If you’ve ever experienced a black-out, had to stand in long lines at the grocery store, lamented the loss of your generator’s power, and have been faced with your favorite gas station closing due to high demand and no gas, you may just enjoy the following. Check out these Amish homesteading skills:

1. How to Sew by Hand – Many of us suffered through mandatory middle school home economics class – and likely should have paid better attention. The Amish teach simple sewing to children when they are barely more than toddlers. Learning how to make your own fabric, thread, patterns and clothing is not only a money-saver for off-grid families, but a necessity following a disaster. Not surprisingly, the Amish keep it simple when it comes to clothing. Learning how to sew-in zippers is not necessary. The sturdy garments made by the Amish are secured with thick buttons, hook-an-eye fasteners, and Velcro.

2. How to Take Advantage of Off-Grid Power – There are multiple varieties of Amish. The Old Order is far more strict when it comes to the use of any type of power. The Amish community in my area and in “Ohio Amish country” utilize both gas and solar power. Amish do known how to milk cows by hand, but are permitted to use gas-powered milkers, barn fans, and propane appliances. If fuel suddenly became unavailable, as it did during the summer storm in my area, the Amish would still be able to go about their chores and operate their businesses. Some tasks would just take a little bit longer.
Bottled gas is often used to power water heaters, stoves and refrigerators. Gas-pressured lamps and lanterns – and even rustic lantern chandeliers — can be used to light homes, businesses, and barns.

3. How to Use Hand Tools – The Amish take extremely good care of their tools. Think how closely you guarded that one special present you opened on Christmas morning as a child, and you get the idea how much the Amish care for their wood-hand planers, leather punches, blacksmithing equipment, horse tack, generators, and hand-powered farming implements. Investing in, and learning how to use hand tools was highly recommended by my Amish friends. Building and repairing what you need on the homestead or during a disaster without power is essential.

3. How to Homeschool – The Amish were perhaps the original homeschoolers. Educating your children at home, or in a small community environment, offers the opportunity to teach not only academic basics thoroughly and at a pace which suits your children or grandchildren, but also gives you the ability to tailor the curriculum to include hands-on learning while engaging in practical homesteading tasks at a young age.

4. How to Identify Plants and Trees – The Amish understand the environment which surrounds their home just as well as America’s original pioneers. They can easily rattle off details about the types of grasses which will produce specific types of crops and livestock feed. If their food ever ran out, which would require a long-term disaster of epic proportion, the Amish can easily walk into the woods and quickly identify which berries and other wild-growing items are safe to eat.

5. How to Farm Without Machines – Amish farms most commonly grow corn, wheat, hay, soybeans, tobacco, tomatoes, barley, potatoes, green beans and grasses for grazing livestock. The level of self-sufficiency found on an Amish farm would likely impress even a seasoned homesteader. The Amish do not smoke, but do sell tobacco and other excess crops to non-community members. Farm work on an Amish farm is done with horse-drawn equipment only. The wagons used have durable metal wheels and not tires made of rubber. One Amish farmer does not usually possess all the skills necessary to make wheels, shoe horses, grow crops, make furniture, etc., but he does network closely with other members of the community to ensure that none of the necessary items will ever be in short supply.

In addition to what's mentioned above, there are many other survival techniques to consider and take from the Amish community. For more information about this way of living and other homesteading matters please go to Off the Grid News.

We all can certainly acquire some skills from the Amish which would not just improve our survivor talents but could also enhance our prepping skills should the grid ever go down.