Propagating Plants
By Jackie Clay
Issue #128 • March/April, 2011
We all love the idea of having a big, productive garden, full of all the nutritious, tasty foods our hearts desire. But the prices in the nursery catalogs...
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...
Cold process goat milk soap
By Michele Cooper
Issue #171 • May/June, 2018
Making soap can seem scary to some people, but the truth is, it only takes a few steps.
Tools & equipment
The equipment you use to make soap needs to...
Build a Keyhole Garden
By Katelynn Bond
Issue #152 • March/April, 2015
One of the hazards of living on the side of a mountain in northern New Mexico is that I live on a rock. And I don't mean the...
Corned Beef Cakes
Recipe of the Week
Corned Beef Cakes
Courtesy of
Eugene Mora
Ingredients
1 (7 ounce) can corned beef
1 pound sweet potatoes or yams
1 small onion, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
2 cups bread crumbs for coating
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1...
Build your own portable forge
By Corcceigh Green
Issue #51 • May/June, 1998
Looking for a handy summer project while building skills, supplies, and knowledge to put away for a rainy future? Here's one to consider: try making your own forge....
Stuffed sweet peppers
Recipe of the Week
Stuffed sweet peppers
Courtesy of
Alice Brantley Yeager
You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here
Ingredients
4 large sweet peppers
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup cooked ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1...
Parge the ugly out of your concrete wall
By Bill Leonard
Issue #57 • May/June, 1999
You can say a great deal in favor of cement block (or, if you prefer, concrete block) building. It's fairly fast, reasonably easy, particularly in small projects, and...
Drive your own freshwater well
By Len McDougall
Issue #128 • March/April, 2011
The well point's slotted holes permit water to enter, while stainless steel mesh inside keeps out abrasive sand.
X marks the spot. How "witching" for water works is a...
Getting the state out of marriage
By John Silveira
Issue #127 • January/February, 2011
There's a new TV "reality" show on TLC called Sister Wives. It's about a polygamous family: Kody Brown, his 3 wives, their 13 children, and a soon-to-be (maybe...
35 country jobs — How folks make a living near my hometown
By Charles Sanders
Issue #89 • September/October, 2004
If you're relocating to the backwoods, you will very likely have to give some thought to generating some income, that is, making a living. Hopefully, the topic is...
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...
Succulent venison stew
Recipe of the Week
Succulent venison stew
Courtesy of
Edith Helmich
You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here
Ingredients
3-4 lbs. fat-trimmed venison, cut into 2-inch cubes
Marinade:
2 thinly sliced onions
1 thinly sliced carrot
2 stalks...
A brief history of health and medicine
By John Silveira
Issue #100 • July/August, 2006
As little as a century ago, the average life span in the United States was 49 years. Today it is 77. Fifty years ago, the average life span...
Fixing a broken jury system
By John Silveira
“I blame every juror who let him go, every juror who sat on that trial and believed this man over those little girls. I will never understand. And that is why he...
Choose your ammo… police style
By Massad Ayoob
Issue #93 • May/June, 2005
One of our greatest modern gun experts, Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper, USMC, Ret., once made the observation that the bullet is more important than the gun. The gun,...































