Everybody talks about lightning and yes, there are things you can do about it

By Albert H. Carlson Issue #37 • January/February, 1996 What was a beautiful sunny day with large white billowing clouds low on the horizon has turned progressively darker. The clouds are now almost black, and the...

Apple Coffee Cake

Recipe of the Week  Apple Coffee Cake  Courtesy of Beverly Rossman  This is an old family recipe. I can remember my dad, Robert Werner, getting up in the middle of the night in his pajamas to put...

Homemade pest traps

<!-- --> By Patrice Lewis Issue #164 • March/April, 2017 Last summer, my little compost bucket near the kitchen sink became home to a zillion fruit flies. Once they’re established, it’s devilishly hard to get rid of these...

Build your own battery charging station

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #142 • July/August, 2013 Completed charging station after sanding and painting Let me guess — the reason many of you do not use rechargeable batteries is that every time you need...

Boiled crawfish

Recipe of the Week  Boiled crawfish  Courtesy of James Robertson   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1 sack of live crawfish (35-40 lbs.) 2 26-oz. boxes of salt 5 medium onions, halved 1/2 4-oz. bottle...

Picnicking with class!

By Jean Louis L’Heureux Issue #63 • May/June, 2000 Picnic weather has arrived and there's nothing like enjoying good food with family or friends in the scenic outdoors. I have several recipes that have made my...

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...

Waterpower for personal use

By Rudy Behrens Issue #16 • July/August, 1992 (This introductory overview to waterwheels is the first of a three-part series. The second installment will be about undershot and no-head wheels, and the third installment ...

Mountain lions — Attacks are still rare, but just in case…

By Gene Sheley Issue #50 • March/April, 1998 Near the top of North America's wildlife food chain is the mountain lion, a close second to bears in various forms in ferocity, strength, and killing ability. In...

7 Mistakes of food storage

By Vicki Tate Issue #55 • January/February, 1999 If you are going to store food, make sure that the food you store is adequate for the need you and your family anticipate. This may not be...

Build a simple solar-powered outdoor light

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #92 • March/April, 2005 Figure 1. Pole-mounted street light showing a front view of the solar light In our last issue, I discussed how to use solar energy to power a...

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...

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...

Old-fashioned hot chocolate

Recipe of the Week  Old-fashioned hot chocolate  Courtesy of Richard Blunt   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 2 cups whole milk 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped into pieces 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar 1/8 tsp. kosher...

A cabin for one

By Lee Greiman Issue #109 • January/February, 2008 Between 1989 and 1990 I built a 20 by 20-foot log house on the Musselshell River in Montana. The next year I built an addition on it that...

How to can chopped garlic

By Patrice Lewis Issue #173 • September/October, 2018 Before we had our garden established, I routinely purchased chopped garlic at the grocery store. Why? Because it was easier to scoop a tablespoon of chopped garlic out...