Amish Mindset
Before we delve into the individual survival secrets we can learn from the Amish, we need to discuss the foundation of their successful communities. The Amish live simply and in a manner that is wholly devoted to both their strict faith and to their families. Their deeply held beliefs guide their daily lives explicitly. The bond between family members is always present and absolute.
In the Amish community, everyone has to learn their jobs and do their fair share of work to keep the Amish farm and/or business humming. Their very lives depend on each family member being able to complete tasks properly, in a timely manner, and unsupervised in order to put food on the table and run a business (usually a home-based one) so the family can earn the money they need to expand their operations.
Top 8 Amish Survival Skills
1. Alternative power
No Amish home has electricity, yet they still have lights at night, a way to cook and refrigerate food, as well as warm water, in some cases. The use of gas generator power, wood burning stove and furnaces provides the energy necessary to create a fully functional manufacturing business. Hydro-power is also used, depending on the home or business’s proximity to a running creek or river.
2. Fence building and mending
Strong fences will keep your valuable livestock safe and secure, while they help keep the marauding hordes out. The Amish build wood fences using simple tools and also string barbed wire to create pastures and to separate areas of their farms.
3. Farm “Equipment”
Horses are deemed farm equipment by the Amish and are as essential to their daily life. Owning horses, knowing how to treat their ailments, train them, and trim and shoe them, could be substantially beneficial. Some of the farm equipment used by the Amish also include a small gas-powered to run the machinery, such as a hay baler.
4. Hand sewing
Old-fashioned manual sewing machines are still on the market. Learning how to mend and sew your own patterns to keep the family warm in the winter, cool in the summer is a very useful skill.
5. Gardening
The Amish, homesteaders and preppers who live on their survival retreat are already growing and raising at least most of their own groceries. Anyone can try gardening, regardless of where you live. Amish make the most of every inch of their property, both inside and out, to start seeds and cultivate crops.
Use the Amish layering techniques of piling dried manure covered by straw to protect cold weather hardy crops like onions, carrots, potatoes, cauliflower and broccoli so your growing season can begin in February too.
Using natural pesticides is a far better idea than pouring chemicals all over the food you feed your family with. Mix up your own bug, wild rabbit, deer repellent, and fungus killing agents to protect your food sources.
6. Carpentry
The Amish are often master carpenters and they do it all by hand. Learn to use manual tools and make essential repairs yourself and with the help of your family.
7. Mechanical skills
The Amish can keep their utilities and mechanical equipment in working order by hand or sometimes with the aid of a gas generator or solar power. Amish men are generally competent blacksmiths, hunters, and sometimes gunsmiths as well.
8. Food preparation and preservation
Learn how to make and prepare food the way our great grandmothers did by following the Amish example. Cookbooks and off-grid food preparation tools are sold online to help you get started.
Typical Amish seasonal work schedule
- April – Oats, Barley, Sorghum, and Corn are planted. Tomato seeds are moved outdoors as soon as the threat from the last frost has passed.
- May – Late harvest corn and the rest of the crops are planted.
- June – The first hay cutting takes place. This is also often calving season, depending on when the cows were bred. Berry picking and preservation also begins in June.
- July – Honey is collected, fruit tree starts are transplanted, more berry picking and hay cutting.
- August – Fall wheat is planted and silos are filled with stores to prepare for the coming winter months.
- September – The bulk of the garden is harvested and preserved.
- October – The late corn and wheat are harvested, cover crops planted, cider and jams are made, and perhaps a third cutting of hay – weather permitting is completed. Hunting and the smoking of meat now kicks into high gear.
Source: urbansurvivalsite.com
