Here’s an Easier (and Cheaper) Way to Make Wooden Beams

By Rev. J.D. Hooker Issue #43 • January/February, 1997 I know that there are a lot of really fine products available for turning logs into lumber, from bandsaw sawmills to chainsaw attachments. I've seen a lot...

Four Pepper Pheasant

Recipe of the Week  Four Pepper Pheasant  Courtesy of Danielle Nathanson  Ingredients 2 medium Pheasants (about 3-1/2 pounds each) 2 oranges, halved 8 to 10 thick slices fatty bacon Four-pepper mix: 1 tablespoon whole red peppercorns 1 tablespoon whole...

Use solar landscape lights for emergencies

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #141 • May/June, 2013 Solar-powered landscape lights in dark room. Note different light patterns and brightness. People own all kinds of household items that can be used to make life easier during...

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...

Cornmeal sour cream biscuits

Recipe of the Week  Cornmeal sour cream biscuits  Courtesy of Arthur Vernon II   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1 cup cornmeal 1 Tbsp. sugar 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1...

Love Those Green Beans

By Alice B. Yeager Issue #68 • March/April, 2001 Anyone with some gardening space, a sunny location, and good loamy soil with pH 6.0-7.5 can grow snap beans. With some good recipes, you'll have people begging...

Fly it proudly and properly

By Roger Meyer Issue #130 • July/August, 2011 Since September 11, 2001, more Americans are displaying the national flag. Our flag gives us a sense of unity and purpose as a nation. Old Glory represents our...

Puerto Rican Rice With Pork

Recipe of the Week  Puerto Rican Rice With Pork  Courtesy of Susan DiBracco  Ingredients 1 pound boneless pork loin 1 large onion, minced 1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced 2 large cloves garlic, minced 30 pimiento-stuffed green olives 2 cups long-grain white...

Vinegar — A splash is all you need for healthful eating, natural healing, and...

By Linda Gabris Issue #97 • January/February, 2006 Call me a sourpuss, if you will, but I love vinegar and can't imagine a day going by without calling upon one type or another for cooking, curing,...

Apple and Potato Soup

Recipe of the Week  Apple and Potato Soup  Courtesy of Don Peterson  Ingredients Soup: 4 Tablespoons butter 2 Leeks (white part only) , cleaned and sliced 5 cups tart Apples, peeled, cored, and chopped 6 cups Chicken Stock 2 cups...

Can America be Saved from Stupid People?

By Dave Duffy Issue #65 • September/October, 2000 There are a lot of taboos, that is, things we're not supposed to talk about, in modern society. If we do talk about them we are labeled a...

Installing a steel roof

By Norman Bennett Issue #126 • November/December, 2010 One of the reasons steel roofs have become so popular is the simplicity and economy with which they can be placed over an old shingle roof. Still, despite...

Fig preserves

Recipe of the Week  Fig preserves  Courtesy of Alice Brantley Yeager   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1 lb. small figs (Brown Turkey, Celeste, etc.) 3/4 lb. sugar juice of 1/2 lemon (optional) 1/2 lemon...

Oregon Grape Jam

By Joyce Lindsey O’Keefe Website Exclusive • August, 2008 Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium) bushes are native to the West Coast from northern California to British Columbia. They are the state flower of Oregon. The bushes come...

The ‘risks’ with Swine Flu

By John Silveira Issue #118 • July/August, 2009 Do we have anything to worry about the reemergence of Swine Flu — Novel Influenza A (H1N1) — this fall? The short answer is: Probably not. There are...

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...