How to organize an outdoor canning party
By Jennifer Grahovac
Issue #119 • September/October, 2009
When my husband and I decided to return to Ohio after living for 15 years in the mountains of Vermont, it was with some trepidation and a little...
Just for Kids: Visit the great prairies
By Lucy Shober
Issue #35 • September/October, 1995
Did you ever get an urge to just take off and go someplace exotic? Maybe the North Pole or the Amazon river basin? If you would care to...
Cooking from long-term food storage
By Jackie Clay
Issue #55 • January/February, 1999
All self-reliant families know they should have at least a year's worth of food and essential supplies stored up in a large pantry. Unfortunately, actually eating from long-term...
How big a gun do you need?
By Massad Ayoob
Issue #99 • May/June, 2006
We Americans like to do things in a big way. Big houses. Big cars. Big boats. And, yes, big guns.
There are good arguments for all this, of course....
Build an all-purpose ladder
By Robert L. Williams
Issue #45 • May/June, 1997
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The story never varies. If I am doing outside work and need a ladder, I spend nearly as much...
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...
Dublin Coddle
Recipe of the Week
Dublin Coddle
Courtesy of
Russ Brown
Here is a good old world favorite that really fills you up.
Dublin Coddle
Ingredients
2 pounds potatoes, pealed, thick sliced
2 pounds yellow onions, thick sliced
2 pounds smoked sausage, thick sliced
1...
Turn the poor into capitalists
By John Silveira
Issue #137 • September/October, 2012
I'm not a fan of the welfare system and I think it's been more of a failure than a success. It may serve as a 'safety net' for...
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...
Spiced red beans
Recipe of the Week
Spiced red beans
Courtesy of
Richard Blunt
You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here
Ingredients
1 cup dried red kidney beans
5 cups cold water to soak beans
3 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon...
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,...
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...
Dill-onion bread
Charles Bryant O’Dooley
Ingredients
1 Tbsp. dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp. butter
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup whole bran cereal
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp....
How to achieve affordable health care
By John Silveira
Issue #120 • November/December, 2009
Despite all the hubbub about health care, the United States can have affordable health care tomorrow if we want it. There have been real solutions available, solutions that...
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....
Succulent venison stew
Recipe of the Week
Succulent venison stew
Courtesy of
Edith Helmich
You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here
Ingredients
3-4 lbs. fat-trimmed venison, cut into 2-inch cubes
Marinade:
2 thinly sliced onions
1 thinly sliced carrot
2 stalks...
