Clean up your act!

By Nanette Blanchard Issue #100 • July/August, 2006 I used to get a headache just inhaling the chemical fumes while walking through the cleaning product aisle of the store. I started using less toxic products from...

Cajun Shrimp Appetizer

Recipe of the Week  Cajun Shrimp Appetizer  Courtesy of Cahana Mead  Ingredients 1 pound extra large shrimp, shelled and deveined 1 tablespoon. lime juice 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves, crushed 1/4 teaspoon...

Finding, buying, milking, and living with the family milk cow

By Jayn Steidl Thibodeau Issue #36 • November/December, 1995 Have you ever had this happen to you? You've opened the refrigerator door for a cold, refreshing glass of milk only to find an empty jug. You've...

Simplifying simplicity

By Claire Wolfe Issue #117 • May/June, 2009 In the bustling 19th century, Henry David Thoreau urged us to "simplify, simplify, simplify." In the even more hectic 20th and 21st centuries, writer, philosopher, and frugalista Wendy McElroy...

Power your bug-out bag

By Jeff Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #160 • July/August, 2016 More and more people are starting to see the advantage of having a bug-out bag for each member of their family. Normally these bags are kept...

Our energy crisis Part 1 — It’s our creation, but we can fix it

By John Silveira Issue #113 • September/October, 2008 It has been said the United States is a "carbon economy" meaning that our economy and standard of living depend on the availability of fossil fuels which include...

Moving to the wilderness — Turning the dream to reality

By Jackie Clay Issue #36 • November/December, 1995 The Dream — An increasing number of folks are having the same dream today: get a piece of land isolated from the stress and pollution of civilization, and...

Here’s how to make a musical bamboo flute

By Robert E. Kramer Issue #42 • November/December, 1996 Materials 1 propane or butane torch or campfire to heat up metal rod. 1 steel rod at least 1/2" diameter 1 oven mitt or heavy cloth 1...

Stewed tomatoes

Recipe of the Week  Stewed tomatoes  Courtesy of Alice Brantley Yeager   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1 gallon ripe tomatoes 2 cups onions, coarsely chopped 1 cup celery, coarsely chopped 1 cup sweet peppers,...

Turn your passion into a business

By Patrice Lewis Issue #150 • November/December, 2014 In 1993, my husband and I did something most people merely dream about: we chucked our professional nine-to-five jobs, left urban California, and settled in a rural home...

Make grape juice the easy way

By Tanya Kelley Issue #41 • September/October, 1996 Squeezing and straining grapes for grape juice was not exactly my idea of fun. So when my neighbor showed me a faster, easier method, I was delighted. For...

Indian Fry Bread

Recipe of the Week  Indian Fry Bread  Courtesy of Beverly Rossman  Ingredients 2 Cups all-purpose flour 1/4 Cup Instand nonfat dry milk powder 2 teaspoon Baking powder 1 teaspoon Salt 1 Tablespoon Butter or Lard 3/4 Cup Warm water...

Hunting, processing, and serving black bear

By Linda Gabris Issue #162 • November/December, 2016 Bear was a popular meat in our house when I was growing up in the rural woods. Black bear was Grandpa's favorite big game animal to hunt and...

Money can buy happiness

By John Silveira Issue #72 • November/December, 2001 The results are in: money can buy happiness, but it doesn't come cheap. Not only that, the amount of happiness your money can buy can be measured. I know...

Start a fire in any weather

By Charles Sanders Issue #161 • September/October, 2016 Most of us living in the backwoods are comfortable with utilizing fire as a tool. We use fire to heat our homes, burn brush, power our forges, help...

Crawfish fettucine

Recipe of the Week  Crawfish fettucine  Courtesy of James Robertson   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1/2 cup butter 1 lb. crawfish tails 1 tsp. soy sauce 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped salt and...