Free article Archives - Backwoods Home Magazine

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,...