Foraging for wild berries

By Kristina Seleshanko Issue #176 • April/May/June, 2019 I had just posted a photo online of some wild berries I was going to preserve, when suddenly I was inundated with messages: “Are those really safe to...

Make a quilt out of Levis

By Dorothy Ainsworth Issue #77 • September/October, 2002 Back in the 80s I worked as a waitress in a busy little café where our mandatory uniform was a pair of Levis and a T-shirt. The only...

Make your own biodiesel for 80¢ per gallon

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #101 • September/October, 2006 My Ford F-250 diesel crew-cab pickup did not cause me to become interested in making my own bio-diesel fuel. No, the final straw was when I...

Terrific tamale pie

Recipe of the Week  Terrific tamale pie  Courtesy of Janine Hawley   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped green pepper 1lb. ground beef 2 8 oz. cans seasoned tomato...

Build your own portable forge

By Corcceigh Green Issue #51 • May/June, 1998 Looking for a handy summer project while building skills, supplies, and knowledge to put away for a rainy future? Here's one to consider: try making your own forge....

Zucchini custard pie

Sandra L. Toney Ingredients 1 cup shredded zucchini 1 egg 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 1/2 Tbsp. flour 1 cup sugar 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine 1 cup evaporated milk 1 9-inch unbaked pastry or pie shell cinnamon nutmeg Method Preheat oven to 450°. Mix zucchini (and any...

Build Your Own Hoop House

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #171 • May/June, 2018 I’ve had my own garden for more than half a century, and I have learned a few things after all these years. One of the most valuable things...

Simplify life in your backwoods home by using these easy mountain methods

By Rev. J.D. Hooker Issue #54 • November/December, 1998 Backwoods folk, or in my case, mountain folk, are typically very resourceful, utilizing whatever is on hand to make their lives easier and more pleasant. And hill-women...

Baked Macaroni and Cheese to Kill For

Recipe of the Week  Baked Macaroni and Cheese to Kill For  Courtesy of John Silveira  Ingredients 2 cups uncooked elbow Macaroni 3/8 cup Butter 1/2 cup Flour 1-3/4 cups Milk 1/2 cup Sour Cream 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese...

The light at the end of the gun

By Massad Ayoob Issue #128 • March/April, 2011 Dave writes, "A few weeks ago I had to shoot a skunk in the chicken house, but the old long-barreled Sears semi-auto proved unwieldy as I tried to...

Root vegetable casserole

Recipe of the Week  Root vegetable casserole  Courtesy of Richard Blunt   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 2 cups medium parsnips (peeled and diced medium) 1-1/2 cups medium carrots (peeled and diced medium)...

Reaching for the stars during a recession

By Dave Duffy Issue #125 • September/October, 2010 Toby is the volunteer assistant golf coach for the team this magazine sponsors, the Gold Beach High School Panthers. He has spent hundreds of hours of his own...

Blonde brownies

Recipe of the Week  Blonde brownies  Courtesy of Rhoda Denning   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1/2 cup butter (no substitutes) 2 cups lightly packed brown sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 1 cup chopped pecans,...

Louisiana gumbo

Recipe of the Week  Louisiana gumbo  Courtesy of Alice Brantley Yeager   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1 large dressed frying chicken, including giblets & neck 1-1/2 cups of flour for dredging 1/2 tsp....

Emergency planning beyond the bug-out bag

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #157 • January/February, 2016 In many emergency situations, simply staying home can be your most sensible choice. After all, most of us have stocked up on a good supply of food in...

Millenium Vehicles

By Michael Hackleman Issue #57 • May/June, 1999 A major failing of transportation worldwide is that 99.9% of vehicles on farms, street, and freeways work on one energy source: liquid fuels. In any disaster—small or large,...