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Wednesday, October 23, 2024

10 Important Pioneer Skills That We Need

Cooking Over A Fire Outdoors

Whether you want to save money on your shopping trip or you want to know how to take care of yourself, I’d like to discuss ten important pioneer skills that are still needed today. I have no desire to learn a few things, but there are survival skills you need to know if a disaster hits. Additionally, we may see another lockdown, and many of us are already struggling financially. Being willing to sharpen some skills or learn new ones can make all the difference when facing an emergency.

Related: 30 Pioneer Skills We Cannot Lose or 13 Surprising Uses for Flour

10 Important Pioneer Skills

10 Important Pioneer Skills That We Need

Some things you may just not be able to do. For instance, you may not have the skills to turn wool into cloth or churn milk into butter. It’s ok if you don’t know every little thing, but I would suggest knowing these ten basic pioneer skills:

#1 Bartering Survival Skills

Bartering is still a super important skill. I listed this as #1 because, as I said above, you don’t have to know how to do everything, but if you know how to barter, you can trade one skill for another. People used to do this a lot. You can barter with food, water, other critically needed items like first aid kit supplies, or your skills. For example, if you know how to make bread, you could barter making someone bread weekly as long as they help you drill a well. Amid a pandemic and civil unrest, bartering skills are great to have. To learn more about bartering, please read these posts:

#2 Raising Animals to Eat

Even a tiny homestead can have a few animals where you can get milk, eggs, and meat. Depending on your location, regulations, and space, you could raise chickens, rabbits, cows, sheep, or goats. Start small and work your way up. Some of us in HOA or PUD housing areas have limits to what we can do, darn it!

We have a neighbor who has some chickens. It’s fun to hear them early in the morning. She is kind to bring us eggs from time to time, and we love fresh eggs!

I don’t see Mark or me learning trapping for food, but having a few chickens may be something we can do in our small yard. Raising livestock takes some property which could be expensive, but maybe you and other neighbors could pool your resources and rent or otherwise acquire the necessary property. We have family nearby who buy a whole pig annually from a neighbor who raises pigs with a group of friends.

#3 Hunting and Fishing

If you live in the city and can’t have animals, you should learn how to hunt and fish. You can go hunting and fishing without living in the country. Get a hunting and fishing license and take the kids out throughout the summer or when the seasons allow it. You can hunt elk, deer, moose, or game birds, depending on where you live and what’s legally available. (Check your local laws and regulations).

I hope you can appreciate my first “Deer” experience. Mark went hunting with his buddies, and they had their tags or licenses (55 years ago), so he went to find a deer, bag it, and bring it home. I want you to picture this: we had just purchased our first home, which had a single garage in the backyard, but there was no garage door, as far as I remember.

Luckily, he got his deer and hung it up in the garage to do whatever you do with a dead animal. Then, Mark said, “Let’s cut it up on the kitchen table with a plastic tablecloth”. First of all, I had never seen a dead deer, and I was about to skin it and cut it up. Mark was confident that we could do this. He could do this; it was not my favorite thing to do. We’re dragging this animal across the lawn and trying to take it up four steps to the kitchen.

We probably used our wedding gift knives to remove the skin/hide, which is not pretty, my friends. It’s gross. They shed like dogs, so we have hair that has separated from the hide, I guess. I’m washing it the best I can in the kitchen sink. Keep in mind we are not butchers and have never done this. Mark acts like he knows what he’s doing, so I follow suit. Gagging, thinking, I sure hope this tastes better than it looks after I learn to cook deer.

We did not YouTube this ordeal; I am not sure they had YouTube years ago. Mark started cutting, and I was wrapping the pieces of raw meat. Now, if you were to say, “Get me some deer steaks,” nope. I’m not sure what this chunk is. How about this piece? I wish I could say I like to cook deer meat, also known as venison.

Here’s the deal: I tried every recipe the neighbors gave me: add onion, use a slow cooker, use an apple, use vinegar, but none of those worked for me. I swear I can still smell that venison smell to this day. We gave most of it to friends who love venison. Some had it made into jerky, not me, nope, no deer for me. People say, “Don’t shoot it on the run.” I told Mark we would never cut up a deer in our kitchen again. If he wanted to have it processed, go for it

#4 Starting a Fire and Cooking Over a Fire

You can barter for clothes, water, food, or other things, but you probably won’t be able to trade with someone to start a fire and cook whenever necessary. So, this must be one of the pioneer life skills that you learn to do well and be more self-sufficient. 

When starting a fire, you want the firewood to be as dry as possible. You’ll need to have fire starters such as wood shavings, cardboard pieces, and dryer lint. Learning the use of axes is a worthwhile skill as you go our gathering the fuel you’ll need. Years ago we heated one of our homes for a few years with a fireplace insert. We’d go gather a number of truckloads of wood on weekends and made a family outing and adventure out of the time we spent. 

To cook food over the open fire, arrange your kindling into a teepee form. Then, arrange your larger firewood into a teepee form so you can keep the fire going. You’ll need a frame to hang the pot or a grill stand for that frying pan or Dutch Oven. 

Related: Outdoor Cooking for Survival

#5 Gardening

Knowing how to grow your food is an essential pioneer skill. Whether growing fruits and vegetables in a big outback garden or on your patio, the more you can do for yourself, the better. Start with something simple, like a tomato plant, and keep working on it.

We’ve always had a garden and the kids would help us plant, water, feed, and harvest a variety of items. When we lived in River Heights, UT, we had a half-acre lot. We planted green beans, corn, tomatoes, and strawberries. I still remember sending the kids out with small buckets to gather some fresh strawberries we’d put on our homemade ice cream. They loved to help and to enjoy the treat. Great memories!

We would can the green beans and corn for our winter food storage. We had neighbors and a local farmer’s market where we’d purchase fresh fruit like peaches and apricots we’d also can. 

Related: How to Garden in Raised Gardening Beds

#6 Food Preservation Pioneer Skills

Once you know how to raise animals, hunt, fish, and garden, you must know how to store and save what you have. Remember, there may be a time when you can’t just walk into the grocery store to get the food that you need. The main types of food preservation include:

#7 Butchering

I remember the first time we slaughtered a chicken for dinner. I couldn’t eat dinner that night, seriously. But, I guess if I was starving, I probably would have been able to eat almost anything edible. Knowing how to butcher the various meat options is crucial to survival. However, you could barter with this skill if you don’t want to eat the meat yourself.

Having good knives is critical. Being able to keep them sharp is also a skill that would help you be more efficient, save you money, and something else to barter.

#8 Sewing and Weaving

If the stores aren’t open, you can’t buy a new sweater, underwear, or a pair of pants. So, to replace your family’s clothing or even sew on a new button, you must first know how to sew and even thread a needle. You can find many easy patterns to make your own clothing, and you can self-teach or take a class. If you don’t know how to sew a button, it’s time to start doing that and grow your knowledge from there. If you are a beginner, I recommend reading my post: Basic Sewing Machine Supplies for Beginners

Mark tells me his mom did a lot of mending. She’d watch TV while she sewed on a knee patch or used a light bulb inside a sock as she sewed a hole like new. She didn’t do a lot of sewing, but mending was a lifestyle skill she taught all her kids.

#9 Map and Compass Pioneer Skills

It’s easy to type or voice-command our destinations into our phones. However, some of us have no idea how to read a map or use a compass, which is terrifying. If you or your children don’t know how to use a map or a compass, it’s time to start mastering that skill. Make it a fun adventure for the kids and learn as you go, close to home.

Mark tells me all the time how surprised he is that the younger generation doesn’t know directions. One of his first jobs after getting his driver’s license was delivering prescriptions for a local pharmacy. Knowing his north-south-east and west was a critical skill he learned early. He also tells me having the Wasatch Mountains close by as a reference really helped.

#10 Foraging

I wrote a whole series on edible weeds! Knowing your surroundings and what you can eat if you haven’t been able to catch a fish or shoot a deer is crucial in emergencies. Berries, nuts, mushrooms, and edible weeds can become an important food source and be a part of your regular meals. Learn what you can eat that grows in the wild and what is poisonous and dangerous. You may have a ready-made meal just outside your backdoor.

Other Pioneer Skills to Consider Learning

A few other skills that could come in handy during emergency situations are:

  • Making your soap
  • Candle making so you can use the candles for emergency light
  • Grinding your wheat for breadmaking
  • Learning to use other grains for meal preparation
  • Making your cheeses from dairy products you or others generate
  • Researching how to make safe herbal medicines for your family
  • Acquiring basic carpentry skills to use and barter

Final Word

The primary ways to survive if a disaster hits requires skills many of us no longer use or never learned. If there is anything on this list that you don’t know how to do, I would encourage you to start gathering information and learning and practicing! You never know when something could happen and you may have to return to the basics. In addition to this list, I would read 30 Pioneer Skills We Cannot Lose.  May God Bless this world, Linda

Copyright Images: Pioneer Skills Cooking Over A Fire Deposit photos_95802776_s-2019

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