Build your own home in two years — Get a PhD in homebuilding
By David Lee
Issue #115 • January/February, 2009
There is an old Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times." Curse or not, times are interesting. We have world crises, national troubles, state level problems, county...
My View: Gaining an appreciation for risk
By Dave Duffy
January/February/March, 2019
Now and then you have to make a daring move in your life, or you’ll run the risk of losing your dreams. Some people do that by changing their job to...
The incredible cattail — The super Wal-Mart of the swamp
By Kevin F. Duffy
Issue #43 • January/February, 1997
I can think of no other North American plant that is more useful than the cattail. This wonderful plant is a virtual gold mine of survival utility....
Persimmon bread
Recipe of the Week
Persimmon bread
Courtesy of
Charles A. Sanders
You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here
Ingredients
1 cup persimmon pulp
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp....
How to use those leftovers
By Marjorie Burris
Issue #58 • July/August, 1999
Congratulations! You've worked hard and have enough food stored away to feed your family, possibly for a year or more. Now, go to your store room, pick up...
Sweet Potato Greens
By Tim Scullen
Issue #168 • November/December, 2017
By now, you’ve no doubt figured out how good chard, spinach, and kale are for you. But did you know that sweet potato leaves are loaded with vitamins...
Clover — From Livestock Forage to Medicinal Tea, This Humble Plant is One of...
By Eugene Mitchell
Issue #130 • July/August, 2011
Whether young or old, lying in the grass and searching for four-leafed clovers is timeless fun. Sometimes they're so elusive, like the leprechaun, it seems they don't exist....
Grid-down battery devices
By Jeff Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #163 • January/February, 2017
Most of my past articles and my just-released new book titled, Lights On, drive home the importance of having multiple battery-powered devices during an extended power...
French Onion Soup
Recipe of the Week
French Onion Soup& Julia Child's Beef Stock
Courtesy of
Richard Blunt
Thirty-some years ago the publisher, Dave Duffy, the food editor, Richard Blunt, and I all lived in or near Boston.
Butch, that’s Richard Blunt,...
Fermenting Chicken Feed
By Melissa Souza
Issue #174 • November/December, 2018
On our homestead, we eat yogurt, kombucha (fermented tea), sauerkraut, and kimchi to add probiotics to our diet. These beneficial bacteria promote good digestive health, strengthen the immune...
Kick the credit card habit and learn to stash cash
By Claire Wolfe
Issue #107 • September/October, 2007
My friend Jeanie, a professional woman, whips out her credit card at every spending opportunity. Wal-Mart expedition? Credit card. A week's worth of groceries? Credit card. DVD rental?...
Pear honey
Recipe of the Week
Pear honey
Courtesy of
Alice Brantley Yeager
You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here
Ingredients
1 qt. of ground Kieffer pears (peel and core before grinding)
3 cups sugar
juice of...
Mosquitoes outnumber us and no one likes them
By Tom and Joanne O’Toole
Issue #80 • March/April, 2003
Mosquitoes are responsible for irritating bites, cause itching welts, can spread diseases, are a constant aggravation at picnics, and are ear-tormenting little beasts. No wonder they...
Venison Stew
Recipe of the Week
Venison Stew
Courtesy of
Jamie Flanders
Ingredients
2 pounds venison, cubed
6 medium potatoes, cubed
3 large carrots, chopped
24 ounces canned chopped tomatoes
12 ounces tomato paste
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 large hot peppers, sliced thin
1...
Homeschooling your dylsexic kid
By John Silveira
Issue #142 • July/August, 2013
I write and edit for a living. I'm the senior editor for Backwoods Home Magazine for which I've written numerous columns during the last 24 years. Before that...
Mexican Stuffed Shells
Recipe of the Week
Mexican Stuffed Shells
Courtesy of
Rebecca Weinstein
Ingredients
18 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
32 ounces tomato sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
3 teaspoons ground cumin
3/4 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro,...































