Pysanki — You can make those biddies pay!

By Amy E. Peare Issue #86 • March/April, 2004 There are usually two problems with raising chickens. a) You have too many eggs, or b) you aren't getting enough eggs to warrant shelling out the bucks...

Easy homemade dairy products

By Maggie Howe Photos by John Gibney Issue #137 • September/October, 2012 Queso blanco, sliced and ready for cooking I have a strong interest in cooking and in local foods and I very much enjoy making my own...

How to organize an outdoor canning party

By Jennifer Grahovac Issue #119 • September/October, 2009 When my husband and I decided to return to Ohio after living for 15 years in the mountains of Vermont, it was with some trepidation and a little...

Apple butter

Recipe of the Week  Apple butter  Courtesy of Anne Westbrook Dominick   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 5 lbs. apples, stems removed and quartered 2 cups cider or cider vinegar brown sugar 2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2...

Armed citizens: the deterrent factor

By Massad Ayoob Website Exclusive • January/February, 2001 Does an armed citizenry deter tyranny and invasion? History and logic both answer emphatically, "Yes!" Some months ago, in an article in this publication titled The Rationale of the...

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...

Fermented dill pickles

Recipe of the Week  Fermented dill pickles  Courtesy of Olivia Miller   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 50-60 smooth small cucumbers 1 oz. whole mixed spices dill 1 lb. pure salt 1 gallon water 1 pint cider...

Poor man’s shrimp cocktail on perch

Recipe of the Week Poor man’s shrimp cocktail on perch Courtesy of Pat Ward You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking. Click Here Ingredients 3/4 cup ketchup 1 Tbsp. horseradish 2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce 1 Tbsp. lemon juice Tabasco to...

Water pumping windmills

By Dorothy Ainsworth Issue #90 • November/December, 2004 Standing tall like a giant sunflower in a sea of undulating prairie grasses, or in any rural setting, a windmill is a thing of beauty. Not only are...

35 country jobs — How folks make a living near my hometown

By Charles Sanders Issue #89 • September/October, 2004 If you're relocating to the backwoods, you will very likely have to give some thought to generating some income, that is, making a living. Hopefully, the topic is...

Defending against terroristic mass murder

By Massad Ayoob Issue #160 • July/August, 2016 My friend Rich Grassi is a retired cop, a masterful instructor, and one of the best writers in the tactical field today. He recently wrote that it would...

Persimmon bread

Recipe of the Week  Persimmon bread  Courtesy of Charles A. Sanders   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1 cup persimmon pulp 2 cups flour 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp....

Chicken Enchiladas

Recipe of the Week  Chicken Enchiladas  Courtesy of Mari Susan Bell  Two large pans (double recipe) can feed quite a crowd when accompanied by refried beans or Spanish Rice and a green/citrus/sweet onion salad. Delicioso! Enjoy! Chicken Enchiladas Ingredients 3...

In time of war — The Israeli answer to terrorism

By Massad Ayoob Issue #81 • May/June, 2003 When war seems imminent, citizens think about protecting themselves. The war of the moment involves a declared enemy that has already used unconventional tactics to murder some three...

Energy class: Part 1

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #111 • May/June, 2008 Each fall when my dad took us to the State Fair, we could always count on this fast-talking salesman standing next to his car with a...

Why I Hated Santa Claus

By John Silveira December 21, 1999 Even as a little kid I didn't like Santa Claus. I liked the loot he brought; I wanted toys. With some trepidation, I even sat in his lap at the...