When asked which old-school skill everyone should learn, homesteaders offered several unexpected answers.
But the top comment suggested that working hard without getting hurt may actually be the most important, yet overlooked, skill.
Here's what to know
A discussion in Reddit's r/homestead community asked other homesteaders to name a practical skill worth passing along.
The original poster asked, "What's one old school skill you think everyone should know? Not talking about building a house from scratch or anything crazy... More like preserving food, drying herbs, saving seeds, making basic stuff at home..."
The top comment read, "This is going to sound kind of dumb, but being able to work hard without injuring yourself. For example, let's say you need to move and stack an entire winter's worth of firewood by yourself. Knowing how to lift moderately heavy loads without injury is a skill, and knowing how to integrate that into a pace of work is also a skill."
The same commenter added, "[Knowing] when to take breaks, when your body has had enough," is also critical. Hundreds of others agreed, upvoting and commenting on this notion.
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One user responded to this, writing, "Definitely not dumb. I can't count how many times my husband has hurt himself because he refuses to listen to advice on how to do things with good form or stop to think about the best way to approach something to protect himself or stuff around him."
Other commenters suggested alternate skills, like "cooking without a recipe, from scratch" or "learn how to release trigger points on your partner's or friend's muscles."
Another wrote, "Mending clothes. Not talking about art, but how to patch a hole in a jacket, fix a sock so you at least can use it at home without shoes."
Other commenters emphasized skills that reduce reliance on technology, including doing simple calculations without smart devices and reading a map instead of depending entirely on GPS.
Where can I learn more?
Stacking firewood and preparing for winter offer plenty of chances to practice hands-on skills and protect yourself from injury.
• A Pennsylvania wood-stove beginner stacked cords for winter before learning about green wood risks.
• A homesteader shared low-cost winter preparations inspired by 'Little House on the Prairie.'
• In the Southeast, a homesteader considering coppicing received alternative firewood advice for a 0.48-acre lot.
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