Home canning safety tips
By Liz Case
Issue #66 • November/December, 2000
Like many who were born shortly after World War II, I grew up in a family with a solidly "city" lifestyle. My mother saw canning as drudgery. For...
Build your own log home in the woods
By Jackie Clay
(Photos by Bill Spaulding and Jackie Clay)
Issue #72 • November/December, 2001
This is the third part of a three-part series.
The first two parts appeared in issues 70 and 71.
In the last two issues...
Green tomato kosher dill pickles
Recipe of the Week
Green tomato kosher dill pickles
Courtesy of
Marjorie Burris
You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here
Ingredients
small, firm green tomatoes
celery stalks
sweet green peppers, cut into fourths
garlic...
Black Bean and Avocado Dip
Recipe of the Week
Black Bean and Avocado Dip
Courtesy of
Lilly Brunner
Ingredients
2 cups cooked Black Beans (or use canned)
1 medium ripe Avocado
1 small Chile Pepper, minced fine
1 small clove Garlic, minced fine
2 Tbsp. Tomato juice
2 Tbsp....
Drive your own freshwater well
By Len McDougall
Issue #128 • March/April, 2011
The well point's slotted holes permit water to enter, while stainless steel mesh inside keeps out abrasive sand.
X marks the spot. How "witching" for water works is a...
Just for Kids: Sun-kabobs and solar sizzle
By Lucy Shober
Issue #28 • July/August, 1994
Click on pictures for printable, full-sized versions to color.
Picture yourself in this dreamy scenario: It's a hot summer afternoon. The sun is beaming through the shade trees as...
Elk Roast With Cranberries
Recipe of the Week
Elk Roast With Cranberries
Courtesy of
Daisy Wallace
Ingredients
2 - 3 pound Elk roast*
2 tablespoons Oil
2 cups raw Cranberries
1 small stalk Celery, chopped
1 teaspoon Nutmeg
1-1/2 tablespoons Maple Sugar
1/4 cup all purpose Flour
1 small Onion,...
Dorper sheep — Revolutionizing the meat sheep industry
By Darlene Polachic
Issue #75 • May/June, 2002
If Henry Soderberg's predictions are right, Dorper sheep could revolutionize the meat sheep industry. A South African breed developed in the 1930's from Dorset Horned and Blackheaded Persians,...
Building your chicken coop
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Issue #139 • January/February, 2013
Here's a coop we built from pallets and scrap lumber. The goats lived in one end and the chickens lived in the other. It was free and worked...
In search of the perfect cup of coffee
By Richard Blunt
Issue #68 • March/April, 2001
As an active member of the worldwide fraternity of "Java Junkies," I feel it is time that I stand up and be recognized for my contribution to the...
Energy class: Part 1
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #111 • May/June, 2008
Each fall when my dad took us to the State Fair, we could always count on this fast-talking salesman standing next to his car with a...
Want proof of luck, ESP, and psychic powers?
By John Silveira
Issue #40 • July/August, 1996
We were riding down the Pacific Coast Highway Mac, his girlfriend Carol, and I. Mac's the poker playing friend of Dave Duffy, the fellow who publishes this magazine....
Bath herbs
By Cynthia Andal
Issue #86 • March/April, 2004
The visceral pleasure to be gained from drinking wild herbal teas that you have harvested yourself pales in comparison to lying in a steaming tub, scented with rose...
Redworm farming
By Charles Sanders
Issue #112 • July/August, 2008
If you are looking for a way to earn extra income, a retirement job, or even a new livelihood, then raising earthworms might just be the thing. This...
Jackie’s tips for hardcore homesteading
By Jackie Clay
Issue #62
Many of us have a garden and enjoy fresh vegetables during the summer and fall. Maybe we even have a few chickens for eggs and meat. But many of us may...
How to Grow Great Carrots
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Issue #153 • May/June, 2015
Carrots are an old-time homesteader favorite. They can be frozen, canned, dehydrated, or simply stored in a cool location.
They are nutritious, too, being a great source of beta...






























