Battery powered weekend retreat

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #83 • September/October, 2003 Blake McKinney owned several acres of beautiful deep forest wilderness along a fast-moving year-round fishing stream that was perfect for a planned weekend retreat. Mr. McKinney,...

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...

Ten Marinades For Summer

Recipe of the Week  Ten Marinades For Summer  Courtesy of Lois Winkle  All of these marinades may also be used for basting. Make extra, and set aside, to brush on while the food is cooking. Try...

Jerusalem artichokes with brown rice

Recipe of the Week  Jerusalem artichokes with brown rice  Courtesy of Richard Blunt   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced small 1 small...

The chicken and the egg

By Habeeb Salloum Issue #139 • January/February, 2013 One cannot think of our culinary world without chicken or eggs. Chicken is one of the world's most consumed meats and eggs are on the tables of the...

A few favorite recipes and books

By Ilene Duffy Issue #110 • March/April, 2008 I was talking with another mom in the produce section of the market the other day. During our conversation, she happened to mention that earlier in her life...

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,...

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...

Llamas guarding sheep? — Not such a far-fetched idea

By Karen McGeorge Sanders Issue #19 • January/February, 1993 It seems that farmers always need an extra pair of hands, but finding the money to pay the extra help is often impossible. You need the help...

Reflections on the Second Amendment

By Massad Ayoob Issue #77 • September/October, 2002 A reader named Molly e-mailed a note to the office of BHM asking what the editor thought of Attorney General Ashcroft's recent affirmation of the Second Amendment as...

Things kids should learn before leaving high school, but don’t

By John Silveira Issue #159 • May/June, 2016 We send generations of American children to school hoping we're preparing them for adulthood. Among the least of our expectations are that they're going to be able to...

A survival key ring — Your everyday tool for emergency preparedness

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #117 • May/June, 2009 If you saw the movie, "Castaway" starring Tom Hanks, you might remember that his character always carried a small pen knife with him. Early in the...

Vegetarian and semi-vegetarian: Healthy meals that satisfy the omnivore

By Richard Blunt Issue #122 • March/April, 2010 Humans are omnivores, which means we can eat just about anything nature has to offer. In fact, research has shown we need to eat a wide variety of...

Better wood heating

<!-- Better wood heating By David Lee --> By David Lee Shop heater. This example is a 55-gallon drum and stove kit surrounded with leftover concrete blocks. I stack extra bricks, slates, and metal on the top to give...

Prepper power! Part 1

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #136 • July/August, 2012 The interesting thing about being a "prepper" is most preppers don't want anybody to know they are one! No doubt many fear they will be ostracized...

Here are some tasty ways to use those end-of-season green tomatoes

By Marjorie Burris Issue #41 • September/October, 1996 That gentle nip in the autumn air feels pleasant to your cheeks, but it also means that one more tomato season is about to come to an end....