Military surplus and military “clone” rifles

By Massad Ayoob Issue #116 • March/April, 2009 One reader writes to ask if military surplus rifles are still a good idea for hunting, recreational shooting, and all around backwoods use. The answer is more complicated than...

Roger Clark: Cane syrup maker

By Massad Ayoob Issue #117 • May/June, 2009 In the syrup house on Roger Clark's farm in Suwannee County, Florida, three generations of his family gather around a vat big enough to make a good size...

Tomato and basil sauce

Recipe of the Week  Tomato and basil sauce  Courtesy of Richard Blunt   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1 clove of garlic 1 small onion 4 fresh basil leaves or 2 dried leaves 4 Tbsp....

Drawing the line on timber trespass

By Paul Lamble Issue #78 • November/December, 2002 Over the 4th of July weekend, my wife and I learned an important lesson the hard way. We live near Kansas City, but for several years we've owned...

Cracklin’s — An irresistible snack that you can’t stop sneakin’

By Linda Gabris Issue #79 • January/February, 2003 When I was a girl growing up in the backwoods, one of my favorite times of the year was autumn when grandpa would butcher a pig to put...

Asparagus Pasta Salad

Recipe of the Week  Asparagus Pasta Salad  Courtesy of Don Peddleson  Ingredients 12 ounces fresh asparagus, diagonally sliced into 1-inch pieces 12 cherry tomatoes, quartered 1/2 cup pitted ripe olives, sliced 3 tablespoons snipped parsley 1/4 cup wine vinegar 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 clove...

City boy, country boy

By Margaret Wright Issue #33 • May/June, 1995 Anyone who has read or heard the story of the City Mouse and the Country Mouse knows the difference between a child from the city and a child...

The gee-whiz! page — Cats: Why they rule our world

By O. E. MacDougal Issue #170 • March/April, 2018 House cats A recent Gallup poll showed that cat ownership is pretty much evenly distributed between men and women, and that roughly 34 percent of all U.S. homes...

Penne with Provencal eggplant and peppers

Recipe of the Week  Penne with Provencal eggplant and peppers  Courtesy of Tim and Anna Green   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 2 medium-sized eggplants, unpeeled and cut into 1 inch cubes 1...

The ‘Chocolate Tree’ Isn’t Just for Kids

By Rev. J.D. Hooker Issue #85 • January/February, 2004 My grandson Tommy was probably 50 feet up off the ground when he hollered, "Catch this one, Grandpa!" With those words of warning he dropped another gunny...

How we found our remote backwoods home

By Jackie Clay Issue #65 • September/October, 2000 Right now I'm sitting in a south-facing huge, sunny window, looking through our own private valley to a larger mountain valley below and the pine covered mountains beyond....

What if the electricity GOES OFF?

By Michael Hackleman Issue #55 • January/February, 1999 Just as everyone was getting ready to throw the party of the century and millennium—out with the old and in with the new—someone springs Y2K on us. Power...

Family dinner at Backwoods Home Magazine

By Richard Blunt Issue #129 • May/June, 2011 Last fall I was invited to Gold Beach, Oregon, to spend some quality time with my lifelong friend, Dave Duffy, and his family. On these visits it is...

Preparing for Hunting Season

By Massad Ayoob Issue #119 • September/October, 2009 For a great many rural folk, big game hunting season is a high point—often the annual high point—of their involvement with firearms. In some locales, the big game...

Pot Roast With Spaghetti

Recipe of the Week  Pot Roast With Spaghetti  Courtesy of Beverly Rossman  Ingredients 3 pounds beef arm or blade pot roast 1 8 ounce can (1 cup) seasoned tomato sauce 1 6 ounce can (2/3 cup) tomato paste 1/2...

Cleaning a well

By Pat Barden Issue #105 • May/June, 2007 We have a good well with sweet water. It was already in place when we bought our property and had been in use for more than 20 years....