Our journey to modern off-grid living
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Issue #177 • July/August/September, 2019
We’ve lived off the grid for decades. Throughout the years, we’ve traveled the path from living a very rustic lifestyle with few amenities to our current off-grid homestead...
How to Resurrect Old, Rusted Tools
By R.E. Rawlinson
Issue #176 • April/May/June, 2019
The homesteading lifestyle can require a number of tools to cultivate the garden, maintain the home, repair the tractor, and build various pens and coops. We use them...
Foraging for wild berries
By Kristina Seleshanko
Issue #176 • April/May/June, 2019
I had just posted a photo online of some wild berries I was going to preserve, when suddenly I was inundated with messages: “Are those really safe to...
Hügelkultur for the Homestead
By Rose Shelton
Issue #176 • April/May/June, 2019
Last spring, I finally completed a long-planned homestead project of constructing two hügelkultur beds. What is hügelkultur? It’s basically a method of recycling junk wood to make a...
Oregon Trail preparedness: What supplies did the settlers carry?
By Don Lewis
Issue #176 • April/May/June, 2019
The year was 1834, a year that didn’t really stand out as all that particularly important in American history. But like any other year, it had its share...
My view: Socialism’s promises always end in disaster
By Dave Duffy
Issue #176 • April/May/June, 2019
There are lots of news stories these days about socialism’s rise in the United States, especially among the young and admirers of newly elected New York Congresswoman Alexandria...
Growing Microgreens
By Lisa Nourse
Issue #176 • April/May/June, 2019
The small town where I live has two small grocery stores and getting a good variety of organic produce during the winter months is difficult. I find myself...
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...
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 a steaming...
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 read...
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 that when I’m...
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...
Teaching a 10-year-old to shoot
By John Moody
Issue #174 • November/December, 2018
In my youth, I remember my dad dragging my brother and me out of bed in the middle of the night, tossing our tired bodies in the back...
Make a Quick and Easy Tipi
By Bob Van Putten
Issue #174 • November/December, 2018
The native peoples of North America were a very practical lot. Over the centuries they developed some very efficient tools. Yet, perhaps because of their appreciation of...
Fermenting Chicken Feed
By Melissa Souza
Issue #174 • November/December, 2018
On our homestead, we eat yogurt, kombucha (fermented tea), sauerkraut, and kimchi to add probiotics to our diet. These beneficial bacteria promote good digestive health, strengthen the immune...
Freeze a holiday turkey to enjoy it all year long
By Linda Gabris
Issue #174 • November/December, 2018
When I was a kid, Grandpa and Grandma would put in an order with the local turkey farmer in November for a “Christmas” bird, which would be picked...
