Pickled Sweet Green Tomatoes

Recipe of the Week  Pickled Sweet Green Tomatoes  Courtesy of Jessica Sackmann  Ingredients 16 cups green Tomatoes, sliced ( 10 to 11 lbs.) 2 cups Onions, sliced ¼ cup canning or pickling Salt 4 cups Vinegar (5%) 3 cups brown Sugar 1...

Bread — The staff of life

By Jackie Clay Issue #78 • November/December, 2002 In today's hurry-up, prosperous world, bread has come to mean that white, pasty stuff you buy in the store and slap together into boring, equally tasteless sandwiches. Or...

Use solar landscape lights for emergencies

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #141 • May/June, 2013 Solar-powered landscape lights in dark room. Note different light patterns and brightness. People own all kinds of household items that can be used to make life easier during...

Build a ski sled

By Kai Moessle Issue #138 • November/December, 2012 Since my property is almost half a mile away from the nearest road and I can't keep the dirt road to it plowed all winter (I don't live...

Growing Microgreens

By Lisa Nourse Issue #176 • April/May/June, 2019 The small town where I live has two small grocery stores and getting a good variety of organic produce during the winter months is difficult. I find myself...

Solar-powered chicken coop

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #132 • November/December, 2011 Pre-manufactured chicken coop with roof-mounted solar module I am sure many of you have raised large flocks of chickens for years as a normal part of rural...

Ham and sausage jambalaya

Recipe of the Week  Ham and sausage jambalaya  Courtesy of Tom Barth   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1/2 tsp. white pepper 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp. paprika 1/2...

Cherries and Chocolate Cake

Recipe of the Week  Cherries and Chocolate Cake  Courtesy of Lauren Smeltzer  Ingredients Cake 3 cups sifted cake flour 3 cups light brown sugar, packed 1-1/3 cups sour cream 1-1/2 cups boiling water 3/4 cup butter 3/4 cup cocoa 4 eggs 1 tablespoon baking soda 2 tsp. vanilla...

A canoe livery — An honest, clean business

By Harry Spetla Issue #46 • July/August, 1997 A canoe and kayak livery business is inexpensive to start and it's easy to operate. The business fits in well with country living since it can be as...

Hydronic woodstoves

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #105 • May/June, 2007 Do you realize there is an entire field of woodstoves that the general public rarely hears about, even though there are specialty woodstove stores in every...

Kentucky Country Ribs

Recipe of the Week  Kentucky Country Ribs  Courtesy of Beverly Rossman  Ingredients 3 to 3 1/2 pounds pork country ribs, cut into single-rib sections 3/4 cup water 1/3 cup bourbon whisky (or apple juice) 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1/4...

When “good” laws are bad

By John Silveira Issue #134 • March/April, 2012 I recently read an opinion piece on CNN's website titled, Edison would've loved the new light bulb law. It's supposed to be about the new law to force...

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 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...

Frontier style handguns for the modern backwoods home

By Massad Ayoob Issue #101 • September/October, 2006 The year was 1873. Samuel Colt had invented the revolver—or at least introduced it to America—in 1836. The Colt Navy .36 and Army .44 cap-n'-ball revolvers had been...

Apple and Potato Soup

Recipe of the Week  Apple and Potato Soup  Courtesy of Don Peterson  Ingredients Soup: 4 Tablespoons butter 2 Leeks (white part only) , cleaned and sliced 5 cups tart Apples, peeled, cored, and chopped 6 cups Chicken Stock 2 cups...