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...

Homemade skin care products

By Carly Egger Issue #145 • January/February, 2014 When you think of skin care products that soften, moisturize, and nourish the skin, do the words extravagant, unnecessary, and expensive come to mind? The skin is the...

Garlic – the glorious bulb

By Linda Gabris Issue #86 • March/April, 2004 Whether you know it as ail in French, lashun in Hindi, da suan in Chinese, aglio in Italian, fokhagyma in Hungarian or plain old garlic in English, the...

Pysanki — You can make those biddies pay!

By Amy E. Peare Issue #86 • March/April, 2004 There are usually two problems with raising chickens. a) You have too many eggs, or b) you aren't getting enough eggs to warrant shelling out the bucks...

Italian Christmas bread

Recipe of the Week  Italian Christmas bread  Courtesy of Richard Blunt   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1/4 cup warm milk (110 to 115°) 1 pkg. active dry yeast 1/2 tsp. brown sugar 1/4 cup...

Some unusual jellies for your sweet tooth

By Charles Sanders Issue #70 • July/August, 2001 In my mind, one of the simple pleasures in life is hot biscuits, a dab of butter, and a dollop of homemade jelly. Around here any biscuits left...

Feeding large families without breaking the bank

By Jackie Clay Issue #116 • March/April, 2009 Many of us have been there; for unforeseen reasons, suddenly we have a lot more people to cook for. With the economy melting down, jobs ending, and the...

Make elderberry syrup for flu season

By Karen M. House Issue #169 • January/February, 2018 Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) has been a traditional influenza remedy for hundreds of years. I first learned about using elderberry syrup as a flu treatment a few years...

The return of home emergency shelters takes on a dual-purpose approach

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #74 • March/April, 2002 After September 11, 2001, all of us became much more concerned with protecting our families from biological, nuclear, and terrorist attacks. However, if you followed up...

Used bookstores can be sucessful in the hinterlands

By Jennifer Stein Barker Issue #52 • July/August, 1998 If you stand reading at the rack closest to the window, you can look up from your book to see the Strawberry Wilderness looming its wooded heights...

Home canning safety tips

By Liz Case Issue #66 • November/December, 2000 Like many who were born shortly after World War II, I grew up in a family with a solidly "city" lifestyle. My mother saw canning as drudgery. For...

Spider rice casserole

Recipe of the Week  Spider rice casserole  Courtesy of Richard Blunt   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Special Equipment: 1 5-qt. or larger cast iron Dutch oven Ingredients 6 skinless chicken thighs 1/2 tsp....

For summertime baking needs, build yourself an outdoor horno

By Rev. J.D. Hooker Issue #57 • May/June, 1999 My family has always been big on birthdays and holidays—including Thanksgiving, Christmas, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, New Years, and so on. Every holiday is a major...

Homestead burnout — What it is and how to avoid it

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #134 • March/April, 2012 We've all been there: the roof is leaking on your temporary housing while you try to build a start on your new homestead. It's rained for a week...

Water: a safe supply when you’re off the grid

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #71 • September/October, 2001 That remote mountain property seemed like a steal until you found out you could not drill a well. Four years ago we were approached by a...

Making dandelions palatable

By John Kallas, Ph.D Issue #82 • July/August, 2003 We've heard stories about how good dandelions are. What one usually hears from enthusiastic wild food promoters is, "All you need to do is find very young...