What kind of Americans sit on our juries?

By John Silveira March 16, 2000 Our jury system is supposed to be a buffer between us--the citizens--and the government. It is there to prevent the abuse of power that governments have exercised since the dawn...

Smoked Salmon

Recipe of the Week  Smoked Salmon  Courtesy of Lisa Nourse  The best meals are made from stuff you grow--or catch. Here's a tasty smoked salmon treat made from a 38-pound king salmon caught by 11-year-old Ian Nourse, who...

Broccoli and Ziti

Recipe of the Week  Broccoli and Ziti  Courtesy of Oliver Del Signore  Walk into almost any restaurant that claims to serve Italian food and you will likely find on the menu broccoli coupled with some pasta, usually ziti...

Canned bacon — Roll your own

By Enola Gay Issue #127 • January/February, 2011 I have to admit, I am somewhat of an extreme canner. I love to can unusual things—canned foods you just don't find on everyone's shelves. My latest canning...

Build this sturdy large-capacity food dehydrator

By Charles Sanders Issue #63 • May/June, 2000 Drying of food as a means of preservation has been around for a long time. Populations in suitably dry climates all around the globe have dried meat, fish,...

Winter in the High Desert — Understanding the music

By Claire Wolfe Issue #121 • January/February, 2010 My old friends from the Pacific Northwest think I don't love them anymore, now that I've moved far away to the high desert. It's all a misunderstanding. One after another,...

Crispy onion rings

Recipe of the Week  Crispy onion rings  Courtesy of Jo Mason   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 4 or 5 medium-sized yellow onions 1-1/2 cups flat beer 1-1/4 cups flour 1/4 cup corn meal shortening for...

Just for Kids: Killing some time (Create an afternoon time warp)

By Lucy Shober Issue #26 • March/April, 1994 Click on picture for printable, full-sized version to color. There is a book that describes a time warp as being a kind of bubble, a place in time that...

Our energy crisis Part 2 — Nuclear energy is sensible and safe

<!-- Our energy crisis Part 2 of 3 Nuclear energy is sensible and safe By John Silveira --> By John Silveira Issue #114 • November/December, 2008 When an atomic bomb was detonated over Nagasaki, Japan, August 9, 1945, the amount of energy...

A government with not enough to do, but lots of hungry mouths to feed

By Dave Duffy Issue #130 • July/August, 2011 Most people look in the wrong places for threats to society, and their perceptions are easily manipulated by the mass media, which is often spoon-fed its stories by...

Duck with Mushrooms

Recipe of the Week  Duck with Mushrooms  Courtesy of Sharon Selvig  Ingredients 2 ducks, cut in pieces 1 clove garlic, minced 1/8 teaspoon thyme 4 ounces ham, in 1/4" cubes 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced thick...

A survival key ring — Your everyday tool for emergency preparedness

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #117 • May/June, 2009 If you saw the movie, "Castaway" starring Tom Hanks, you might remember that his character always carried a small pen knife with him. Early in the...

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...

Barmbrack

Recipe of the Week  Barmbrack  Courtesy of Richard Blunt   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature 1/4 cup whole milk 1/2 cup water 1/2 tsp. sugar 1 pkg. active dry...

The Coming American Dictatorship revisited

By John Silveira Issue #77 • September/October, 2002 Mac's back. After a long absence our poker-playing friend from southern California, O.E. MacDougal, walked into the Oregon offices of Backwoods Home Magazine. Poof, and there he was. No...

The Newtown atrocity and “gun control”

By Massad Ayoob Issue #140 • March/April, 2013 In mid-December of 2012, a mentally disturbed twenty-year-old whose escalating aberrant behavior had gone untreated and unchecked murdered his own mother, stole her guns, and entered the Sandy...