Top skills

[TwoDo]

Mushroom identification

All mushrooms are edible - but some only once

[colack]

This thread really got me thinking......so, with the peace and quiet afforded me today, I've hopefully sourced some beekeeping contacts who are going to put me in touch with a local keeper to have a visit with, AND details of a local beginners course......RESULT.

See what a post can do.........thanx for asking the original question colack

That's awesome, sounds like a good plan

[TwoDo]

This thread really got me thinking......so, with the peace and quiet afforded me today, I've hopefully sourced some beekeeping contacts who are going to put me in touch with a local keeper to have a visit with, AND details of a local beginners course......RESULT.

See what a post can do.........thanx for asking the original question colack

That's awesome, sounds like a good plan

The thing about beekeeping is it can be quite expensive to get started as it involves the purchase the hives, bees & tools etc. You might consider investigating Top Bar Hives. These are usually home built, knocked together by the beekeeper, hives and are a cheap way to get involved. My experience is that it is about a fifth of the cost to get started bee keeping that way. Many feel TBH are not as productive as the normal hives but since they rely a lot less on external inputs one could argue they are better if one is beekeeping from a prepper perspective. Reputedly TBH's are kinder to the bees as well.

Have a look at the BioBees website (http://www.biobees.com/) there is lots of information there including free plans and the people in the forums are friendly. A google search will turn up a lot of info as well and and also Wyatt Mangums website and his book are pretty useful.

[jasper1]

Thanx for that TwoDo......I'll look into it all a bit more for sure. Thought about it last year, then sat on my backside and did nowt!!! I just find it fascinating......and wouldn't say no to any homegrown honey either.....

The chap said he'd arrange a visit soon, and another in spring when the bees were more active; and that I'm welcome to attend any monthly BBKA monthly meetings prior to the next beginners class starting. He's put my name down for that but has no dates yet.

I'll let you know how it goes.

[Briggs]

If you are interested in bees, check out a book called 'A Sting in the Tale' by Dr Dave Goulson. Highly informative and full of amazing facts about all things bee related plus it's written in a very humorous style.

[ro2935]

by PreppingPingu » Tue Nov 12, 2013 6:02 pm

1)Wood working skills
2)more in depth medical skill than just a first aid course
3)Clothes making skills ie both sewing fabrics and wool - (With knitting I do try but I seem to knit more holes than anything else and that's just on a simple scarf but I keep trying!)

Herbology- specificaly how to make and safley administer pain releif
Spinning and weaving
baking in a wood fired oven

Prepping pingu look up knitting on utube
same with crochet, there are several ways to hold the yarn, if you watch how other handle there hook and thread. once you have found a comfortable way, get a ball of wool and crochet a chain stich keep on doing it till you run out of yarn, pull it back and repeat a second time this will give you a uniformed tension and once you have mastered this you can do any other stitch. I prefer crochet to knitting, knitting is too slow for me but crochet uses more yarn than knitting.

[Jane_doe]

1. Map reading and using a compass.
2. A basic set of survival skills, fire starting, making a shelter etc... (Is there courses for this.)
3. First Aid & some medicine knowledge

As long as I could connect up with my Dad i would have that skill set available however only one person with the skill set in a group of 8 is no good really.

[ForgeCorvus]

Jane. Your number 2 will be covered by any decent Bushcraft course, loads of different Bush schools offering their services

[dizzydays]

In an imaginary world where I was younger and fitter and had limitless money and time to waste, I'd have liked to know all about boats, and how to pilot the very posh boat I'd no doubt own.

Back here in the real world, erm,

Fishing, or at the very least learn more about foraging other than just the obvious stuff I already do
Making butter/cheese
Making fermented drinks - have recently got the handle on lacto-fermenting vegetables and making sourdough bread, so should be able to sort this out soon.