Free article Archives - Backwoods Home Magazine

No Worrying About Fire Blight with Orient and Kieffer Pears

By Alice B. Yeager Issue #52 • July/August, 1998 Everyone likes a good success story, and if I were called upon to name the most successful tree in our small orchard I'd have to say it's...

Ham & Kidney Bean Soup

Recipe of the Week Ham & Kidney Bean Soup Courtesy of Beverly Rossman Ingredients 1 pound spicy or sweet Italian sausage 2 Smoked pork hocks, sawed in half by butcher. 3 medium Potatoes, peeled and cubed 3 Celery...

Loading the gun for a dictatorship

By John Silveira Issue #103 • January/February, 2007 My late friend, Jim Callahan, was a self-professed "liberal." At least, when I first met him, that's what he claimed. Actually, he wasn't. But Jim wasn't a "conservative"...

Baked Spaghetti

Recipe of the Week Baked Spaghetti Courtesy of Beverly Rossman Ingredients 8 ounces thin spaghetti 28 ounces Stewed tomatoes, undrained 1 pound bacon 3 links Italian sausage, meat removed from casings 1 Onion, chopped 4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated Grated Parmesan cheese for...

The Trigger Line

By Len McDougall Issue #108 • November/December, 2007 With most of our planet underwater, fish have been a part of the human diet since before recorded history. Almost any permanent body of water can be presumed...

How to make money from storage building auctions

By Bill Wilson Issue #83 • September/October, 2003 Buying and selling is a time honored way of making a living. However, like any profession, success in merchandising requires following some fundamental rules. The most basic of...

Fireplace cooking cures the winter blues

By Robert L. Williams Issue #19a • January/February, 1993 Several years ago we experienced a prolonged winter storm that left power lines down and thousands of people without heat, hot water, and operative cookstoves. And for...

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...

Tea for the garden

By Lisa Nourse We have poor soil and do our best to amend it with compost and manure every year. However, we feel our plants still need a boost throughout the growing season. We like...

A Native American feast

By Jackie Clay Issue #66 • November/December, 2000 When the holidays roll around, a lot of folks get bored with the "same-old meal." You know, turkey, mashed potatoesthe whole traditional meal. But some adventurous families might...

Preparing for a Temporary Catastrophe

By Dave Duffy Issue #139 • January/February, 2013 November's Superstorm Sandy on the Northeastern coast of the United States was our most recent grand reminder that society is fragile, most people are not ready to take...

Bovine basics for beginners

By Patrice Lewis Issue #122 • March/April, 2010 Congratulations. You've escaped the city life and are now the proud owners of your little plot of rural paradise. It's natural to start thinking about all the possibilities...

Get to know your spiders

By Jerry Hourigan Issue #109 • January/February, 2008 Every landowner and homeowner creates the perfect environment for spiders. Not intentionally, of course, but spiders seem to like all the little nooks and crannies created from how...

How long should your gun’s barrel length be?

By Massad Ayoob Issue #136 • July/August, 2012 The person new to guns is like the person new to timepieces. "How many of these things are there?" "In how many configurations?" "And they've been around for...

Sorrento Salad

Recipe of the Week Sorrento Salad Courtesy of Larry Herman Ingredients 1/2 pound mushrooms 3 to 4 stalks celery 1/2 cup pimento 1/2 cup black olives 1 small onion lettuce 1/2 cup virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 clove garlic 1/2 teaspoon oregano 1/2...

Inexpensive retired Russian military rifles can be the ideal backwoods meat guns

By Rev. J.D. Hooker Issue #47 • September/October, 1997 Like many another rural person, I've often found a firearm to be my most important tool. No, we don't have much crime in our area; in fact...