Free article Archives - Backwoods Home Magazine

The poor man’s ceramic knife sharpener

By Rick Brannan Issue #87 • May/June, 2004 There are few things more frustrating and dangerous than working with a dull knife. In my quest for a sharp knife, I have purchased many different styles of...

Gabion walls for form and function

By Joe Mooney Issue #153 • May/June, 2015 I think there has to be something ingrained in the human brain that loves things built of stone. Maybe it's our desire for strength and safety or the...

Jim Van Camp: Coffee roaster, painter

By Jim Van Camp Issue #117 • May/June, 2009 The only thing we knew for certain when my wife and I moved to Gold Beach from the big city was we were passionate about good coffee,...

Millenium Vehicles

By Michael Hackleman Issue #57 • May/June, 1999 A major failing of transportation worldwide is that 99.9% of vehicles on farms, street, and freeways work on one energy source: liquid fuels. In any disastersmall or large,...

Solar-powered chicken coop

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #132 • November/December, 2011 Pre-manufactured chicken coop with roof-mounted solar module I am sure many of you have raised large flocks of chickens for years as a normal part of rural...

Bartering for bad times

By John Silveira Issue #138 • November/December, 2012 Bartering may not be a part of your life, right now, but if there's a deepening of the recession, or it becomes a depression, or we enter a...

Vermicomposting — Raise Worms to Consume Waste, Amend Soil, and Earn Income

By Rebekah L. Cowell Photos by Amanda Egdorf-Sand Issue #124 • July/August, 2010 Vermicomposting takes composting to another level using Eisenia foetida (commonly known as red wiggler, brandling, or manure worms) to break down organic matter such...

Homemade Toys! — Easy to make, fun to play with, and great for gifts!

By Cynthia Andal Issue #72 • November/December, 2001 The garden needs planting, animals need feeding, Baby needs to nurse, and that chicken coop simply has to be finished but, there are three children who want you...

Ham and sausage jambalaya

Recipe of the Week Ham and sausage jambalaya Courtesy of Tom Barth You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1/2 tsp. white pepper 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp. paprika 1/2...

Building your chicken coop

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #139 • January/February, 2013 Here's a coop we built from pallets and scrap lumber. The goats lived in one end and the chickens lived in the other. It was free and worked...

SARS — Is this a glimpse of the future?

By Gary F. Arnet, D.D.S. Website Exclusive • March, 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, SARS, is a new respiratory disease that has recently infected people in Asia, Europe, and North America. The emergence of this disease...

Firearms handling refresher Part I: Handguns

By Massad Ayoob Website Exclusive • December, 2003 One of our readers e-mailed John Silveira to tell him that taking a handgun afield after a long layoff had resulted in some scary moments. While gun handling...

Build A Hybrid Go-Kart For Kids For $150

By Dorothy Ainsworth Website Exclusive • May, 2010 Grandma Clara used to delight in telling us the story of our Dad's first complete sentence at age 2 when he received a toy car for Christmas: "It's...

Modify your oven to bake great bread

By Emily Buehler Issue #102 • November/December, 2006 Making bread at home is a long process—kneading the dough, waiting while it rises, shaping it into a loaf, and then waiting while it rises again. But in...

Caribbean Barbecued Pork Steaks

Recipe of the Week Caribbean Barbecued Pork Steaks Courtesy of Willy Borsheim Ingredients 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork chops/steaks, about 1/2-inch thick 1 large red onion, sliced 3/4 cup fresh lime juice 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper Method Lay pork in a glass...

Country-style Pork Stew

Recipe of the Week Country-style Pork Stew Courtesy of Frances Straight Ingredients 3/4 pound boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of separable fat Nonstick cooking spray 1-1/4 cups water 1-1/4 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon granules 1 ...