Free article Archives - Backwoods Home Magazine

Swiss Chard — The Leaf Vegetable That Keeps on Giving!

By Raymond Nones Issue #92 • March/April, 2005 For years every spring I planted spinach in my garden. For those who have never tasted home grown spinach, there is a world of difference between its taste...

Help your home survive in the path of a wildfire

By Brent Stainer These firefighters fought hard to save this house, but the best way to save your house is to make basic preparations...

The parasitic nature of bureaucracy

By Dave Duffy Issue #106 • July/August, 2007 As we go to print with this issue, my local newspaper's main page one headline reads: County tax levy soundly defeated. I applauded at my desk to the...

Putting it all on the Amtrak line for Self-Reliance magazine

By Dave Duffy Issue #163 • January/February, 2017 As publisher of Backwoods Home Magazine for 28 years, I have not had to work as hard in recent years, as younger people like Managing Editor Jessie Denning...

Vegetarian pies

Issue #87 • May/June, 2004 Delicate, flavorful, and very satisfying are the descriptions with which a number of culinary experts label the countless pies...

Finding wealth you can wear at yard sales

By Thomas M. Buckley Issue #126 • November/December, 2010 When you go to yard sales this year, be sure to look for jewelry. I used to always look for tools or other items that a self-reliant...

Are aliens stealing our honeybees?

By John Silveira Issue #106 • July/August, 2007 What would happen if all the honeybees disappeared? According to some pundits we'd see a collapse in much of our food base followed by shortages, turmoil, and, depending...

You Can Make Your Own Fertilizers

By Christopher and Dolores Lynn Nyerges Issue #44 • March/April, 1997 For some people, home gardening is an expensive pursuit, which seems a bit backward to us. At one time, people gardened because home-grown produce was...

Tortellini Soup

Recipe of the Week Tortellini Soup Courtesy of Martha Desimone Ingredients 6 cups chicken broth 3/4 cup onion, chopped 1 cup carrot, diced fine 4 to 6 green chiles, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 tablespoon olive oil 10 to 12 ouces...

Basic chicken broth

Richard Blunt Ingredients 1 5-6 lb. stewing hen or roasting chicken 6 qts. cold water 2 medium onions, peeled and cut into quarters 1 celery rib with leaves attached 1 whole carrot 2 bay leaves 8 whole black peppercorns 3 whole cloves 1 piece...

Was the first government gun confiscation attempt foiled by an unsung colonial heroine?

By John Silveira Issue #119 • September/October, 2009 Gun control people don't seem to get just how deeply etched into the American psyche gun ownership goes and that the resistance to being disarmed by their own...

Apple-glazed Barbecued Chicken with Spring Vegetables

Recipe of the Week Apple-glazed Barbecued Chicken with Spring Vegetables Courtesy of Erika Sheets Ingredients Chicken 1 cup apple juice 4 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons molasses 1/2 cup tomato puree 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce 1 cut-up whole...

Let’s stop apologizing for guns

By Dave Duffy Issue #62 • March/April, 2000 I carry a concealed Ruger P97 .45 caliber eight-shot semi-automatic handgun almost everywhere I go, and I keep a Ruger Mini-14 semi-automatic rifle with folding stock in my...

Veal Goulash

Recipe of the Week Veal Goulash Courtesy of Steven Burns Ingredients 2 lb. Veal leg 1 lb. fine egg noodles 3 Roma Tomatoes 3 large Onions 1 green Bell Pepper 1 oz. Capers (with liquid) 4 Tbsp. Butter 1 Tbsp. Paprika 1 cup Sour Cream Salt & Pepper...

Old World apple chutney

Recipe of the Week Old World apple chutney Courtesy of Richard Blunt You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 40 oz. cider vinegar 1-1/2 lbs. brown sugar 1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt 1 Tbsp. ground ginger 2 tsp....

Raising your own beef

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #175 • January/February/March, 2019 Every time I sit down to enjoy a wonderful beef roast or perfectly grilled steak, I am so thankful we began raising our own beef. The flavor of...