Forget the dog, chicken is man’s best friend
By Richard Blunt
Issue #49 • January/February, 1998
The domestic chicken, or Gallus domesticus as the Romans called it, has lived with humans for centuries. It is probably the descendent of a wild asian bird, and...
Making good jerky
By Randy Neumann
Issue #130 • July/August, 2011
It is hard to find someone who doesn't like beef jerky. Or teriyaki jerky. Or turkey jerky. And I've had some Hawaiian pork jerky that was out of...
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...
The unheralded roots of America’s freedoms
By John Silveira
Issue #108 • November/December, 2007
I've just finished reading a fascinating book by Charles C. Mann. It's titled, 1491, and subtitled New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus. The book has turned what...
Why you may want to get a stress test
By Dave Duffy
Issue #98 • March/April, 2006
Between issues I underwent triple bypass open heart surgery that saved me from a major heart attack, possibly a fatal one. It was a sudden thing. One day...
Build a holz hausen to dry firewood
By Doug Fluckiger
Issue #132 • November/December, 2011
My secret passion is tall, dark, and handsome. I may find her lying luxuriantly among a dark grove of firs. She may be standing proudly on a sunny...
The Runaway
By John Silveira
February 9, 2006
My kids are grown. But it didn't come about without a lot of frustration, tribulations, and laughs.
Runaways: What do you do with a six-year-old who threatens to run away?
One woman...
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...
Sweet pepper salad
Recipe of the Week
Sweet pepper salad
Courtesy of
Alice Brantley Yeager
You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here
Ingredients
4 medium sweet peppers, blocky, cubanelle, or blunt type
4 medium tomatoes, sliced
2 cups cooked...
Solar-Powered Electric Fencing
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #147 • May/June, 2014
A new electric fence attached to older traditional wood fencing
More and more people are turning to electric fences as the cost of standard metal and wood...
Quilts — Masterpieces of the heart and windows into women’s history
By Marlene Parkin
Issue #22 • July/August, 1993
Many of the quilts of yesterday took a lifetime to make. Perhaps the mystical part of quiltsthe aspect that makes them almost humanis the countless hours of work...
Constitution of the united States of America
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of...
Self-reliance for women — Surviving a biochemical attack
By Kelly McCarthy
Issue #94 • July/August, 2005
Three and a half years ago, on the morning of September 11th to be exact, I was just ending a White House tour with my husband, children, and...
Easy-to-make farmer’s cheese
By Leah Leach
Issue #152 • March/April, 2015
Ingredients
Making cheese is one of the easiest and most satisfying tasks that you can accomplish in the homestead kitchen. While there are many wonderful cheeses out there to...
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...































