Old Fashioned Skills to Begin Cultivating

Cultivating old fashioned skills is slowly gaining traction. As the home making, homesteading movement grows, and the world gets crazier, people desire to become more self-reliant. 

When you have some of these old fashioned skills you can save yourself money, reduce waste and goodness knows our world is over polluted with stuff. Cultivating old fashioned skills can improve your health, your relationships and they may develop into a hobby!

In my blog post The Old Fashioned Art of ‘Making Do’, I talk more about how people utilized what they had. Utilizing some of the skills I’m going to talk about definitely play into how you can beautify your home affordably and with love. 

Back in the day, cultivating old fashioned skills wasn’t something people had to focus on. It was just how they lived. Unfortunately, we’ve gotten away from those skills in our fast paced world. 

Small Town Farm Background

Growing up I was blessed to be connected to an older way of life than many of my peers. I’m the daughter of a fourth-generation wheat farmer and grew up in small town rural Idaho. Instead of being three or four generations removed from the farm, I was connected to it. 

My grandparents still lived on the farm, while we lived ‘in town.’ I have memories of helping my grandmother in her huge in-ground garden. 

I remember one summer her farmhouse kitchen table having a pile of beans nearly three feet high on it! My cousin and I got put to work helping snap off the ends of the green beans for grandma to can. 

My sister remembers hating it. I remember enjoying it. Funny how that works out because I love cooking, Ican food and garden. She hates to cook and has done little canning. 

In that memory trove is seeing grandma cut corn off the cob for canning and having JARS of creamed corn. There was an entire basement larder stocked full of canned veggies. 

My grandma also could sew incredibly well, hung clothes on the line quilted and was part of the church lady activities that went on in the local Lutheran church.

Old Fashioned Skills From Grandma

While my grandma on my mom’s side wasn’t quite a farm wife, my grandparents had a hobby farm. My grandma could sew pretty well. She had a beautiful sunflower bed built into the alcove of the slanted walls of their upstairs (1 ½ story house) that figured out how to fashion with curtains, and bedding that velcroed to the wall on one side for a seamless look. 

While not much of a gardener, she attempted a little gardening, and she could cook!

My grandparents had a hobby farm with a number of steers and some land they had hayed for the cattle. 4th of July was haying time and I loved being in the kitchen helping my grandma cook macaroni salad, homemade fried chicken, watermelon and lemonade for the hay crew. 

I didn’t realize quite how unique my upbringing was, until much later into adulthood. 

The beauty of time spent with these old fashioned grandmas living out in the country is they had major skills! 

Their skills are ones that have been coming back into fashion for many reasons. 

They reconnect us with our roots but also offer practical benefits and a sense of self-sufficiency. 

Some of the top old fashioned skills to begin cultivating are ones that anyone can learn. Whether you live in a city, suburbia, a small town as I do, or out in the country, putting your hand to these tasks gives you freedom, a sense of self sufficiency and quite frankly, something more useful to do than watching Netflix. 

My top list of old fashioned skills to develop include:

Gardening:

My second favorite old fashioned skill to begin cultivating is gardening. The art of cultivating a garden is an age-old skill that has immense rewards. Whether it’s a small herb garden on a windowsill or a backyard vegetable patch, growing your own produce provides a connection to nature, encourages sustainability, and yields the freshest ingredients for your table. 

Studies actually show playing in the dirt is incredibly good for your immune system. And your kid’s immune system! It’ll expose you and them to microbes. Having your hands in the dirt releases serotonin. So good for fighting depression. Plus then you’re getting sunshine and fresh air.

Getting your hands dirty brings you food that tastes so fresh and incredible. The crunch is better. The flavor is better. Food lasts so much longer since it’s not already days or weeks old like what you buy at the supermarket. 

Go get your hands dirty. Even if it’s just a few containers of herbs or small veggies. It’s an addicting and rewarding experience and one that you’ll just have to fail forward at. Some crops will thrive, others will fail. It’s the circle of life.

Cooking from Scratch:

My absolute favorite old fashioned skill to begin cultivating first is cooking from scratch. In an era of convenience foods and takeout, the skill of cooking from scratch will save you money, have you eating healthier and can be a great way to bond. Rope in a child or your significant other to help. 

Enjoy utilizing a beautiful cookbook, try out family recipes, and experiment with wholesome ingredients.  Savor the joy of preparing meals with love and care. 

Some of my favorite things to begin learning to cook from scratch where you’ll really taste the difference from store bought are yeasted breads, roast chicken, homemade biscuits, chicken pot pie, meatloaf and homemade chicken noodle soup. 

Simple Hand Sewing and Mending:

Another great old fashioned skill to cultivate is basic sewing and mending. In a throwaway culture, sewing and mending are invaluable skills that help us reduce waste and extend the life of our belongings. Learning basic sewing skills such as how to sew on a button, patch a hole, or sew a seam that’s come undone will extend the life of your clothing, reduce waste and perfectly good clothing being sewn out, and you’ll be able to continue wearing your favorites. 

These are things you don’t even need a sewing machine for. You can hand sew with a needle, thread and scissors. That’s all you need for these oh-so-basic beginner sewing skills. 

Handwritten Correspondence:

Handwritten letters and cards have become rare in this digital age. Pretty much no one sends a handwritten note except for wedding and baby shower thank you cards. Birthdays, Mother’s day and Father’s Day, are time handeled with a text. Which by the way, is lame. Totally lame.

Sending someone a hand written card leaves lasting impressions. 

Growing up I always wrote thank you cards for birthday and Christmas gifts. It’s something our kids do too. We’re not perfect at this and there’s been birthdays we’ve failed to follow-up with the kids and been on them about getting thank you cards out, but we do our best. Teaching kids this lesson helps them learn gratitude. It’s also an incredibly classy way to show your appreciation.

As an adult, this can be a powerful way to connect with loved ones and tell them you love them. Put pen to paper, express your feelings, and surprise loved ones with heartfelt messages. The personal touch of a handwritten note creates connections that go beyond the virtual world.

Basic Home Repairs:

Knowing how to handle basic home repairs not only saves money but also instills a sense of self-reliance. As home services get more expensive with rising inflation and less people going into skilled trade, we need to know how to fix basic things ourselves And we can save yourself thousands of dollars a year. 

Basic skills to cultivate can and should include fixing a running toilet, fixing a leaky faucet, changing out light fixtures, using a cordless drill, building garden boxes, painting walls, and using a miter and circular saw.  Having some basic skills can reduce home repair costs and help you be independent. And ladies, I’m talking to you! Don’t rely on your husband, father or brother to do this. If you have them there to do this, have them show you. When you can do it yourself you get to set the timelines instead of having to wait on someone else. Independence is powerful.

Just Try It

Cultivating old fashioned skills is truly something anyone can do. You won’t be perfect at it. There’ll be screw ups and it’ll take time. In our instant world of instant gratification, two day delivery, microwaveable food and instand downloads, doing anything that takes work can be a challenge. That challenge though can be incredibly rewarding. Challenge build character, and grit. So my friend, wishing you frit and fortitude as you begin cultivating an old fashioned live.