My View: Call Me Miracle Man!

By Dave Duffy Issue #177 • July/August/September, 2019 Superheroes are the rage these days at movie theaters. Even I am fascinated by them. Old style heroes like Superman and Batman seem tame by comparison to characters...

Answering some well asked questions about personal defense

By Massad Ayoob Issue #97 • January/February, 2006 Jeff Yago, Backwoods Home's energy writer, recently completed a couple of concealed carry handgun courses. The classes apparently left some questions hanging in the air, and Jeff passed...

Bugging out in place

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #163 • January/February, 2017 Some emergency situations require quick evacuation. You barely have time to grab your bug-out bag, gather the family, and run out the door. Most of us are ready...

Tale of a country family

By Rachel Baxter Issue #66 • November/December, 2000 Dave and Dianna Saleh (pronounced "Sally") always knew they wanted to live a rural lifestyle. They both came from big cities before they met and fell in love,...

Vidalia Onion Pie

Recipe of the Week  Vidalia Onion Pie  Courtesy of Mattie Silverman  Ingredients 3 medium Vidalia Sweet Onions 1/2 cup butter 3 eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup low-fat sour cream 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon cayenne red...

Dilled oyster crackers

Recipe of the Week  Dilled oyster crackers  Courtesy of Alice Brantley Yeager   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 2 12-oz. pkgs. oyster crackers 1 cup canola oil or other light vegetable oil 2 tsp....

Life-saving snowshoes

By Len McDougall Issue #126 • November/December, 2010 If you live in or drive through places where winter generally means having snow on the ground from autumn till spring, you should have a functional pair of...

Cast iron loaf pans from breakfast to dessert

By Matt and Linda Morehouse Issue #133 • January/February, 2012 Cast iron loaf pans are not just for bread. Nearly as versatile as the cast iron 10-inch (#8) covered skillet, the venerable cast iron loaf pan...

Growing Productive Strawberries

By Edna Manning Issue #86 • March/April, 2004 Here on the Canadian prairies, I have found strawberries to be perhaps one of the most delicious, least-demanding and productive fruits I can grow in our Zone 2...

Glazed spiced mocha brownies

Recipe of the Week  Glazed spiced mocha brownies  Courtesy of Richard Blunt   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients soft shortening 5 oz. bittersweet chocolate 6-1/2 oz. unsalted butter 1/8 tsp. kosher salt 1/2 tsp. powdered, instant...

Solar power trailer Part 1

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #108 • November/December, 2007 Many of us like to go camping, but as we age it's much easier if we have a bathroom, kitchen, refrigerator, microwave oven, television, DVD player,...

Get to know your spiders

By Jerry Hourigan Issue #109 • January/February, 2008 Every landowner and homeowner creates the perfect environment for spiders. Not intentionally, of course, but spiders seem to like all the little nooks and crannies created from how...

Canning 101 — Pickles, fruits, jams, jellies, etc.

By Jackie Clay Issue #53 • September/October, 1998 For some reason, (definitely unknown to me) canning, as a method of very long term food storage, fell into disuse. Maybe it's the hurry/rush syndrome many folks have...

Galumbki

Recipe of the Week  Galumbki  Courtesy of Ted Augustyn  Ingredients 1 large cabbage 1 pound ground beef 1 pound ground pork 1 cup cooked rice 1 medium onion, chopped fine 2 eggs 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons pepper 2 tablespoons butter Sauce 1 cup tomato sauce 2 tablespoons...

Cool dishes for formal summer dining

By Linda Gabris Issue #94 • July/August, 2005 If you're an upland hunter who enjoys showing off your birds in gourmet fashion, here is a supreme main course creation that will earn the highest praise. There...

Woolen winter mittens in minutes

By Anita Evangelista Issue #84 • November/December, 2003 There's nothing so comfy and warm in the snowy dead-of-winter as a pair of thick, soft woolen mittens. Many of us have fond childhood memories of a favorite...