermenting foods. It’s one of those underrated yet extremely fun homesteading skills. Something that is really unique and easy.
There is many different foods that are processed through fermentation. Sauerkraut, sourdough and kombucha are three examples of this.
You only need a few ingredients and minimal equipment to do fermentation of any kind.
- Sourdough: flour, water, and a jar
- Kombucha: you can buy the ingredients online and house your kombucha in a large glass jar
- Sauerkraut: salt, cabbage and a large jar, and there is a million recipes online that make it so easy
These are just a few examples, and we have blog posts on many of these topics! Your friends will be all too impressed with your skills when you gift these fermented foods or put them out for dinners.
5.) Gardening
The pinnacle of homesteading skills, besides owning a milk cow (haha), would be gardening. You can garden in containers, on a balcony, in your kitchen window, and of course in a big backyard. This skill fuels so many more that we talked about in this post (fermentation and canning and preserving).
Recycling, buying second hand and getting ultra creative creates an opportunity for anyone, of any budget, to garden right where they are.
All you need is soil, water, sun and seeds to have a garden or to grow seeds! Below you can click on each picture, on the left will be heirloom seeds for your garden of many types of vegetables and varieties. The right is for your smaller garden, herb garden specifically.
Just like that, this was our five homesteading skills to learn this year!
Thank you for reading, and we hope you found some benefit to this blog post! Until next time, God bless you and your homesteading endeavors.
