Free article Archives - Backwoods Home Magazine

Installing your own small, remote off-grid solar system

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #116 • March/April, 2008 A typical residential-size solar system installation will involve properly sized and installed AC and DC electrical wiring to reduce the risk of electrical fire, a proper...

Sweet & Sour Cabbage

Recipe of the Week Sweet and Sour Cabbage Courtesy of Roxanne Milius Ingredients 1 small onion, sliced 3 tablespoons butter 1 cup water 4 cups red cabbage, shredded 2 tart apples, cored, peeled, and diced 3 tablespoons white vinegar...

Seed art — It’s fun to collect the seeds and create these unusual pictures

By Alice B. Yeager Issue #42 • November/December, 1996 Seed art is an old craft going back to long, long ago. Where the art of turning seeds into pictures first began is obscured by time, and...

There’s no such thing as free land!

(But if you're smart, you can get it cheap) By Setanta O'Ceillaigh Issue #165 • May/June, 2017 I have been a homeowner since I was 18 years old and I still continually shop for land opportunities in...

Growing and Using Peppers

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #164 • March/April, 2017 I’ve been growing peppers for more than 50 years now and can’t imagine a garden without them. There are so many different varieties that no matter where you...

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...

Two beans and wild asparagus salad

Recipe of the Week Two beans and wild asparagus salad Courtesy of Jackie Clay You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1/2 cup cut wax beans 1/2 cup canned red kidney beans or other...

Canned bacon — Roll your own

By Enola Gay Issue #127 • January/February, 2011 I have to admit, I am somewhat of an extreme canner. I love to can unusual thingscanned foods you just don't find on everyone's shelves. My latest canning...

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...

7 Solar Water Heating System Designs

By Michael Hackleman Issue #65 • September/October, 2000 (Rob Harlan is a general and solar contractor with 25 years of experience with solar water heating systems in Mendocino County, California. Rob primarily designs and installs photovoltaic...

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...

Your Manure Pile — For Fuel, Fertilizer, and Maybe Even Improved Water Quality, You...

By Rev. J.D. Hooker Issue #87 • May/June, 2004 It's been well over a decade now since I first heard my friend Pete voice his amazement at my practice of spreading animal manure as a fertilizer....

Essential oils

By Joseph Alton, M.D. and Amy Alton, A.R.N.P. Issue #135 • May/June, 2012 As a medical doctor/registered nurse practitioner team, we received conventional medical training at university hospitals while getting our degrees. Since that time, however,...