Plant your Irish potatoes this fall or winter
Plant your Irish potatoes this fall or winter By Robert L. Williams Issue #48 • November/December, 1997 My family has made a practice of planting Irish potatoes in the fall rather than in the early spring. We tried it both … Continue reading
Raising your own beef
Raising your own beef By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #175 • January/February/March, 2019 Every time I sit down to enjoy a wonderful beef roast or perfectly grilled steak, I am so thankful we began raising our own beef. The flavor of … Continue reading
A young couple moves to the country
A young couple moves to the country By Jessie Denning Issue #175 • January/February/March 2019 As many of you know, I’ve been the managing editor of this magazine for the last four years. But what you may not know is … Continue reading
Build a top-bar bee hive
Build a top-bar bee hive By Jereme Zimmerman Issue #175 • January/February/March, 2019 My journey to becoming a beekeeper has been a long one, and I’m still not quite there yet. For the past five years or so, I have … Continue reading
Roasting coffee on a wood stove
Roasting coffee on a wood stove By Lorinda McKinnon Issue #175 • January/February/March, 2019 In hard times, comforts are important for morale. Some might stash a jug of whiskey or a case of cheese puffs, but for me, comfort is … Continue reading
Backwoods Home Magazine is once again a print magazine
Backwoods Home Magazine is now a print magazine after a one-year hiatus as a digital-only publication. The person who is making this possible is my son, Sam Duffy, who will assume the role of publisher…Continue reading
(Click here to follow Dave Duffy, the founder of Backwoods Home Magazine, on Twitter and keep abreast of the very latest news at the magazine. Below are his latest posts.)
I like it mainly because of its ambience . . . the loud crackling of the gas explosions in the mixed wood, the powerful heat wave in the immediate area. It's like camping in your living room.
OLD-FASHIONED FIREPLACE -- I have an old-fashioned fireplace that gives minimal heat to the house, but superb heat and comfort to those sitting within about 20 feet of it.
Build your own hoop house
Build your own hoop house By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #171 • May/June, 2018 I’ve had my own garden for more than half a century, and I have learned a few things after all these years. One of the most valuable … Continue reading
Keeping homestead animals healthy
Keeping homestead animals healthy By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #169 • January/February, 2018 As a veterinary field technician for more than 20 years, I saw firsthand the frustration and heartbreak when animal owners called the veterinarian (or started treatment) too late … Continue reading
Bottle-raise a calf
Bottle-raise a calf By Jackie Clay Issue #120 • November/December, 2009 If you think milk and beef are expensive in the grocery store, then you should think about raising a baby calf or two. Because corn and milk replacer are … Continue reading
Bovine basics for beginners
Bovine basics for beginners By Patrice Lewis Issue #122 • March/April, 2010 Congratulations. You’ve escaped the city life and are now the proud owners of your little plot of rural paradise. It’s natural to start thinking about all the possibilities … Continue reading
Protein
Protein The cornerstone of a survival diet By Jackie Clay Issue #111 • May/June, 2008 It goes without saying that preparedness is not for “radicals” or “weirdos” anymore. I picked up a preparedness leaflet at the County Agent’s office last … Continue reading
Good-bye old friend
Good-bye old friend By Lucy Shober Issue #27 • May/June, 1994 Big Poney died today. He was 34 years old and had been going down pretty rapidly over this hot, dry summer. His bones seemed to poke out at every … Continue reading
Raising your own beef
Raising your own beef By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #175 • January/February/March, 2019 Every time I sit down to enjoy a wonderful beef roast or perfectly grilled steak, I am so thankful we began raising our own beef. The flavor of … Continue reading
Defending your lifestyle
Defending your lifestyle By Massad Ayoob Issue #60 • November/December, 1999 I was sitting in the witness box, an expert witness for the defense, in a courtroom out west not long ago. The opposing lawyer was conducting cross examination, and … Continue reading
Preparing gun owners for the short-term future
Preparing gun ownersfor the short-term future By Massad Ayoob Issue #111 • May/June, 2008 Hey. Hey! Hey! Aren’t my assignments supposed to be more like, “How about a story on Savage rifles?” George W. Bush, during his first Presidential campaign, … Continue reading
Armed citizens: the deterrent factor
Armed citizens:the deterrent factor By Massad Ayoob Website Exclusive • January/February, 2001 Does an armed citizenry deter tyranny and invasion? History and logic both answer emphatically, “Yes!” Some months ago, in an article in this publication titled The Rationale of … Continue reading
The light at the end of the gun
The light at theend of the gun By Massad Ayoob Issue #128 • March/April, 2011 Massad Ayoob demonstrates the SureFire X200 light mounted left front on Picatinny rail on this S&W M&P .22 Long Rifle. Support hand thumb activates light … Continue reading
Breaking ice on hard water fishing
Breaking ice onhard water fishing A cool introduction to a fun sport By Linda Gabris Issue #91 • January/February, 2005 Only thing hard about hard water fishing is the ice. Once you’ve broken through that obstacle, the rest is easy … Continue reading
Just because
Just because By Massad Ayoob Issue #144 • November/December, 2013 I generally recommend that people buy guns the way they’d buy power tools, or automobiles, or homes. Assess your needs, analyze your budget, correlate it all with your ability to … Continue reading
The time for modern; the time for traditional
The time for modern;the time for traditional By Massad Ayoob Issue #137 • September/October, 2012 Traditional “old skool” guns, or the most modern and efficient ballistic hardware that money can buy? I asked that question recently on my corner of … Continue reading
Do rural homeowners need guns for self-defense?
Do rural homeownersneed guns for self-defense? By Massad Ayoob Issue #72 • November/December, 2001 Do rural homeowners need guns for self-defense? Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t, according to Ayoob’s experience, but those who did never really knew they … Continue reading
Here are some answers to often-asked questions of anti-gunners
Here are some answers to often asked questions of anti-gunners By Massad Ayoob Issue #45 • May/June, 1997 It has become increasingly politically incorrect to be a firearms owner. This is because trends tend to be set by the fashionable … Continue reading
Getting ready for deer season … now
Getting ready fordeer season … now By Massad Ayoob Issue #155 • September/October, 2015 As summer blends into fall, “deer season” is on the horizon. In the United States, the deer is by far the most popular big game. When … Continue reading
Moving on: A small town can be a haven during a depression
Moving on:A small town can bea haven during a depression By Claire Wolfe Website Exclusive • September, 2010 One day last summer, I departed Last-Chance Gulch and the high desert, a U-Haul trailer bobbing behind. I aimed for my … Continue reading
Water: a safe supply when you’re off the grid
Water: a safe supply when you’re off the grid By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #71 • September/October, 2001 That remote mountain property seemed like a steal until you found out you could not drill a well. Four years ago … Continue reading
Cleaning a well
Cleaning a well By Pat Barden Issue #105 • May/June, 2007 We have a good well with sweet water. It was already in place when we bought our property and had been in use for more than 20 years. … Continue reading
Your survival depends on water
Your survival depends on water By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #167 • September/October, 2017 As you develop your preparedness plans, consider your water supply. You can go without food for weeks but when you lack water for as little as two … Continue reading
The coffee mug knife sharpener
The coffee mug knife sharpener By Michael Cantrell Issue #105 • May/June, 2007 Not too long ago, I watched a man open his pocket knife by pulling it partway open to a wide L-shape with his hands, and then … Continue reading
How to maintain your chimney
How to maintain your chimney By Charles Sanders Issue #169 • January/February, 2018 As a good stove can be vital to a country home, a good chimney is just as important in safely operating that stove. A well-constructed chimney can … Continue reading
Life-saving snowshoes
Life-saving snowshoes By Len McDougall Issue #126 • November/December, 2010 If you live in or drive through places where winter generally means having snow on the ground from autumn till spring, you should have a functional pair of snowshoes. … Continue reading
Winter in the High Desert
Winter in the High Desert Understanding the music By Claire Wolfe Issue #121 • January/February, 2010 My old friends from the Pacific Northwest think I don’t love them anymore, now that I’ve moved far away to the high desert. … Continue reading
Take care of your knife
Take care of your knife By John Lo Cicero Issue #98 • March/April, 2006 There was a time when I did not understand the value of quality, or respect for a fine tool. I received my tool education first-hand … Continue reading
Sun-kabobs and solar sizzle
Just for Kids Sun-kabobs and solar sizzle By Lucy Shober Issue #28 • July/August, 1994 Click on pictures for printable, full-sized versions to color. Picture yourself in this dreamy scenario: It’s a hot summer afternoon. The sun is beaming through … Continue reading
Stay clear of young wild animals
Stay clear ofyoung wild animals By Tom and Joanne O’Toole Issue #86 • March/April, 2004 This spring and summer millions of wild animals and birds will be born. This is the new generation of wildlife, and their survival depends a … Continue reading
Getting logs
Getting logs By Dorothy Ainsworth Website Exclusive • March, 2004 Online Exclusive April 2003 Attention: Would-be loggers. There have been changes in policy at the United States Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. I have just found out … Continue reading
Preparing for winter
Preparing for winter By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #161 • September/October, 2016 In some climates, winter’s no big deal — just a little rain and cooler weather. But for the rest of us, winter is something to be prepared for. I’ve … Continue reading
Tale of a country family
Tale of a country family By Rachel Baxter Issue #66 • November/December, 2000 Dave and Dianna Saleh (pronounced “Sally”) always knew they wanted to live a rural lifestyle. They both came from big cities before they met and fell … Continue reading
Better wood heating
Shop heater. This example is a 55-gallon drum and stove kit surrounded with leftover concrete blocks. I stack extra bricks, slates, and metal on the top to give more heatable mass. Issue #90 • November/December, 2004 The first chore … Continue reading
Surviving a biochemical attack
Self-reliance for women Surviving a biochemical attack By Kelly McCarthy Issue #94 • July/August, 2005 Three and a half years ago, on the morning of September 11th to be exact, I was just ending a White House tour with … Continue reading
Homestead Helpers
Homestead Helpers By Charles Sanders Issue #65 • September/October, 2000 Every day around the home place brings with it many new experiences. The number of projects, chores, repairs, and other tasks often seem endless. With those jobs come little problems … Continue reading
Boost your income by adding a processing step to what you sell
Boost your income by adding aprocessing step to what you sell By Harry Styron Issue #36 • November/December, 1995 Three boys spent several raw November days picking up black walnuts. We hoped to get a nice bit of cash … Continue reading
Cast iron
Cast iron By Jackie Clay Issue #118 • July/August, 2009 My very favorite cookware is old—some of it very old. It’s nonstick, is equally at home in the kitchen or wilderness camp, is the ultimate slow-cooker, and you can whop … Continue reading
Start a fire in any weather
Start a fire in any weather By Charles Sanders Issue #161 • September/October, 2016 Most of us living in the backwoods are comfortable with utilizing fire as a tool. We use fire to heat our homes, burn brush, power our … Continue reading
Cold process goat milk soap
Cold process goat milk soap By Michele Cooper Issue #171 • May/June, 2018 Making soap can seem scary to some people, but the truth is, it only takes a few steps. Tools & equipment The equipment you use to make … Continue reading
Harvest your own firewood
Issue #83 • September/October, 2003 Harvesting firewood has many rewards: exercise, satisfaction, saving money, and the security of having your own fuel supply for winter warmth. Here are some pointers in the art of cutting your own with maximum … Continue reading
Constitution of the united States of America
Constitution of the united States of America We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings … Continue reading
President George Washington’s Farewell Address
President George Washington’s Farewell Address Friends and Fellow Citizens: The period for a new election of a citizen, to administer the executive government of the United States, being not far distant, and the time actually arrived, when your thoughts must … Continue reading
Neighbors
Neighbors By Brent Todd Issue #90 • November/December, 2004 My neighbor, Fred, came to the house to borrow a hammer. He’s not mechanically inclined. If I were a betting man I’d lay even odds he doesn’t know where Home Depot … Continue reading
The Tea Party Movement!
The Tea Party Movement! By John Silveira Issue #123 • May/June, 2010 I don’t know why Dave Duffy’s poker-playing friend from California, O.E. MacDougal, doesn’t just move up here to Oregon—except that he says the poker down south is better. … Continue reading
Emancipation Proclamation by Historical Document
Emancipation Proclamation By the President of the United States of America: A PROCLAMATIONWhereas on the 22nd day of September, A.D. 1862, a proclamation was issued by the President of the United States, containing, among other things, the following, to … Continue reading
The gee-whiz! page
The gee-whiz! page Cats: Why they rule our world By O. E. MacDougal Issue #170 • March/April, 2018 House cats A recent Gallup poll showed that cat ownership is pretty much evenly distributed between men and women, and that roughly … Continue reading
Was the first government gun confiscation attempt foiled by an unsung colonial heroine?
Was the first government gun confiscation attempt foiled by an unsung colonial heroine? By John Silveira Issue #119 • September/October, 2009 Gun control people don’t seem to get just how deeply etched into the American psyche gun ownership goes and … Continue reading
Feeling nostalgic? Now you’ll rave! Here’s the story of Burma Shave.
Feeling nostalgic? Now you’ll rave! Here’s the story of Burma Shave. By Martin Waterman Issue #37 • January/February, 1996 I can remember taking a trip as a child and seeing my first Burma Shave signs. Technically speaking, after 1963 all … Continue reading
Grandpa’s justice
Grandpa’s justice By Tom Kovach Issue #65 • September/October, 2000 Having the best vegetable garden in the village might put food on the table and make some money at the market, but it also can cause some problems. Or so … Continue reading
Declaration of Independence: The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
Declaration of Independence Action of Second Continental Congress, July 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America When in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which … Continue reading
Czarist Chicken Salad
Recipe of the Week Czarist Chicken Salad Courtesy of Frannie Burdette Ingredients 4 chicken breast halves (about 1-1/2 pounds) 4 small red potatoes, boiled, peeled, sliced 1/2 cup coarsely chopped deli-style dill pickle 1 onion quartered, divided 1 rib celery, … Continue reading
Dilled oyster crackers
Recipe of the Week Dilled oyster crackers Courtesy of Alice Brantley Yeager You’ll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 2 12-oz. pkgs. oyster crackers 1 cup canola oil or other light vegetable oil … Continue reading
Italian Christmas bread
Recipe of the Week Italian Christmas bread Courtesy of Richard Blunt You’ll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1/4 cup warm milk (110 to 115°) 1 pkg. active dry yeast 1/2 tsp. brown … Continue reading
A few favorite recipes and books
A few favoriterecipes and books By Ilene Duffy Issue #110 • March/April, 2008 I was talking with another mom in the produce section of the market the other day. During our conversation, she happened to mention that earlier in her … Continue reading
Apple ham salad
Recipe of the Week Apple ham salad Courtesy of Anne Westbrook Dominick You’ll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 4 McIntosh or Liberty apples, cored and diced (not peeled) 1 Tbsp. lemon juice … Continue reading
Making dandelions palatable
Making dandelions palatable By John Kallas, Ph.D Issue #82 • July/August, 2003 We’ve heard stories about how good dandelions are. What one usually hears from enthusiastic wild food promoters is, “All you need to do is find very young … Continue reading
Fried tuna patties
Recipe of the Week Fried tuna patties Courtesy of Jackie Clay You’ll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 2 cans light tuna, drained 1 cup crushed dried bread crumbs 1/4 cup dehydrated onion … Continue reading
Caribbean Barbecued Pork Steaks
Recipe of the Week Caribbean Barbecued Pork Steaks Courtesy of Willy Borsheim Ingredients 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork chops/steaks, about 1/2-inch thick 1 large red onion, sliced 3/4 cup fresh lime juice 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper Method … Continue reading
Making good jerky
Making good jerky By Randy Neumann Issue #130 • July/August, 2011 It is hard to find someone who doesn’t like beef jerky. Or teriyaki jerky. Or turkey jerky. And I’ve had some Hawaiian pork jerky that was out of … Continue reading
Fireplace cooking cures the winter blues
Fireplace cookingcures the winter blues By Robert L. Williams Issue #19a • January/February, 1993 Several years ago we experienced a prolonged winter storm that left power lines down and thousands of people without heat, hot water, and operative cookstoves. And … Continue reading
Liver Fricassee
Recipe of the Week Liver Fricassee Courtesy of Robert Waite Ingredients 1 pound beef liver 3 large or 6 small white onions, peeled and chopped 3 medium green bell peppers, seeded and chopped 1 (14 -16 oz.) can whole tomatoes, … Continue reading
Cracklin’s
Cracklin’s An irresistible snack thatyou can’t stop sneakin’ By Linda Gabris Issue #79 • January/February, 2003 When I was a girl growing up in the backwoods, one of my favorite times of the year was autumn when grandpa would butcher … Continue reading
Bologna sandwiches and roasted rabbit
Bologna sandwiches and roasted rabbit By Habeeb Salloum Issue #61 • January/February, 2000 “I don’t know what I’m going to do with all this bologna!” My mother was speaking to herself as she tried to find room for two huge … Continue reading
Grilled Steak with Olive-Blue Cheese Sauce
Recipe of the Week Grilled Steak with Olive-Blue Cheese Sauce Courtesy of Gail Chen Ingredients 4 6-ounce beef tenderloin steaks, cut 1-1/4-inches thick 1 cup canned beef broth 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (or chopped onion) 1/2 cup sliced black … Continue reading
Country-style Pork Stew
Recipe of the Week Country-style Pork Stew Courtesy of Frances Straight Ingredients 3/4 pound boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of separable fat Nonstick cooking spray 1-1/4 cups water 1-1/4 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon granules 1 14-1/2-ounce can tomatoes, cut up … Continue reading