10 Old Time Food Skills

These days, many old time cooking skills have gone by the wayside since basically any sort of food stuff you want can easily be bought at the store.  However, while you don't NEED to be able to cook many things, you still SHOULD know how to make said items (which requires some practice):

1. Beer and wine making.  This is a fun and interesting hobby with some mighty tasty rewards at the end of the process.
2. Cheesemaking.  It really isn't as hard as it sounds and many cheeses don't require mold, a deep cave, and a lengthy shelf time.
3. Pickling.  Whether you are pickling cucumbers or cabbage, this is an old skill that can easily be learned today.
4. Canning.  What better way to put away the harvest or take care of a super good deal on a crate of vegetables?  Once you buy the supplies for canning you will be set for years and be able to put plenty of food away for later use.
5. Baking.  Everyone should know how to make a loaf of bread but surprisingly, many people have yet to figure out this simple skill.  Give it a try.
6. Making jams and jellies.  Again, this is another old-time food skill that many people don't do anymore (it is pretty simple and cheap to run to the store for a jar of jelly) but it is rewarding to be able to create your own preserves.
7. Smoking.  With a bit of creativity and a couple of YouTube videos you can turn your barbecue into a smoker and do some pretty interesting things with pork or fish.
8. Sausage making (and other meat processing).  If someone handed you a pig (dead, not alive) would you know how to process it from snout to tail?  Knowing how to cut up and process all parts of an animal is a useful skill to have.
9. Candy making.  Whether you are making taffy or gourmet chocolates, learning how to make your own candy is a unique and interesting experience.
10. Create your own food items from scratch.  Look in your pantry and pick a few items then figure out how to make them yourself--mayonnaise, vinegar, salad dressing, cake mixes, etc.