Rotten Luck: The Skinny on Composting

By Patrice Lewis Issue #141 • May/June, 2013 For much of human history, people have tried to prevent things from rotting. Literally every food preservation method we've come up with in the past few thousand years...

Solar-powered refrigerators

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #102 • November/December, 2006 In Issue #99, I discussed the importance of using the most energy-efficient appliances you can buy for any remote cabin or off-grid solar application. I also...

Eggnog

Recipe of the Week  Eggnog  Courtesy of Larry Cywin   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 4 egg yolks 4 Tbsp. sugar 1 cup heavy or whipping cream 1 cup brandy (or whiskey or rum) 1/4 cup...

Dark Winter — A simulated terrorist attack on three American cities using weaponized smallpox

By Dave Duffy Issue #81 • May/June, 2003 Historically, smallpox has been the most deadly of all diseases for humans, killing between 300 and 500 million in the last century alone, far more than the 111...

Firearms — Tools of rural living

By Massad Ayoob Issue #91 • January/February, 2005 So, editor Dave Duffy and I got to talking about guns. We agreed that for some people they are sporting equipment like a Spaulding racquet or a Big...

Simplifying simplicity

By Claire Wolfe Issue #117 • May/June, 2009 In the bustling 19th century, Henry David Thoreau urged us to "simplify, simplify, simplify." In the even more hectic 20th and 21st centuries, writer, philosopher, and frugalista Wendy McElroy...

Use the right ammunition!

By Massad Ayoob Issue #130 • July/August, 2011 The purpose of the gun is to fire ammunition. It follows that the ammunition should be the correct ammunition. This is simple. It is not hard to understand. But...

A canoe livery — An honest, clean business

By Harry Spetla Issue #46 • July/August, 1997 A canoe and kayak livery business is inexpensive to start and it's easy to operate. The business fits in well with country living since it can be as...

What kind of Americans sit on our juries?

By John Silveira March 16, 2000 Our jury system is supposed to be a buffer between us--the citizens--and the government. It is there to prevent the abuse of power that governments have exercised since the dawn...

Picking and preserving the wild plum

By Bill Weekes Issue #69 • May/June, 2001 The wild plum is a fickle fruit, ripening any time between late spring and late summer. It comes in a bunch of colors, shapes, and sizes. Some are...

Just how good of a bet are those lotto tickets?

By John Silveira Issue #37 • January/February, 1996 I looked at the newspaper and tried to match up the lotto results printed there with my picks. I sighed. "Boy, I sure would've liked to have won...

Get the most out of your vehicle and your maintenance dollar

By Len Torney Issue #116 • March/April, 2009 Let's face it—we all own vehicles. Our rural lifestyle pretty much leaves us dependent on our vehicles for all of our daily transportation needs, as well as the...

Three honest words: “I don’t know”

By John Silveira Issue #63 • May/June, 2000 As we enter another political campaign season I'm reminded of my three favorite words: "I don't know." Some years back, when I lived in southern California, I met the...

When “good” laws are bad

By John Silveira Issue #134 • March/April, 2012 I recently read an opinion piece on CNN's website titled, Edison would've loved the new light bulb law. It's supposed to be about the new law to force...

Harvesting the wild: Acorns

By Jackie Clay Issue #79 • January/February, 2003 When I was just a little girl, I used to collect acorns by the boxfull as they fell in the fall. I didn't know why. They just felt...

Apple-Mango Scallops

Recipe of the Week  Apple-Mango Scallops  Courtesy of Oliver Del Signore  Ingredients 1 pound sea Scallops 2 firm, tart Apples 1 medium Onion 1 ripe Mango 2 Tablesppons Olive Oil 2 Tablespoons Butter Juice of one fresh Lemon Salt & Pepper Method Rinse scallops and set aside. to...