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...
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...
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 thingscanned foods you just don't find on everyone's shelves. My latest canning...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
Making apple pectin
By Kristina Seleshanko
Issue #167 • September/October, 2017
One day, as I walked past an apple tree that was naturally thinning its fruit by dropping tiny, baby apples, I thought, “I wish there was something useful...
