Beans for Sarah

Recipe of the Week  Beans for Sarah  Courtesy of Richard Blunt   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1 1/4 cups dried pinto beans water to soak beans 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 12 oz....

Life-saving snowshoes

By Len McDougall Issue #126 • November/December, 2010 If you live in or drive through places where winter generally means having snow on the ground from autumn till spring, you should have a functional pair of...

How environmental ideology hurts the solar energy industry

By Dave Duffy Issue #69 • May/June, 2001 Starting with our first issue 11 years ago, Backwoods Home Magazine has promoted renewable energies, especially solar energy, and for the past two years we have carried a...

Hügelkultur for the Homestead

By Rose Shelton Issue #176 • April/May/June, 2019 Last spring, I finally completed a long-planned homestead project of constructing two hügelkultur beds. What is hügelkultur? It’s basically a method of recycling junk wood to make a...

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...

Liver Fricassee

Recipe of the Week  Liver Fricassee  Courtesy of Robert Waite  Ingredients 1 pound beef liver 3 large or 6 small white onions, peeled and chopped 3 medium green bell peppers, seeded and chopped 1 (14 -16 oz.) can whole tomatoes, drained and...

Homemade pizza

Recipe of the Week  Homemade pizza  Courtesy of Jackie Clay   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 3 cups flour 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 Tbsp. mixed spices (oregano, basil, onion flakes) 1-1/2 cups warm water 1...

Dehydrating food

By Kristina Seleshanko Issue #173 • September/October, 2018 Dehydration is one of the oldest and easiest methods of food preservation. Anyone can easily dry and store almost any food; there are just a few basic rules...

Build a Groundhog Snare

By Allen Easterly Issue #98 • March/April, 2006 In just a few minutes your completed snare is ready to put an end to your groundhog woes. A snare set vertically is very effective catching groundhogs with...

Jim Van Camp: Coffee roaster, painter

By Jim Van Camp Issue #117 • May/June, 2009 The only thing we knew for certain when my wife and I moved to Gold Beach from the big city was we were passionate about good coffee,...

Sunday night dinner

By Ilene Duffy Issue #121 • January/February, 2010 "Tradition! Tradition!" I can still hear the bellowing song from Fiddler on the Roof that we listened to over and over as kids. Some of us have religious...

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 potatoes—the whole traditional meal. But some adventurous families might...

Gardening with a Chicken Tractor

By Brianna Stone <!-- >!>!>!> Make content-2-col-left = 70% if activating this column --> Issue #161 • September/October, 2016 This spring, my parents let me enlarge my garlic business and till up three 600-square-foot beds for planting...

Make a Quick and Easy Tipi

By Bob Van Putten Issue #174 • November/December, 2018 The native peoples of North America were a very practical lot. Over the centuries they developed some very efficient tools. Yet, perhaps because of their appreciation of...

Just for Kids: Some pioneer recipes

By Lucy Shober Issue #30 • November/December, 1994 Click on pictures for printable, full-sized versions to color. When I was a little girl, I used to visit my grandfather's home town in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. He...

Saving money on the homestead

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #148 • July/August, 2014 I come from a "penny-pinching-and-proud-of-it" family background and I learned the importance of saving a buck at an early age. Throughout my journey toward a self-reliant lifestyle, I've...