The Self-Sufficient Skills thread (new name, old thread!)

[freemotion]

Wow, valmom, glad you joined our little thread/contest! You already have a lot of skills to build new ones on.

If you can make jams and pickles then you can make soap. It is just a matter of careful measuring, stirring, and pouring. Then waiting for it to age a bit. Skills you already have. The lye is no more intimidating than using drain opener.....because it IS drain opener. Just use normal precautions (no toddlers around, wear rubber gloves and eye protection) and you will be fine. It is very satisfying and so much fun when you get that incredulous look from someone when they find out you make soap!

Same with pressure canning. The biggest pain is babysitting the canner for so long. Which is the biggest pain with cheese, too. I figure it just keeps me in the kitchen getting all those little things done.

You go, girl!

 

[justusnak]

So, as for "new skills" learned this year...
We learned to build a pretty darned good fence! I have to say, I am impressed! LOL
Got sheep...learned to NOT pat them on the head! ( its a head butting challenge and they usually win) LOL
LEarned how to feed a bottle to a lamb(properly, yes there is a right way, and a wrong way).
Learned to clean my own wool, to prepare for spinning.
Oh, and we will be digging drainage ditches next week...and HOPEFULLY learning to get them in right the first time! LOL
Im sure..there will be more later...my mind is like a blank slate...always ready to learn something else. DH says I have too many irons in the fire most of the time. I say...never too late to learn more!

 

[modern_pioneer]

Here is a little SS trick to use;
Make lots of friends, I say/use "friends lightly" in late summer early fall. Hunters often are into the thrill of the hunt and the harvest, but not so much into the meat, including the toughest parts of the deer. I was given 4 deer necks this last fall from people that don't know how to cook it. I also was given 2 front shoulders, all this free meat added well over 40lbs.

 

[freemotion]

Now THAT'S a skill!!!!

 

[big brown horse]

Got sheep...learned to NOT pat them on the head! ( its a head butting challenge and they usually win) LOL

funny! Live and learn, right?! Is that the same with goats? (Can y'all tell that I am eventually going to get goats?!)

 

[noobiechickenlady]

I made cheese! Yay! I'm so proud of me. It was just a vinegar soft cheese recipe, but there is something about making stuff yourself

Also dried a sack of potatoes before they could go bad, made fruit leather and freaking awesome banana chips
Note to self: crank meat slicer is not just for meat!

Found a bunch of edibles among the "weeds" growing on my property, yellow dock, purslane & chickweed.

Found a large stand of wild grass that might just be perfect for making baskets. The bottom portion is straight almost like reeds, while the very top is poofy & feathery. Fairly tall, some reaching 5'.

Thanks for the welcome all!

 

[freemotion]

nclady, would you mind starting a thread on basket weaving and post some pictures? Some instructions on harvesting the grass and working with it? I would love to harvest some stuff this spring, summer and fall, and work on some baskets this winter when the sun goes down at 4:00!

And YAY! on all the cool stuff, especially the cheese! It IS so much better when you make it yourself!

 

[noobiechickenlady]

I'd love to free (May I call you free?
I don't know much at all about basket making, other than what I learned from my grandmama, which is that you make a base and then weave around it I was very young when she was still making baskets.
But, I'll get it started, maybe others will chime in.

 

[freemotion]

I'd love to free (May I call you free?
I don't know much at all about basket making, other than what I learned from my grandmama, which is that you make a base and then weave around it I was very young when she was still making baskets.
But, I'll get it started, maybe others will chime in.

Of course you may call me free, everyone else here does. Of course, they also often say, "Free is good!" which I enjoy immensely, of course. Great for the ego!

What sounds so simple to you is daunting for me and others the first time, so any help you can give will go a long ways in helping us get up the guts to take the plunge into basket making, and avoid silly mistakes that a little guidance will do. Thanks! I prefer hearing about how your grandmama did it, rather than reading a book and ordering "supplies."

 

[tamlynn]

this is a great thread.

things I'd like to learn/accomplish this year:

Re-upholster my wing back chair. I can sew, but have never done something like this before. I even bought the fabric a few months ago, but have been waiting for summer to get going.

Finish a quilt for my dd. The pieced top is nearly done. I have made quilts before, but its been many years. I keep getting frustrated because I am not following a pattern and can't decide what to do. BTW, I started this quilt when she was an infant. She'll be 9 by the end of the year.

I'll keep my list short so I'll have a better chance at success.