Skills: 9 Food Skills Every Homesteader/Prepper Should Have

There are hundreds of articles that tell you all about what you should be able to do as a prepper - hunt, forage, defend, etc.  Some of the lists are ridiculous - some are redundant.  Very few are actually practical.  I'm dividing my skill lists into categories, so be sure to check them all out. (You'll notice a lot of links to products on this page.  All of these are things I personally own and use.)

1. Cook -  Yep, I know, you are asking yourself why this is first, or have actually said "Duh" out loud.  I have cooking first because it's the thing that is easiest to start with and the most important to your survival, and is one of the least utilized skills in America today.  And when I say cooking, I mean COOKING, not reheating, not putting together a box meal and certainly not anything done with a microwave.  I'm sure there are dozens of preppers out there right now scoffing at this, thinking that any idiot can heat enough water to rehydrate their supply of freeze dried MRE's, so who needs to know how to cook?  Be honest, are you planning to live your life on MRE's in the event something happens?  And what if those precious MRE's get stolen or contaminated?  Then what?  Realistically, everybody should know at least the basics of making rice, cooking beans, preparing meats and creating breads.  Do yourself a favor now and buy some books on cooking with food storage, and start learning how NOW.  Not only does learning how to cook keep your ready for whatever comes, but gets you eating better because you can control the quality of the ingredients.  And, it's good for your pocketbook!
2. Bake your own bread - You'd think this would fall under cooking, but in all honesty, mastering the art of bread baking is just that - an art all unto itself.  The easiest breads to start with are going to be flat breads, tortillas, and soda breads.  Get the hang of that and move onto the yeast breads.  Finally, but perhaps the most important, is to learn the art of making and using your own sourdough starter.
3. Grow your own vegetables -  Once you've mastered cooking with actual foods, learn to grow them. Gardening is not for the faint of heart and takes practice and effort, so the sooner you get started the sooner you can reach results.  
4. Grow your own herbs - Herbs aren't just for flavorful cooking!  Herbs are also very important in natural healing, which I hope to have a post about soon.
5. Grow your livestock-
• Eggs - Chickens are easy enough to raise, but are far from the only poultry that can be raised to get quality eggs.  You might also consider ducks, quail, pheasants or turkeys.
• Meat animals are fairly easy to grow as well, and no matter the size of your property there is always something that can be raised for food.  (The other day I read a great article about apartment dwellers raising rabbits for food in their apartment.  If I can remember where I saw it I'll post it here.)  The best meat animals for the beginner are rabbits and poultry.  If you have room you can also raise goats, sheep, cattle or hogs.
• Dairying - Not just cows!  You can raise goats and some sheep to provide milk, which you can not only drink but create your own cheeses, yogurts and more.
6. Preserve the food you grow -  Learn the different methods of food preservation and get started, even if you haven't mastered the gardening or food growing yet!  
• Water bath - I learned how to water bath can my own jams and jellies before I ever grew a garden by visiting fruit stands and farmer markets. 
• Dehydrate foods - Invest in a decent food dehydrator or build a solar one and get started!  
• Pressure can - The only safe way to can most vegetables and all meats.
• Smoke cure meats for storage.
7. Build a root cellar - This probably could have been included under number three, but every homestead or bug out location should have a good root cellar (I don't, but that's only because we are planning one at the new house).  Invest in a good book that outlines how to build and utilize your root cellar.
8. Hunt, Fish and Dress Game - I'm sure there are lots of people who think this should be higher on the list, but I think hunting should be used to supplement a food supply and not as a food supply.  That being said, in the event that someone steals your livestock, a predator eats them before you do or you just don't produce as much as you need, hunting and fishing is a must have skill to round out your food supply.
9. Forage - In all honesty, this is a skill that I am planning to work on myself.  I've recently acquired a few good books on foraging and am looking for a local class on this.