Creating and maintaining your own sourdough starter
By Emily Buehler
Issue #97 • January/February, 2006
Most people know about sourdough starter—it can be used instead of yeast to make bread rise, resulting in bread with a sour flavor and a chewier texture. Bakers...
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,...
Broody biddies make sense on the homestead
By James Kash
Issue #139 • January/February, 2013
Broodiness is an avian behavior that is frowned upon in the world of agriculture. All industrial agriculturalists cull broody birds because the behavior inhibits production. But to frugal...
Food security 101: Part 1
By Rowena Aldridge
Issue #138 • November/December, 2012
These days a lot of people are concerned, and rightly so, about their family's economic stability and security. Recently I've become aware of the ways in which I,...
Reload your own brass
By Dale Petry
Issue #132 • November/December, 2011
Not long ago a friend called to say he had seen an unusual rifle at the local gun shop. Shortly after that call I found myself in possession...
This St. Bernard backwoods hero saved old Grandma’s life
By Margaret Wright
Issue #35 • September/October, 1995
When we think of a backwoods dog we generally think of a Pyrenees, German Shepherd, or other breed of working dog. In our case, our family chose the...
Spicy Beef
Recipe of the Week
Spicy Beef
Courtesy of
Elaine Driver
Ingredients
8 ounces top round steak, fat trimmed, cut into strips
2 fresh hot chilis, minced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh cilantro,...
The Electoral College — How we elect the President
By John Silveira
Issue #18 • November/December, 1992
I've been getting a lot of telephone calls from Oregon lately. My article is late again and Dave Duffy, the fellow who publishes this magazine, keeps...
Grouse Hunting — The Ultimate Joy of Autumn
By Linda Gabris
Issue #83 • September/October, 2003
Nothing instills such excitement or makes my heart flutter louder than the sudden whir of a flushed out grouse. No matter how many times I've heard it, the...
Raspberry Pears with Chocolate Sauce
Recipe of the Week
Raspberry Pears with Chocolate Sauce
Courtesy of
Lyle Staple
Ingredients
2 cups cranberry/raspberry juice
1/2 cup port wine (optional)
1/2 cup raspberry syrup (use 1 cup if port wine is omitted)
3 2" x 1" strips...
In search of the perfect cup of coffee
By Richard Blunt
Issue #68 • March/April, 2001
As an active member of the worldwide fraternity of "Java Junkies," I feel it is time that I stand up and be recognized for my contribution to the...
Avoiding common canning mistakes
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Issue #142 • July/August, 2013
Canning has been an important part of my life since I was a young girl helping my mother and grandmother can in our Detroit basement. I loved the...
Boiled crawfish
Recipe of the Week
Boiled crawfish
Courtesy of
James Robertson
You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here
Ingredients
1 sack of live crawfish (35-40 lbs.)
2 26-oz. boxes of salt
5 medium onions, halved
1/2 4-oz. bottle...
Lessons for My Children…Chapter 3: Hiding from the government
By Dave Duffy
Issue #138 • November/December, 2012
After opening the discussion in this column last issue about the underground economy, I thought it would be a good idea to explore it more thoroughly since it...
Raising quail — A home grown delicacy
By Allen Easterly
Issue #101 • September/October, 2006
Raising quail is inexpensive, easy, provides very healthy low-fat white meat, and supplies the fertilizer you need for your home garden. The moderate start-up costs for raising quail...
A simple backwoods hay baler
By Rev. J.D. Hooker
Issue #82 • July/August, 2003
During the winter months, Steve and his wife Tandy feed between 120 and 150 bales of hay to a herd of pretty high-quality dairy goats on their...































