Practical Ideas for Self-Reliant Living
Woodbarrow
By Setanta O’Ceillaigh
When I first abandoned a slum town and fled back to the countryside I gathered and carried firewood with a laundry basket....
Nut Trees on Your Homestead
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Issue #149 • September/October, 2014
While growing up in Detroit, we had no nut trees in our yard (though we did have seedlings...
Make elderberry syrup for flu season
By Karen M. House
Issue #169 • January/February, 2018
Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) has been a traditional influenza remedy for hundreds of years. I first learned about...
A canoe livery — An honest, clean business
By Harry Spetla
Issue #46 • July/August, 1997
A canoe and kayak livery business is inexpensive to start and it's easy to operate. The business fits...
The homestead cat
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
We have had at least one cat in our home ever since I was a young child. So it’s no wonder we...
Solar power for farm and ranch
By Jeffrey R. Yago, P.E.
It may be surprising to learn that there are now all kinds of do-it-yourself solar powered devices specifically designed to...
Answering some well asked questions about personal defense
By Massad Ayoob
Issue #97 • January/February, 2006
Jeff Yago, Backwoods Home's energy writer, recently completed a couple of concealed carry handgun courses. The classes apparently...
Catch your own bait
By Gary Gresh
Issue #91 • January/February, 2005
Expensive lures and pricey tackle shop baits can sometimes make fishing an expensive proposition, raising the cost of...
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...
My View: Call Me Miracle Man!
By Dave Duffy
Issue #177 • July/August/September, 2019
Superheroes are the rage these days at movie theaters. Even I am fascinated by them. Old style heroes...

















































































