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...

Easy-to-make reusable coffee filters

By Angeline Hawkes Issue #153 • May/June, 2015 With two professional fiction writers in my household, we drink a lot of coffee. Keeping it hot and ready meant going through a lot of paper filters. In...

Baby bok choy with tofu

Recipe of the Week  Baby bok choy with tofu  Courtesy of Leland Edward Stone   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 3 cups baby bok choy, cut in half lengthwise or veggies of...

How to organize an outdoor canning party

By Jennifer Grahovac Issue #119 • September/October, 2009 When my husband and I decided to return to Ohio after living for 15 years in the mountains of Vermont, it was with some trepidation and a little...

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...

Build Your Own Car Wash

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #133 • January/February, 2012 Completed car wash in operation If someone told me a year ago that I would have a commercial car wash behind my garage, I would have laughed....

Home handgun defense — Simplicity suffices

By Massad Ayoob Issue #54 • November/December, 1998 You can get as high-tech as you feel you might need when you select the firearm(s) you'll use to protect your family. I "do firearms" for a living,...

Salsa

Jackie Clay  Ingredients 40 medium tomatoes 5 cups finely chopped onions 4 cups finely chopped celery 2 cups finely chopped jalapeños (may use other peppers, to taste) 1/2 cup lemon or lime juice 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro 5 Tbsp. salt Method To peel...

The raging torrent — Respect it even when you play

By Scott Stoddard Issue #70 • July/August, 2001 Years ago, while learning to sluice gold from a swollen mountain stream in southern California, I saw something that immediately sickened my stomach. The limp body of a...

Theories of the universe

By Dave Duffy Issue #66 • November/December, 2000 In a relatively short span of time, mankind has travelled from profound ignorance of our planet and the world in which we live to a rather detailed picture...

Sweet Ginger Eggs

Recipe of the Week  Sweet Ginger Eggs  Courtesy of Kristina D'Orsi  Ingredients 2 dozen hard-boiled eggs, peeled 3 small onions, sliced into rings 1 teaspoon dillweed 1 quart white vinegar 1/2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons ground ginger 2 tablespoons pickling spices 20 whole black peppercorns 6 cloves...

Gulf War II opened the eyes of Americans to the UN and the media

By Dave Duffy Issue #82 • July/August, 2003 How many of you were tightly tuned to the TV like I was during Gulf War II. I hope a lot because it was a great education. Not...

Should both drugs and guns be legal?

By Dave Duffy Issue #59 • September/October, 1999 Answering the question of Should drugs be legal? is like answering the question of Should guns be legal? Whoever answers either question steps onto a minefield of passionate...

Sweet Pickles

Recipe of the Week  Sweet Pickles  Courtesy of Kathy Myers (Dave's mother-in-law) My mother has made these sweet pickles ever since I can remember. They were always on a relish tray for special family gatherings. After marrying Dave, he...

Broiled fish fillet with piri piri sauce

Recipe of the Week  Broiled fish fillet with piri piri sauce  Courtesy of Richard Blunt   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1 lb. fish fillets 1 1/2 cups white wine 1/3 cup fresh...

The Trigger Line

By Len McDougall Issue #108 • November/December, 2007 With most of our planet underwater, fish have been a part of the human diet since before recorded history. Almost any permanent body of water can be presumed...