Free article Archives - Backwoods Home Magazine

How to make kombucha

By Kristina Seleshanko Issue #172 • July/August, 2018 Kombucha is an ancient drink that’s recently enjoyed a revival because it’s a fizzy and healthy alternative to soda pop. Despite urban myths, it contains only trace amounts...

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...

Hamentaschen

Recipe of the Week Hamentaschen Courtesy of Richard Blunt You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients Cookie dough: 2 cups all purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 lb. margarine 2 Tbsp. honey 2 eggs grated...

Your Manure Pile — For Fuel, Fertilizer, and Maybe Even Improved Water Quality, You...

By Rev. J.D. Hooker Issue #87 • May/June, 2004 It's been well over a decade now since I first heard my friend Pete voice his amazement at my practice of spreading animal manure as a fertilizer....

Shake update

By David Lee Website Exclusive • January, 2005 Since my shake article was published in Backwoods Home Magazine, Issue #88, I have learned that some of the more ambitious and better-looking readers have gone out and...

Woodchuck-Proof the Garden

By Setanta O'Ceillaigh  Issue #160 • July/August, 2016 The cycle never ends: As soon as one garden pest is dealt with, another takes its place. Last...

Looking back on 20 years of BHM

It all began when I built that cabin By Dave Duffy Originally published in the November/December 2009 issue of BHM I was freezing when I slipped into my old down-filled Army sleeping bag. But I was used...

How to build a good fence for your homestead

By Charles Sanders Issue #103 • January/February, 2007 One of the basic fixtures on a homestead is fencing. Fences are used to keep animals in, or...

Planning the lives of generations to come

By John Silveira March 8, 2006 I was reading the March 2006 issue of Discover Magazine and read Asteroid Watcher Worries, an interview with Clark R. Chapman, a planetary scientist at the Southwest Research Institute at...

Home-Grown Eggs

By Allen Easterly Issue #165 • May/June, 2017 Maybe you’ve thought about keeping a few chickens for their eggs but didn’t want to be awakened at 4:00 AM by a rooster singing “cock-a-doodle-doo.” At this time...

Pizza Casserole

Recipe of the Week Pizza Casserole Courtesy of Michael Pirazi Ingredients 1-1/2 pounds Italian sausage 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/4 cup chopped green olives 1 cup sliced mushrooms 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon oregano 1/4 teaspoon pepper 12 ounces thin egg noodles 2-1/2 cups (20 ounces) pizza...

Build an attached solar greenhouse

By David Lee Issue #125 • September/October, 2010 We planned it to be permanent, well built, and able to withstand the extremes of temperature, humidity, and weather a greenhouse must tolerate inside and out for many...

Adventures with a portable sawmill

By Pat Barden Issue #104 • March/April, 2007 I was raised in the suburbs and spent most of my adult life living in apartments and houses in the suburbs. Dad was career civil service and had...

A Small Space Yields a Big Crop of Garlic

By Howard Tuckey Issue #131 • September/October, 2011 In less than an hour last fall, I tilled up a 4x8 foot garden bed and planted 250 seed cloves of Chesnok and Russian Red garlic. I've been...

Cherries and Chocolate Cake

Recipe of the Week Cherries and Chocolate Cake Courtesy of Lauren Smeltzer Ingredients Cake 3 cups sifted cake flour 3 cups light brown sugar, packed 1-1/3 cups sour cream 1-1/2 cups boiling water 3/4 cup butter 3/4 cup cocoa 4 eggs 1 tablespoon baking soda 2 tsp. vanilla...

7 Mistakes of food storage

By Vicki Tate Issue #55 • January/February, 1999 If you are going to store food, make sure that the food you store is adequate for the need you and your family anticipate. This may not be...