Free article Archives - Backwoods Home Magazine

Boost your income by adding a processing step to what you sell

By Harry Styron Issue #36 • November/December, 1995 Three boys spent several raw November days picking up black walnuts. We hoped to get a nice bit of cash when we took them to the huller. As...

Pumpkin preserves

Recipe of the Week Pumpkin preserves Courtesy of Jackie Clay You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 4 lbs. pumpkin 2 lemons sugar 1/2 tsp. each, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg pinch salt Method Mash the pumpkin and lemon meat in...

Spicy Beef

Recipe of the Week Spicy Beef Courtesy of Elaine Driver Ingredients 8 ounces top round steak, fat trimmed, cut into strips 2 fresh hot chilis, minced 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1-1/2 tablespoons fresh cilantro,...

Jackie’s tips for hardcore homesteading

By Jackie Clay Issue #62 Many of us have a garden and enjoy fresh vegetables during the summer and fall. Maybe we even have a few chickens for eggs and meat. But many of us may...

Jo’s Kentucky-fried cole slaw

Recipe of the Week Jo’s Kentucky-fried cole slaw Courtesy of Jo Mason You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1/2 medium-sized head cabbage 1 small carrot 1/2 bell pepper 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup vinegar 1/4 cup sugar 1/2...

Greens and rhubarb are spring tonics

By Jennifer Stein Barker Issue #45 • May/June, 1997 Rhubarb and greens are classic spring tonics. The reason for this is that they are among the first things to grow to a usable size in springtime,...

Consider the 20-gauge shotgun

By Massad Ayoob Issue #120 • November/December, 2009 A year or more ago in these pages, I made the suggestion that sometimes less is more, and usually shooters with less powerful guns with which they are...

Survival firebuilding skills

By Corcceigh Green Issue #97 • January/February, 2006 Firebuilding skills are essential for those who may find themselves in survival situations. As a testimony to this idea, Americans in the Gulf Coast States experienced a string...

American food — It’s as varied as the melting pot

By Richard Blunt Issue #30 • November/December, 1994 Oftentimes, I stop and wonder what people ate in the early days of this country. We cooks do that sometimes. And it's at times like this that I...

“Gun control” for dummies

By Massad Ayoob Issue #141 • May/June, 2013 Barack Obama, outspokenly anti-gun for his entire political career, fooled an amazing number of gun owners by keeping a "hands off" attitude toward Second Amendment issues until his...

Funerals don’t have to be expensive

By Kelly McCarthy Issue #95 • September/October, 2005 Being of Celtic extraction, I am naturally disposed to dwelling on the blacker side of life. I started to wonder what would happen to all the dead bodies...

Never too busy to make bread

By Ilene Duffy Issue #114 • November/December, 2008 Summer vacation came to an abrupt end. Sons are back in school. My "soccer mom" folding chair is in the trunk of the car. The daytimer is getting...

Working for a dad who works at home

By Annie Duffy Issue #40 • July/August, 1996 I am homeschooled, and part of my homeschooling involves working for my Dad on this magazine. It has been a good learning experience for me. Not only have...

Teach speed reading to your children even if you can’t speed read yourself

By George Stancliffe Issue #59 • September/October, 1999 For over two years, I have had the hobby of teaching speed reading to people in the community where I live. So far I have taught over 300...

Nut Trees on Your Homestead

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #149 • September/October, 2014 While growing up in Detroit, we had no nut trees in our yard (though we did have seedlings before I left home). That didn't stop my parents, though....

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...