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...

Puerto Rican Rice With Pork

Recipe of the Week  Puerto Rican Rice With Pork  Courtesy of Susan DiBracco  Ingredients 1 pound boneless pork loin 1 large onion, minced 1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced 2 large cloves garlic, minced 30 pimiento-stuffed green olives 2 cups long-grain white...

Solar Building Design

By Steven Heckeroth Issue #63 • May/June, 2000 Solar building design has been used since ancient times. In the more recent past, it has been more or less ignored as impractical, complicated, or too expensive. Incorporating...

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...

These chocolate treats make great gifts and delicious holiday desserts

By Tanya Kelley Issue #42 • November/December, 1996 Just in case the world comes to an end, I plan on keeping plenty of chocolate on hand in my food storage. That is, if I can keep...

Cookies in a jar

By Sharon Palmer, RD Issue #72 • November/December, 2001 Cookies in a jar are easy to make and make great gifts. Christian and Nicholas mix up a batch of cookies in a jar. A finished batch of country oatmeal cookies Gourmet country...

Sweet pepper salad

Recipe of the Week  Sweet pepper salad  Courtesy of Alice Brantley Yeager   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 4 medium sweet peppers, blocky, cubanelle, or blunt type 4 medium tomatoes, sliced 2 cups cooked...

Build a 6500-gallon concrete water tank for $1500

By Dorothy Ainsworth Issue #101 • September/October, 2006 When I bought 10 dry barren "affordable" acres back in 1981 I got what I paid for: No electricity, no septic system, no well, and no water. What...

Powering medical equipment during a utility blackout

By Michael Hackleman Issue #70 • July/August, 2001 Most people consider blackouts a nuisance. However, for some folks, a blackout can be paralyzing or even deadly, particularly if a critical piece of medical equipment lacks electricity....

A brief history of health and medicine

By John Silveira Issue #100 • July/August, 2006 As little as a century ago, the average life span in the United States was 49 years. Today it is 77. Fifty years ago, the average life span...

The curse of oil

By John Silveira Issue #82 • July/August, 2003 To many, the oil beneath the sands of the Middle East is a kind of godsend for them. My take on it is that it's illusionary wealth in...

Quilts — Masterpieces of the heart and windows into women’s history

By Marlene Parkin Issue #22 • July/August, 1993 Many of the quilts of yesterday took a lifetime to make. Perhaps the mystical part of quilts—the aspect that makes them almost human—is the countless hours of work...

Small Town America: Thermopolis, WY — Horses and hot springs

By Emily Salinger Photos by Richard Coffinberry Issue #85 • January/February, 2004 When Nate and MaeCile Brown amble down the main street of Thermopolis, Wyoming, everybody recognizes them. They're old friends, honored citizens, and local characters. They...

Build a Top-Bar Bee Hive

By Jereme Zimmerman Issue #175 • January/February/March, 2019 My journey to becoming a beekeeper has been a long one, and I’m still not quite there yet. For the past five years or so, I have read...

Honey whole wheat bread

Recipe of the Week  Honey whole wheat bread  Courtesy of Jackie Clay   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1/2 cup warm water 2 Tbsp. dry yeast 1/2 tsp. honey 2 cups warm water 1 Tbsp. salt 2...

Duck with Mushrooms

Recipe of the Week  Duck with Mushrooms  Courtesy of Sharon Selvig  Ingredients 2 ducks, cut in pieces 1 clove garlic, minced 1/8 teaspoon thyme 4 ounces ham, in 1/4" cubes 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced thick...