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...