I love the idea, just need more time... It's one of the most enjoyable things about prepping - learning useful skills

ICRCC,

Neat site.

Here is the list of the 154 skills. http://13skills.com/skills?sort=alpha

Thanks,

Mountainman.

The plan for us is to build our homestead house next year. I'm thinking I'll be more like "80 skills in 80 days".

Perfesser you will be so busy you will not have time for fishing, foraging, gardening and knitting etc so you will be able to cross those off your list and complete them in 2014. 🙂

Ok, are you pick 13 that you have never done and just get the basic's or pick any 13 that you want and just work the skills? that is a good list.. Are we going to do a month report on what our "skill is" and what we have learned or is that to formal of a challange?

If anyone else is open to it, I am game, I am not just working on butchering etc but I have a older teen that going to be coming and wants to learn, I am looking forward to not just teaching him out to bucther, perserve/process the food but we are going to be working on learning to skin and how to make hides etc.

Hey perfesser.If you are planing to built I would be glad to help you with some ideas especialy to avoid mistakes I made.I build my homestead from scratch by myself.Now when i am finished i see what should be different and what not to do.If you do not leave too far (I leave in Muskoka) i would be glad to get together and then maybe even help you phisicaly since I just retired and getting bored.
Sorry for poor speling but my computer is scrd. and I am using little dinky laptop.If you think I could be of help send me PM.
henry

Well, at least someone thinks its appropriate for an 19 year old to knit... Skills! Now I just need to ask Grandma for her antique spinning wheel... Cat yarn, anyone? (seriously, all they do is shed!)

Looked into 12 skills. Awesome idea, especially since I like to skip around through hobbies periodically. Some are new skills, others are ones I want to really improve myself at, like nutrition. We took a class in my recently ended semester, so I know a decent amount (Wait until all that studying wears off), but I don't know the values and how to get certain things from local or forageable foods, so that's my goal, also to photograph and make little info cards on where and what they were, which I kinda tried before but much less organized. I want to create a menu using only foraged or self-grown foods for 1 whole week, a decent start.

I've been listening to Jack promote his 13 skills site for weeks. I guess it's a good idea but I've never needed any incentive to learn new skills.
New stuff for me this past year....

deer hunting - unsuccessful so far but still some time left for crossbow - at least I've seen a few
making fermented food (sauerkraut etc)
Dried meat (biltong)
learning in the garden never stops - did a hugelculture bed at the BOL - planning a much bigger one for next year
planting fruit trees at BOL
just finished welding up a rocket stove - still experimenting with that
learning the principals of sustainable housing - a priority
learning about permaculture - for after the house is built
Planning a rocket mass heater for next year at the BOL

Probably more I'm forgetting about

Jan skills to learn/Practice

Butchering
Curing Meat
Working Hides
Drying meat
Making Sausages
Making Bone Broth
Nose to Tail Cooking

I will be butchering out small critters -Rabbits, turkeys, chickens and ducks, Larger Critters -Sheep (5 in total) for my own home use.

On top of the home butcher out, I also am sending to be provinally butchered my yearling beef and will be getting back and working his hide as well as the rabbit and sheep hides.

The month of Jan is a butcher/perserve it month..

I will be doing a mix on the tanning of both old fashion egg yolk tanning/some commercial chemical tanning..

My other skill for the month that is being worked on is small log skidding behind the horse..

Quiet skill for the month-Knitting cowls

So I am looking forward to hearing what others are taking on for the month and for your update at the end of the month on what you got done, and if you had any extra challanges in getting it done, and ideally some photos to go with the projects taken on..

Hey Perfesser, do you have specific plans for the rocket Mass heater? I'm planning on making one in a Sea Can.

Hey farmgal, I like the challenge... However, I still have to work for a living... and I'm still in town (but looking for an acreage). Hopefully you will pardon my less strenuous goal, (which will still be strenuous enough considering my other responsibilities) My goal will be to finish reading "Beekeeping for Dummies" and "The Practical Beekeeper", compile my list of necessary equipment and put in my order as well as build 2 of my own bait hives to try to catch some swarms in the spring. Now, I know some people will object that reading books is not equivalent to learning skills, but it's a component... the practicum will come later... when I catch them there swarms!

I am not an expert on bee keeping but have some experience.Had bees for many years and starting next year hopefully again.(lost them in muskoka to bears)The best way to start is have hive ready and buy from keeper new family or order from a supplier .If you just built a hive hoping to catch swarm is very very slim chance unless you leave next to a big bee keeper.By the way if you are not allergic to bee sting the sting is use to heel all kinds of health problems.Bee keeping is very interesting and rewarding hobby.Can hardly wait to start again.
henry

Thanks for your input, Henry. I did have bees for one year a couple of decades ago, so I was just a beginner. I am currently reading "Beekeeping for Dummies" and "The Practical Beekeeper". They are very very different in approach and I'm glad I didn't stop with the first book, but went on to get the 2nd. My plan right now is to order one batch from a beekeeper, and try to catch a swarm as well. That means I'll have to prepare 2 hives ahead of time. I'd also like to get an observation hive.
The best place I have to put my bees would be in bear territory. Do you know of a good way to protect them from bears?

Most keepers here in Muuskoka have electric fence and it seems to be working.I am just puting my close to the house and building something like a big metal cage.Also now I have two big dogs but I still had to shut two bears this year for constantly trying to get to my corn in the barn.Hopfuly the welded cage will work.We go trouugh big bucket of honey avery year so it will pay of very fast.I still have few bee hives juust need to clean them and get them ready.Let me know on your progress.
Henry

Well - 13 new skills to commit to is too big a commitment for me!!

I am going to focus on ONE goal this winter - earn to make soap!