Bob’s basic breads for beginners, bachelors, barbarians, and backwoodsmen

By Bob Van Putten Issue #173 • September/October, 2018 I reckon it takes a lot of gall for me to write about bread because compared to my wife I’ll never be anything but a rank amateur...

Oregon Grape Jam

By Joyce Lindsey O’Keefe Website Exclusive • August, 2008 Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium) bushes are native to the West Coast from northern California to British Columbia. They are the state flower of Oregon. The bushes come...

Canning 101 — Pickles, fruits, jams, jellies, etc.

By Jackie Clay Issue #53 • September/October, 1998 For some reason, (definitely unknown to me) canning, as a method of very long term food storage, fell into disuse. Maybe it's the hurry/rush syndrome many folks have...

Your kitchen pharmacy — How common culinary herbs and spices can help you feel...

By Rebekah L. Cowell Issue #122 • March/April, 2010 In a perfect world, we would get all the nutrients and medication we needed from the food we ate. However, our diets and the foods available to...

Boost your immune system with fast and easy fish dishes

By Linda Gabris When I was growing up in the rural woods, Grandpa and I did a lot of fishing from spring through fall so fresh catch was always on the menu. But come winter...

How to make kombucha

By Kristina Seleshanko Issue #172 • July/August, 2018 Kombucha is an ancient drink that’s recently enjoyed a revival because it’s a fizzy and healthy alternative to soda pop. Despite urban myths, it contains only trace amounts...

Make grape juice the easy way

By Tanya Kelley Issue #41 • September/October, 1996 Squeezing and straining grapes for grape juice was not exactly my idea of fun. So when my neighbor showed me a faster, easier method, I was delighted. For...

Turning to turmeric

By Habeeb Salloum On our farm in southwest Saskatchewan, of all the spices Mother used, there were a few with long histories that she never had in her kitchen. One of these was turmeric, a...

Making delicious, unthinkable wines

By Lev G. Fedyniak Issue #110 • March/April, 2010 I love wines. Always have. I've drunk wine, studied wine, written about wine, and collected wine. But I got tired of hearing my back-to-nature friends chide me by...

Winter baking warms the house

By Lisa Nourse Photos by Jamie Nourse Living on the Pacific Coast, there are days during fall and winter when it really doesn’t get very cold. It is rare to have snow or freezing temperatures here...

Elderberries — Hospitality, Health, And Beauty

By Gail Butler Issue #124 • July/August, 2010 When friends stop by for a visit I like to offer them a hospitable and healthful libation of elderberry cordial. When served in a small aperitif glass or...

Picking and preserving the wild plum

By Bill Weekes Issue #69 • May/June, 2001 The wild plum is a fickle fruit, ripening any time between late spring and late summer. It comes in a bunch of colors, shapes, and sizes. Some are...

Brining pickles by the quart or gallon

By Vicky Rose Issue #113 • September/October, 2008 The ancient art of brining pickles produces a product similar to the expensive "deli-style" pickles in the supermarket. The process is not difficult; however, older recipes call for...

Cast iron loaf pans from breakfast to dessert

By Matt and Linda Morehouse Issue #133 • January/February, 2012 Cast iron loaf pans are not just for bread. Nearly as versatile as the cast iron 10-inch (#8) covered skillet, the venerable cast iron loaf pan...

Solar Food Drying

By Marcella Shaffer Issue #58 • July/August, 1999 The oldest known method of food preservation is drying food using the heat from the sun. Unfortunately it has become the least used as freezers and pressure canners...

Be a Viking: Brew wild-crafted mead

By Jereme Zimmerman Issue #155 • September/October, 2015 I am preparing honey, water, and flavoring ingredients for a batch of mead made with a commercial yeast. Mead (honey wine) is one of the simplest alcoholic beverages to...