Are you wanting to learn more about homesteading and sustainable living but don’t know where to start?
Maybe you’re a seasoned homesteader but want to take your skills to the next level or learn a brand new skill.
Or maybe you have a homesteader in your life and you’re looking for a unique and thoughtful gift in the form of homesteading skills classes.
These days, more and more people are interested in homesteading, and it’s no wonder why! Homesteading is a wonderful, rewarding lifestyle that teaches us how to become more self-sufficient, how to grow our own food, how to waste less, and how to learn some old-fashioned essential skills that can come in handy in all kinds of situations. Plus, it’s just plain old fun!
There are so many different homesteading skills that you can learn, and taking homesteading classes is a great way to get started. You can learn about permaculture, fermenting foods, beekeeping for beginners, foraging for wild plants, how to build a tiny house, how to make cheese at home and more.
Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been at it for years, there’s always something new to learn. There are plenty of online homesteading skills classes available to help teach you the ropes – and best of all, you can learn at your own pace from the comfort of your own home.
I made this list of some of the coolest free and paid online homesteading classes available, and I wanted to share it with you!
You might want to consider adding some of these to your winter to-do list – learning a new homesteading skill is a great winter activity for homesteaders! Of course, there’s no wrong time to get started, so whether you’re stuck inside during the cold winter months or you just got inspired in the middle of the summer, check out these awesome homesteading skills classes and try some out for yourself!
- 1. Permaculture for Beginners
- 2. Free Yearlong Permaculture Course
- 3. Online Hide Tanning Course
- 4. Tiny House Academy: Online Tiny House Building Class
- 5. 10 Spring Wild Foods That You Can Find Almost Anywhere
- 6. Online Cheesemaking Course
- 7. Fermentation Workshop
- 8. Starting at Square One: Farm Start-up Considerations for New and Aspiring Farmers
- 9. Introduction to Beekeeping
- 10. Your Essential Compost and Vermicompost Course
- 11. Five Super Safe and Easy Wild Edibles for the Beginning Forager
- 12. Wild Harvesting Herbs & Edibles – Herbal Medicine Course
- 13. Introduction to Willow Basket Weaving
- 14. Introduction to Natural Dyes
- Final Thoughts
1. Permaculture for Beginners
Who is offering it:
Author and educator Heather Jo Flores at FreePermaculture.com
Cost:
FREE (or pay what you can to support this course and future courses)
Length of time:
There is no start or end date – learn at your own pace. Course includes 6 modules, each made up of several individual classes.
About the class:
This is a great way to get started into the world of permaculture and how to lead a more sustainable lifestyle, whether you live on a rural acreage or city apartment – it doesn’t matter.
Permaculture is a design system based on intelligently using every inch of space as efficiently as possible in harmony with the surrounding ecosystem. It emphasizes zero waste and giving back to the environment, and permaculture gardens involve way less maintenance than traditional section-based gardens.
Developing permaculture skills is a wonderful (and essential, in my opinion) part of being a good homesteader, but what I love the most is that you don’t have to be a traditional homesteader to practice these skills. It’s one of the best things we can do to respect the environment and ecosystem around us.
There is even a Facebook group for like-minded people to connect with each other!
2. Free Yearlong Permaculture Course
Who is offering it:
Author and educator Heather Jo Flores at FreePermaculture.com
Cost:
FREE (or pay what you can to support this course and future courses)
Length of time:
One year – one class per week recommended, but you can learn at your own pace. Course includes 52 multimedia modules.
About the class:
This is another amazing resource provided by Heather Jo Flores. It’s longer than the Permaculture for Beginners course and makes a great next step, as it goes more in depth about the various aspects of permaculture. Both this course and the previous course are such wonderful treasure troves of information! There is an option to make a monetary contribution to support the generous creation of these courses and future courses, but since nobody is turned away for lack of funds, you are able to access the courses for free.
3. Online Hide Tanning Course
Who is offering it:
Natalie Bogwalker, founder of Wild Abundance
Cost:
$397 and free of charge to Native and Indigenous people
Length of time:
Learn at your own pace – lifetime access to course content
About the class:
This is a video-based course that teaches you how to transform a deer hide into beautiful buckskin using Native and Indigenous tanning methods. It includes step-by-step videos, a downloadable course manual, live Q&A and a private Facebook community. The course outline page goes over everything you need to know, including an FAQ section to clear up any questions you may have before enrolling.
If you hunt or have access to buckskin and you’ve always wanted to learn hide tanning, you should absolutely check this out. This course not only gives step-by-step video tutorials, which are much easier to follow than reading from a book, but it also goes over the Indigenous roots of hide tanning and the importance of respect and connection to the natural world around us.
4. Tiny House Academy: Online Tiny House Building Class
Who is offering it:
The folks over at Wild Abundance
Cost:
$697
Length of time:
Learn at your own pace – course includes 10 modules with dozens of video lessons within each module
About the class:
*Currently waitlisted as of December 2022*
This comprehensive course covers everything you need to know about building a tiny house, including basic tool and construction concepts, electrical and plumbing systems, how to design your tiny house, regulations and permits, solar power options and more. Best of all, it’s suited to all skill levels.
If you’re interested in building a tiny house, this is an amazing content library to have. It covers EVERYTHING. You get so much value from your registration, too – in addition to all the content, you get one-on-one instructor support, live Q&A sessions and a live orientation call to meet additional students in the program.
5. 10 Spring Wild Foods That You Can Find Almost Anywhere
Who is offering it:
Wild Abundance instructor Luke Cannon
Cost:
$45
Length of time:
90 minute video class, including a 40 page e-book
About the class:
If you’re looking to get started with wild food foraging or looking for a gift for the forager or aspiring forager in your life, this is a great way to get comfortable with some common yet nutritionally-packed wild superfoods that you can find, as the title says, almost anywhere. The guide has a ton of education and experience, and the course includes a thorough 40 page e-book with everything you need to know about these species, including nutrition, ethnobotany, harvesting tips, and more. The course also comes with a mini recipe book as well!
6. Online Cheesemaking Course
Who is offering it:
Corina Sahlin, founder of Marblemount Homestead
Cost:
$59 regular or $80 for cheesemaking and fermentation course bundle
Length of time:
Learn at your own pace
About the class:
Have you ever wanted to learn how to make cheese at home? How about homemade Greek yogurt? This is one of the coolest homesteading skills classes I’ve come across. The instructor, Corina Sahlin, is originally from Germany and has been teaching cheesemaking and fermenting for over a decade. She’s an amazing instructor and explains everything so well and so thoroughly. You get so much value with this course – it includes e-books, recipes, video demonstrations, a private Facebook group and detailed supply lists with recommendations. Everything is yours to keep forever!
This course would make a great gift for homesteaders looking to start making their own cheese and yogurt, but it really would be a unique and fun gift for anyone (including yourself)!
7. Fermentation Workshop
Who is offering it:
Corina Sahlin, founder of Marblemount Homestead
Cost:
$49 regular or $80 for cheesemaking and fermentation course bundle
Length of time:
Learn at your own pace
About the class:
Another gem offered by Corina at Marblemount Homestead, this course teaches you how to make your own sauerkraut, kombucha, no-knead bread, beet kvass and yogurt. Fermenting foods is another awesome homesteading skill to learn, and there are so many health benefits of fermented foods. Look over the course description and learn for yourself!
Corina offers so much value to these courses – both this one and her cheesemaking course. In fact, she offers both courses as a bundle for $80 altogether. Do you know a homesteader or someone looking to be more self-sufficient? These courses would make such a cool and unique gift!
8. Starting at Square One: Farm Start-up Considerations for New and Aspiring Farmers
Who is offering it:
Cornell Small Farms Program – part of Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Cost:
Payment tiers based on financial situations starting at $199
Length of time:
6 weeks live instruction from official start date, but you can start anytime and learn at your own pace and attend as many future live sessions as you want.
About the class:
This course is for aspiring farmers who want to start a farm business in order to make some, or all, of their livelihood. It focuses on the business side of farming rather than a how-to of farming practices itself. This is a great starting point if you know you want to start a farm but are feeling overwhelmed with everything you need to know. It will help you with writing your business plan for your farm start-up. At this stage, you don’t need to have land or have every detail planned out like crops, livestock, etc. If you just know you want to learn more about the first steps needed to start a farm, this is exactly the course for you.
The course runs over a period of six weeks and the instructors do encourage live attendance so that you can ask questions and interact with your instructor and peers, but you are able to enroll at any time and go through the prerecorded webinars at your own pace.
The thing I really like about this course is that once you register, you have access to all the material indefinitely and you can “sit in” on as many future live sessions as you want to. The next live session is planned for Fall 2023.
9. Introduction to Beekeeping
Who is offering it:
Cornell Small Farms Program – part of Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Cost:
Payment tiers based on your financial situation starting at $199
Length of time:
8 weeks live instruction from official start date, but you can start anytime and learn at your own pace and attend as many future live sessions as you want.
About the class:
Are you interested in beekeeping or have you just gotten started? Either way, this is the course for you. There are a lot of online beekeeping resources, but this course is a one-stop shop that covers everything you need to know at the beginning, including bee biology, how to site your apiary properly, swarm control, many different troubleshooting scenarios, having a plan for Varroa mites, winterizing your hive, and so much more. This course is extremely comprehensive and is taught by a variety of experienced beekeepers and professional educators.
Similar to the Starting at Square One farming course above, this course runs live over 8 weeks, and the instructors encourage live attendance so you can engage with instructors and participate in discussions, but you are able to register at any time and access all the course content indefinitely.
Again, what I really like about these Cornell Small Farms courses is that you can register at any time and attend as many live sessions as you want to so you can ask questions and participate in discussions.
The next live session is planned for Tuesday, January 10, 2023 from 6:30-8:00pm EST with the final webinar on February 28, 2023.
10. Your Essential Compost and Vermicompost Course
Who is offering it:
Lindsay at The Mindful Living Movement
Cost:
$59
Length of time:
Learn at your own pace
About the class:
This is one of those homesteading skills classes that everyone should know about. A big part of being self-sufficient is minimizing waste to as little as possible. This course covers everything to do with traditional and non-traditional composting, including vermicomposting – better known as worm composting!
Best of all, you don’t have to live on a farm to implement some of these methods. You don’t need to blow the budget, either.
Composting your organic waste is a great way to lessen your impact on the environment and treat your plants to some amazing, nutrient-rich soil. And kids are sure to love having a worm farm and learning about how worms can help decompose food scraps into rich, earthy-smelling compost. (Take it from me – I remember having a worm compost bin in the basement when I was a kid and I thought it was so cool).
11. Five Super Safe and Easy Wild Edibles for the Beginning Forager
Who is offering it:
Author and horticulturist Ellen Zachos from The Backyard Forager
Cost:
$9
Length of time:
Short
About the class:
Looking for a budget-friendly introduction to foraging wild edibles? In this online homesteading skills class, Ellen goes over five beginner plants that are easy to find and harvest. The course goes over plant identification, flavor extraction, foraging techniques, a complete recipe pack, a step-by-step guide on how to make acorn flour and more. It would make a great gift for beginner or aspiring foragers or even for yourself if you want to dip your toes into the world of wild food foraging.
12. Wild Harvesting Herbs & Edibles – Herbal Medicine Course
Who is offering it:
Master & Clinical Herbalist Yarrow Willard at Wild Rose College of Herbal Medicine
Cost:
$97
Length of time:
Learn at your own pace – course includes six modules, each with multiple video lessons
About the class:
This online foraging class is about more than identifying and harvesting – it is a comprehensive course that goes through the phases and concepts of herbal medicine. In addition to covering the basics like identification and toxic lookalikes, seasonality, and how to dry and store your herbs, it includes exploring the relationship and connection with the earth, sustainable and regenerative foraging tips, ethics of harvesting wild plants, and the therapeutic and healing benefits of these plants.
The instructor is highly experienced and passionate about the field – see for yourself in the introductory video! If you’d like to learn about the world of herbal medicine, this is a wonderful online course to expand your mind.
13. Introduction to Willow Basket Weaving
Who is offering it:
Asaf Salim at OnlineBasketry.com
Cost:
FREE
Length of time:
Learn at your own pace – materials required
About the class:
Learn how to weave beautiful, handmade willow baskets by following along with instructor Asaf Salim, who generously provides his video-based courses free of charge with no subscription required. The videos are impeccably organized in clear steps, and he includes a written section and useful tips with each video lesson. If you’re interested in learning more about basket weaving, this is honestly the perfect place to go.
Start by going through the beginner’s guide, which covers the tools and equipment you’ll need as well as tips on how to sort, choose, set up and soak your willow rods in preparation for weaving.
The beginner’s course covers everything from start to finish – base to handle. Asaf includes lots of other video lessons as well, including variations of bases, various weaving techniques from basic to advanced, borders and more. There is so much value in these courses – and everything is completely free! It would make a great educational activity for both adults and kids, and it goes hand-in-hand with foraging – so if you know of any foragers and mushroom hunters in your life, they might be interested in weaving their own gathering baskets.
14. Introduction to Natural Dyes
Who is offering it:
Flora at Plants & Colour
Cost:
£65 (approx. $80 USD)
Length of time:
Learn at your own pace – materials required
About the class:
If you’re looking for homesteading skills classes that really take you back to your roots (pun intended), consider learning how to make natural dye from wild plants, food scraps, household material, and even scrap metal. Depending on where you live, you might not get the opportunity to attend a workshop in person, and an online homesteading class is the next best thing.
This course gives you indefinite access to video tutorials and learning resources as well as access to a private online forum with other participants to discuss and share photos of your beautiful work.
Although the instructor is based in the UK, she teaches people all over the world and provides general dye recipes so that you can explore the plants in your area and find which ones work best for you. Some of the recipes even call for common ingredients like old rusty nails, vinegar, honey, and salt! She also gives recommendations for specialist plants that you might have to grow or order as well as some recommended equipment.
I’d love to learn how to make my own organic colorfast fabric dye. If you love DIY and making things from scratch (especially sewing crafts), this would be a very cool new hobby!
Final Thoughts
What’s better than learning an exciting new skill or hobby and applying it in your life? What I like best about these online homesteading classes is that you can go at your own pace and start learning at any time – whether you’re looking for something fun to keep the winter doldrums away or preparing yourself for a new spring project, these courses will enrich your life and perhaps be that spark that ignites a new passion for you!
Giving the gift of knowledge is also a thoughtful and unique gift idea for homesteaders, foragers and mushroom hunters, and really anyone who loves DIY and self-sufficiency!
What are some homesteading skills you’d like to learn more about? Personally, I’d love to delve more into vermicomposting – I remember having a worm compost bin in our basement when I was a kid, and I thought it was so cool!
Let me know your thoughts in the comments and have a great time learning!
