Confessions of a former liberal
By Dave Duffy
Issue #50 • March/April, 1998
There is an old adage that goes something like: "If you're not a liberal when you're in your 20s you haven't got a heart; if you're not a...
Kinder goats — A small breed for milk and meat
By Kathleen Sanderson
Issue #95 • September/October, 2005
I have had dairy goats for most of the last 20 years or so and have raised almost every standard breed. But when my grandmother, my youngest daughter,...
Lamb and Apricot Pilaff
Recipe of the Week
Lamb and Apricot Pilaff
Courtesy of
Ivan Brown
Ingredients
1 pound lean boneless lamb, well trimmed and cut into bite sized cubes
1 cup bulgar (burghul) wheat (cracked cooked wheat)
1 cup brown rice
1/2 cup ready-to-eat dried...
Grow Your Own Dishrags
By Alice B. Yeager
Photos by James O. Yeager
Issue #85 • January/February, 2004
Some of us are thrifty beyond measure, even growing our own dishrags. None of those flimsy, store bought cotton things for us. Our...
Simplify life in your backwoods home by using these easy mountain methods
By Rev. J.D. Hooker
Issue #54 • November/December, 1998
Backwoods folk, or in my case, mountain folk, are typically very resourceful, utilizing whatever is on hand to make their lives easier and more pleasant. And hill-women...
Raspberry Pears with Chocolate Sauce
Recipe of the Week
Raspberry Pears with Chocolate Sauce
Courtesy of
Lyle Staple
Ingredients
2 cups cranberry/raspberry juice
1/2 cup port wine (optional)
1/2 cup raspberry syrup (use 1 cup if port wine is omitted)
3 2" x 1" strips...
Tailoring guns to females
By Massad Ayoob
Issue #131 • September/October, 2011
So, I'm sitting here in a hotel writing this, less than three hours after getting off the witness stand in a manslaughter case. The defendant was a 5'3",...
Man vs. the machine
By John Silveira
Issue #71 • September/October, 2001
About 10 years ago, I was living in southern California and I was summoned for jury duty. I was glad to be called. I've always liked the concept...
Kick the credit card habit and learn to stash cash
By Claire Wolfe
Issue #107 • September/October, 2007
My friend Jeanie, a professional woman, whips out her credit card at every spending opportunity. Wal-Mart expedition? Credit card. A week's worth of groceries? Credit card. DVD rental?...
The adventures of a first-time homesteader
By Jessie Denning
Issue #160 • July/August, 2016
In November of 2015, my husband and I moved onto our 50-acre parcel of land in a 28-foot travel trailer -- with no knowledge of homesteading except what...
Guns, suicide prevention, and backwoods lifestyles
By Massad Ayoob
Issue #153 • May/June, 2015
Note to readers: I've served for going on twenty years as firearms editor of Backwoods Home Magazine. The following article is going to be somewhat different from what...
Dealing with heat stress
By Joseph Alton, M.D.
Issue #154 • July/August, 2015
In the wilderness, there may not be shelter to protect you from the elements. Even on a working homestead, physical exertion in hot weather can easily lead...
Nana V’s holiday corn bread
Recipe of the Week
Nana V’s holiday corn bread
Courtesy of
Richard Blunt
You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here
Ingredients
8 oz. (raw weight) good quality smoked bacon
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
2...
Build a chicken feeder on the cheep cheep cheep
By Linda Slate
Issue #119 • September/October, 2009
While searching for a large quantity (five pounds or more) feeder for my backyard flock, I kept running into the same problemcost. My last trip to the farm...
Make grape juice the easy way
By Tanya Kelley
Issue #41 • September/October, 1996
Squeezing and straining grapes for grape juice was not exactly my idea of fun. So when my neighbor showed me a faster, easier method, I was delighted. For...
Fermented dill pickles
Recipe of the Week
Fermented dill pickles
Courtesy of
Olivia Miller
You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here
Ingredients
50-60 smooth small cucumbers
1 oz. whole mixed spices
dill
1 lb. pure salt
1 gallon water
1 pint cider...






























