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...

Turkey the old-fashioned way

By Linda Gabris Issue #90 • November/December, 2004 When I was a kid, mom did all her cooking on a McClary wood stove that sat in the corner of her big country kitchen. The stove, fondly...

Buckboard bacon

By Tanya Kelley Issue #131 • September/October, 2011 Last year, our family processed a hog for the first time. We made roasts, pork chops, bacon, Italian sausage, breakfast link sausages, and hams. All of the results...

The enchanting Chanterelle — Gourmet goodies free from the forest

By Devon Winter Issue #101 • September/October, 2006 They're prized by the world's top chefs. They're served in the most elegant restaurants. You'll pay a pretty penny for them at farmers' markets. Yet they're abundant and...

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...

Brew your own root beer

By Tim Murphy Issue #130 • July/August, 2011 Ah, root beer! That sweet, dark elixir of kidhood, majestically topped with a beige pillow of foam. It's the perfect companion to Bazooka bubble gum, baseball cards, wiffle...

Gather rose hips for health

By Gail Butler Issue #95 • September/October, 2005 Vitamin C-rich rose hips can be found in dried form in most health food stores, but why not gather your own? You'll save money and you'll know where...

How to tell a bad egg

By David Scott Matthews Issue #53 • September/October, 1998 One of the things that my family loves most about living in the country is that we get to eat fresh eggs from our genuine free-range chickens....

Easy, no-knead bread by Melissa Souza

By Melissa Souza Issue #156 • November/December, 2015 There is nothing more delicious than homemade bread hot out of the oven. This no-knead bread costs me about a dollar per loaf to make, and it's so easy...

You can become a hardcore forager

By Larry Cywin Issue #47 • September/October, 1997 Most homesteaders and country dwellers forage a little. It might be hunting for morels in the spring, berries in the summer, or boletes in the fall. Some forage...

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...

Fireplace cooking cures the winter blues

By Robert L. Williams Issue #19a • January/February, 1993 Several years ago we experienced a prolonged winter storm that left power lines down and thousands of people without heat, hot water, and operative cookstoves. And for...

Preserve the harvest naturally through wild fermentation

By Jereme Zimmerman Issue #154 • July/August, 2015 Little hands are ideal for helping to stuff jars with vegetables. Just be sure to "pay" your help — but don't let them eat it all! For a homesteader,...

Growing and Using Cilantro

By Habeeb Salloum Cilantro (also called fresh coriander, Chinese parsley, Mexican parsley, Spanish parsley, and Thai parsley) is one of the oldest herbal condiments known to humankind. It is thought to be the first herb...

Vegetarian pies

<!--Vegetarian pies They kept us healthy on the farm By Habeeb Salloum--> Issue #87 • May/June, 2004 Delicate, flavorful, and very satisfying are the descriptions with which a number of culinary experts label the countless pies...

Canning Steelhead and Tuna

By Lisa Nourse Issue #177 • July/August/September, 2019 Any medical professional will tell you that adding fish oil to your diet has incredible benefits. Oily fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids which provide many health...