Old-Fashioned Practical Skills for Emergency Situations on the Farm

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In today’s world, we’ve grown accustomed to the conveniences of running water, electricity, and modern appliances. But what happens when the power goes out, or there’s no access to water? Whether due to a storm, utility failures, or off-grid living, knowing a few old-fashioned, practical skills can help you stay comfortable and self-sufficient during these tough times.

Thankfully, I was trained by the best. My parents made sure we all knew how to do things. Lots of things. We didn’t always love the task as kids but today, and especially after the week we’ve had in Appalachia I am so glad for that knowledge and experience. TJ’s parents did the same for him and Lauren, taking them camping often as kids and honestly just the day in, day out of farm life did a ton to prepare them as well.

These are super important to work on if you live in a farm, are trying to homestead or just want to be more prepared for emergency situations.

If practice them and have trial runs when the real deal comes it won’t be such a shock to the system. Eat dinner by candlelight, or keep kerosene lamps handy and only use those a few nights instead of power so you can get used to functioning with limited light.

More than a few of these came in handy this week as we saw power, and water outages across East Tennessee.

Here are some tried-and-true methods to keep your household running smoothly, even when the grid goes down.

1. Washing Clothes by Hand

Without electricity and modern washing machines, cleaning clothes can be a bit challenging, but it’s nothing our ancestors couldn’t handle! Here’s a simple method for washing clothes by hand:

• Materials Needed: A large basin, bucket, or washtub; a washboard (or scrub brush); laundry soap; and fresh water.

• Instructions:

• Fill the basin with warm water. If hot water isn’t available from the tap, heat some water on a stove or over a fire.

• Add a bit of laundry soap or homemade soap (you can even use grated bar soap if needed). You can find an easy recipe for homemade laundry soap here.

• Place your clothes in the water and scrub each item against the washboard, focusing on stained or soiled areas.

• Rinse each item thoroughly in clean water, then wring out as much water as possible.

• Hang your clothes out to dry on a line or rack in the sun, or indoors near a warm source if it’s cold. TJ hates line dried clothes but Terry does this nearly every load she washes.

This method is both energy-efficient and surprisingly effective, especially for small loads of clothes.

2. Heating Water with a Slow Cooker

If the power is out but you have a generator or limited solar power available, one surprising tool you can use to heat water is your slow cooker. It’s a low-energy appliance that can keep water warm for washing dishes or other cleaning needs. Especially if you don’t have the means to make a fire.

• How to Use:

• Fill the slow cooker with water and set it to the highest setting.

• It will take some time to heat up, but once warm, you can use this water for washing dishes, rinsing, or even cleaning around the house.

• You can ladle warm water into a dishpan and add soap for washing up plates, cups, and utensils. It’s a great way to conserve power and ensure you always have hot water available during a power outage.

If you’re lucky enough to have a gas stove, you can also heat water the old-fashioned way, over an open flame. But the slow cooker is a great backup option!

3. Keeping Warm Without Power

Staying warm during a power outage, especially in colder months, is a primary concern. Here are some strategies to keep your home and family comfortable:

• Layer Up: The majority of the time we lose power up here is NOT because of hurricanes but becasue of snow and ice storms. Make sure to dress in multiple layers. Wool (also water resistant) and fleece are great insulators, trapping body heat without causing you to overheat. Don’t forget hats and gloves, as you lose most heat from your head and extremities.

• Block Drafts: Use towels, blankets, or even rolled-up newspaper to block drafts from windows and doors. A lot of heat can escape through cracks and poorly insulated areas.

• Centralize Your Space: Close off rooms that aren’t being used and focus on staying in one central room. Use thick blankets and sleeping bags to trap heat when resting or sleeping.

• Use Hot Water Bottles: If you have access to hot water (via a propane stove, wood stove, or slow cooker), fill a few water bottles and place them at your feet or in your bed at night. They’ll help keep you warm for hours.

4. Water Conservation and Collection

In the event of no running water, conserving what you have and collecting more becomes critical. You’ll never know how much you miss water and how much you use it until you lose it. Here are a few tips to make the most of your water supply:

• Rainwater Collection: Set up rain barrels or buckets to collect rainwater from your roof. While it may not be safe for drinking without treatment, it’s perfect for flushing toilets, cleaning, or watering livestock. It can also be used for a sun shower which I know my friends used during this crisis at least once.

• Greywater Reuse: Water used for rinsing vegetables, washing hands, or cooling dishes can be reused for flushing toilets or even watering your garden. Just be mindful of soaps or chemicals in the water.

• Stockpile Drinking Water: If you know a storm or emergency is coming, stockpile clean drinking water. You should aim to have at least one gallon of water per person, per day, for drinking and sanitation.

5. Emergency Cooking

Cooking without power can be an adventure. Here are some traditional methods to keep your meals coming:

• Cast Iron Cooking Over a Fire: My favorite. If you have a wood stove or can build a safe outdoor fire pit, cast iron skillets and pots are perfect for cooking over an open flame. Make simple one-pot meals like stews, soups, and stir-fries. You can also use foil packets and one time pie pans inside the cast iron for easy cleanup.

• Solar Oven: If it’s a sunny day and you have a solar oven, use the power of the sun to bake, roast, and warm food. This one is a little trickier and will definitely take longer. You can make your own with a pizza box.

• Camping Stove: A propane-powered camping stove is an excellent backup option when the power is out. Make sure to have plenty of fuel stocked up and stored safely. We have a crawfish pot and burner and this can be used too for laundry, or cooking anything with lots of liquid (like soups.)

In emergency situations, having practical skills like these can help you remain self-reliant, safe, and comfortable, and to ease your anxiety from The enormity of the emergency situation. Whether you’re dealing with a short-term outage or looking to embrace off-grid living, these old-fashioned methods have stood the test of time.

With a little preparation, you’ll be ready to face whatever challenges come your way while keeping your family, home or farm running smoothly.

Keep Appalachia in your prayers as people around here continue to recover from this storm.