Free article Archives - Backwoods Home Magazine

Jamaican Beef Patties

Recipe of the Week Jamaican Beef Patties Courtesy of Robert McCurdy Ingredients Pastry 2 cup flour 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 cup solid shortening 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) margarine 1/3 cup cold water Meat Filling 2 tbs margarine 1 small white onion finely chopped 1/4 tsp chopped scotch bonnet...

Why bureaucracy will likely destroy America

By John Silveira Issue #50 • March/April, 1998 "Civilizations rise and fall," Dave said and I turned around to see if he was talking to me, but he was still staring at his monitor. I looked...

Making and using a solar cooker

By Joe Radabaugh Issue #30 • November/December, 2004 Solar cooking is a delightful alternative to conventional cooking methods. The solar cookers available today really work and they deserve serious evaluation by a much larger audience. For...

Growing Productive Strawberries

By Edna Manning Issue #86 • March/April, 2004 Here on the Canadian prairies, I have found strawberries to be perhaps one of the most delicious, least-demanding and productive fruits I can grow in our Zone 2...

Ginger beer

Recipe of the Week Ginger beer Courtesy of Jackie Clay You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 4 oz. dried ginger root 1 gallon water juice from...

Hamburger soup

Recipe of the Week Hamburger soup Courtesy of Darlene Campbell You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1 lb. ground beef 4 carrots, cut in 2-inch chunks 3 potatoes, quartered 1 onion, chopped 1/2 bell pepper, sliced 1...

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...

A used shotgun bargain: The Browning Auto-5

By Brad Rohdenburg Website Exclusive • September, 2014 A 1958 "Light Twelve" Browning Auto-5, with a 28" Improved Cylinder barrel and 'Speedfeed' loading. It weighs less than 7½ pounds, balances nicely, and the stock dimensions suit...

Blanching vegetables

By Tom Kovach Issue #59 • September/October, 1999 If you plan to freeze your vegetables, it is a must to blanch most of them. Blanching slows or stops enzyme action which can cause the vegetables to...

Want More Fruit From Less Space? Espalier Your Trees!

By Rev. J.D. Hooker Issue #79 • January/February, 2003 After originating in the semi-arid regions of the middle east, espaliering (is-'pal-yer-ing) became a commonly employed fruit tree growing method of the Greco-Roman world. Later, during the...

Boiled crawfish

Recipe of the Week Boiled crawfish Courtesy of James Robertson You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1 sack of live crawfish (35-40 lbs.) 2 26-oz. boxes of salt 5 medium onions, halved 1/2 4-oz. bottle...

Potato soup

Recipe of the Week Potato soup Courtesy of Alice Brantley Yeager You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 4 cups peeled, diced Irish (white) potatoes 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 3 Tbsp. flour 1...

Homemade Cottage cheese, rhubarb pie, lemon custard pudding cake, pasties, beef stew, biscuits, butter,...

By Jackie Clay Issue #82 • July/August, 2003 We've all been there; we are striving toward a self-reliant lifestyle, growing, raising, and foraging much of our family's food. After all, we realize that not only does...

Turkey Tetrazzini

Recipe of the Week Turkey Tetrazzini Courtesy of Katie O'Leary Ingredients 2-1/2 cups cooked pasta 1-1/2 cups leftover turkey, chopped 1 cup Milk 1 cup Chicken Broth 1/2 cup shredded Swiss Cheese 1/3 cup chopped Onion 1/3 cup fresh sliced Mushrooms 1/4 cup each flour 1/4...

Rotten Luck: The Skinny on Composting

By Patrice Lewis Issue #141 • May/June, 2013 For much of human history, people have tried to prevent things from rotting. Literally every food preservation method we've come up with in the past few thousand years...

An $89 backup generator

By Jeff Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #159 • May/June, 2016 While I strive in all of my articles to only recommend products of high quality and reliability, I realize many of us are on a fixed-income...