Medical kits for self-reliant families
By Jackie Clay
Issue #60 • November/December, 1999
There may be a time, as close as tomorrow, when your loved ones need medication or medical treatment and there is no drug store open or doctor available....
Planning the lives of generations to come
By John Silveira
March 8, 2006
I was reading the March 2006 issue of Discover Magazine and read Asteroid Watcher Worries, an interview with Clark R. Chapman, a planetary scientist at the Southwest Research Institute at...
Freedom, guns, & boycotts
By Dave Duffy
Issue #71 • September/October, 2001
The other day I walked into my local Ace Hardware store and cancelled this magazine's longstanding account.
"How come?" Dan, the owner asked surprised. I had shopped there ever...
Easy homemade dairy products
By Maggie Howe
Photos by John Gibney
Issue #137 • September/October, 2012
Queso blanco, sliced and ready for cooking
I have a strong interest in cooking and in local foods and I very much enjoy making my own...
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...
Tahini — A health food par-excellence
By Habeeb Salloum
Issue #89 • September/October, 2004
Since time immemorial tahini has been a choice food in the countries which edge the eastern Mediterranean. The product of hulled and crushed sesame seeds, this delectable, nourishing,...
The time for modern; the time for traditional
By Massad Ayoob
Issue #137 • September/October, 2012
Traditional "old skool" guns, or the most modern and efficient ballistic hardware that money can buy? I asked that question recently on my corner of the Backwoods Home...
Answering some well asked questions about personal defense
By Massad Ayoob
Issue #97 • January/February, 2006
Jeff Yago, Backwoods Home's energy writer, recently completed a couple of concealed carry handgun courses. The classes apparently left some questions hanging in the air, and Jeff passed...
Hunting to Fill the Dinner Pot
By Len McDougall
Issue #110 • March/April, 2008
It was November in northern Michigan, and I was supposed to be deer hunting, but it seemed I'd brought the wrong gun today. The deer I did see...
Finding, buying, milking, and living with the family milk cow
By Jayn Steidl Thibodeau
Issue #36 • November/December, 1995
Have you ever had this happen to you? You've opened the refrigerator door for a cold, refreshing glass of milk only to find an empty jug. You've...
The curse of oil
By John Silveira
Issue #82 • July/August, 2003
To many, the oil beneath the sands of the Middle East is a kind of godsend for them. My take on it is that it's illusionary wealth in...
Thoughts on ammunition
By Massad Ayoob
Issue #108 • November/December, 2007
Ammunition is to firearms as gasoline is to automobiles. However, with guns and ammo, the fit isn't quite so generic as just getting the right octane rating. Recent...
Build an Old-Fashioned Hotbed and Start Your Seeds in Style
By Roy Martin
Issue #104 • March/April, 2007
A hotbed is a miniature greenhouse that is heated to protect new seedlings from cold. The hotbed differs from a cold frame in that it has an internal...
Leafy Green Vegetables — The Underrated Heroes of the Garden
By Jackie Clay
Issue #104 • March/April, 2007
When you mention "garden," everybody immediately thinks of sweet corn, green beans, and tomatoes, with a few peppers and cucumbers thrown in. But a whole lot of folks,...
Pizza Casserole
Recipe of the Week
Pizza Casserole
Courtesy of
Michael Pirazi
Ingredients
1-1/2 pounds Italian sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green olives
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper
12 ounces thin egg noodles
2-1/2 cups (20 ounces) pizza...
Catch your own bait
By Gary Gresh
Issue #91 • January/February, 2005
Expensive lures and pricey tackle shop baits can sometimes make fishing an expensive proposition, raising the cost of the intended fish fry to that of a gourmet dinner....































