Mountain lions — Attacks are still rare, but just in case…

By Gene Sheley Issue #50 • March/April, 1998 Near the top of North America's wildlife food chain is the mountain lion, a close second to bears in various forms in ferocity, strength, and killing ability. In...

Seventeen great tips for caring for windows, mirrors, and other household glass

By Sandy Lindsey Issue #43 • January/February, 1997 1 To make windows and mirrors sparkle, dip a clean cloth in a 50/50 mixture of borax and water or denatured alcohol and wipe down. Polish with a...

“Gun control” for dummies

By Massad Ayoob Issue #141 • May/June, 2013 Barack Obama, outspokenly anti-gun for his entire political career, fooled an amazing number of gun owners by keeping a "hands off" attitude toward Second Amendment issues until his...

Former first ladies — Beautiful, brilliant, crazy

By John Silveira Issue #30 • November/December, 1994 (This is a four-part series. Click the links to navigate to parts one, two, three, and four.) (When we left off last issue, O. E. MacDougal and John Silveira...

Vise Dremel Moto Tool mount

By Dana Martin Batory Issue #84 • November/December, 2003 Sometimes it seems two hands are not enough—three would be nice, four even better. This economical, easy to build jig solves that common workshop problem. Designed to...

Demystifying real rye bread

By Richard Blunt Issue #141 • May/June, 2013 Rye has been a popular bread grain in many parts of Europe for hundreds of years, second only to wheat. Popular regional rye breads can be found in...

Water development for the homestead: Ponds, cisterns, and tanks

By Roy Martin Issue #102 • November/December, 2006 In most areas, wells or springs are able to provide water sources for the homestead, but there are places where groundwater is either not available or where it...

Hiding a gun — The rules of three

By Claire Wolfe Issue #140 • March/April, 2013 My friend Jack pulled the car into a grassy clearing. We donned rubber boots, fetched a metal detector and digging tools from the trunk, and headed off along...

Hydronic woodstoves

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #105 • May/June, 2007 Do you realize there is an entire field of woodstoves that the general public rarely hears about, even though there are specialty woodstove stores in every...

Caveman walking stick

By Jim Van Sant Issue #108 • November/December, 2007 The lake near our rural home has a long hiking trail that winds around its shore. We walk on this path in the morning through the oak...

Looking back on 20 years of BHM

It all began when I built that cabin By Dave Duffy Originally published in the November/December 2009 issue of BHM I was freezing when I slipped into my old down-filled Army sleeping bag. But I was used...

Hawaiian poha jam

Recipe of the Week  Hawaiian poha jam  Courtesy of Sally Denney   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 3 lb. poha (ground cherries) 1/4 cup water 1 cup sugar per cup cooked poha 1 Tbsp. lemon...

Let’s stop apologizing for guns

By Dave Duffy Issue #62 • March/April, 2000 I carry a concealed Ruger P97 .45 caliber eight-shot semi-automatic handgun almost everywhere I go, and I keep a Ruger Mini-14 semi-automatic rifle with folding stock in my...

Red flannel hash

Recipe of the Week  Red flannel hash  Courtesy of Rodney Merrill   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 2 cups chopped turkey, corned beef, or ham 2 cups diced leftover baked potatoes 1 cup diced...

Chocolate crinkles

Recipe of the Week  Chocolate crinkles  Courtesy of Rhoda Denning   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1/2 cup butter 1 2/3 cup sugar 2 tsp. vanilla 2 eggs 2 1-oz. squares semi-sweet chocolate, melted 2 cups flour 2...

Gather rose hips for health

By Gail Butler Issue #95 • September/October, 2005 Vitamin C-rich rose hips can be found in dried form in most health food stores, but why not gather your own? You'll save money and you'll know where...