The incredible cattail — The super Wal-Mart of the swamp

By Kevin F. Duffy Issue #43 • January/February, 1997 I can think of no other North American plant that is more useful than the cattail. This wonderful plant is a virtual gold mine of survival utility....

Here are some tasty ways to use those end-of-season green tomatoes

By Marjorie Burris Issue #41 • September/October, 1996 That gentle nip in the autumn air feels pleasant to your cheeks, but it also means that one more tomato season is about to come to an end....

Hunting, processing, and serving black bear

By Linda Gabris Issue #162 • November/December, 2016 Bear was a popular meat in our house when I was growing up in the rural woods. Black bear was Grandpa's favorite big game animal to hunt and...

You can safely and easily can your own meat

By Jackie Clay Issue #105 • May/June, 2007 Of all the foods I can every year, the most useful is the wide variety of meats. While we aren't huge meat eaters, these rows and rows of...

Preserving plums

By Kristina Seleshanko Issue #171 • May/June, 2018 I’ve read that the Chinese believe plums symbolize good luck; perhaps that’s why plums are one of the most cultivated fruits on earth. (Or maybe it’s just that...

Middle Eastern breads

By Habeeb Salloum Issue #135 • May/June, 2012 Arabs, the majority people in the Middle East, eat bread with every meal. In tradition and in daily life, bread is held to be a divine gift from...

How to can chopped garlic

By Patrice Lewis Issue #173 • September/October, 2018 Before we had our garden established, I routinely purchased chopped garlic at the grocery store. Why? Because it was easier to scoop a tablespoon of chopped garlic out...

Canned bacon — Roll your own

By Enola Gay Issue #127 • January/February, 2011 I have to admit, I am somewhat of an extreme canner. I love to can unusual things—canned foods you just don't find on everyone's shelves. My latest canning...

Seven secrets of Dutch oven cooking

By Roger L. Beattie Issue #47 • September/October, 1997 Squatting heavily in dank basements, drafty attics, and dusty, cluttered garages, these three-legged hulks from a bygone era wait impatiently to release their treasures. Until then, they...

Do you suffer from gout? Here are some recipes that might help

By Habeeb Salloum Issue #103 • January/February, 2007 For two days we had been exploring the fantastic ruins of Petra, Jordan's number-one tourist attraction. The last day, after walking around intrigued by this ancient Arab Nabataean...

Canning meat plus how to use your canned meat

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Although we have a big freezer, I can up most of our meat. We raise beef cattle, turkeys, chickens, and we hunt, so we have a lot of meat. (Besides that, I...

Harvesting the wild: Acorns

By Jackie Clay Issue #79 • January/February, 2003 When I was just a little girl, I used to collect acorns by the boxfull as they fell in the fall. I didn't know why. They just felt...

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...

Canning game meat

By Linda Gabris Issue #166 • July/August, 2017 Attempting to can meat (or any other low acid food, for that matter) without the use of a pressure canner is every bit as foolhardy as arming up...

Keep the Ice On

By Jeffrey R. Yago, P.E., C.E.M. Self-Reliance, Fall 2019 When I ask most people why they own or are looking to buy a generator, most will say it is to keep a refrigerator or freezer operating....

Traditional trail foods — Transportable calories

By Brad Rohdenburg Issue #81 • May/June, 2003 Napoleon said that an army marches on its stomach. Frederick the Great defined an army as a group of men who demanded daily feeding. One can imagine the...