Inexpensive retired Russian military rifles can be the ideal backwoods meat guns

By Rev. J.D. Hooker Issue #47 • September/October, 1997 Like many another rural person, I've often found a firearm to be my most important tool. No, we don't have much crime in our area; in fact...

Build a chicken house in a day

By Anita Evangelista Issue #136 • July/August, 2012 We built our chicken house for around $200. We could have done it for less if we were dedicated scroungers. Three of us put up the 7x18-foot structure...

Goodbye TV, hello constructive time

By Dave Duffy Issue #67 • January/February, 2001 About six months ago the satellite dish for my family's TV stopped working. Because we are too far from cable TV and an antenna does not bring in...

Aunt Ona’s Mandarin orange cake

Recipe of the Week  Aunt Ona’s Mandarin orange cake  Courtesy of Edwina Gower   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Cake Ingredients 1 butter cake mix (or yellow) 1 can mandarin oranges 4 eggs 1/2 cup oil Filling...

Coconut Rice Pudding

Recipe of the Week  Coconut Rice Pudding  Courtesy of Letty Morris  Ingredients 2 cups Coconut Milk 1 cup short grain Rice 1 cup Milk 1/4 cup Sugar 4 Tbsp. Butter 1 piece rind from 1/4 Lime Method In a bowl, mix the rice with the coconut...

Elegant desserts for entertaining

By Jennifer Stein Barker Issue #48 • November/December, 1997 Early winter is my favorite time of the year to bake up a storm. Days are short, the weather is either rainy or cold, and it feels...

Savage Model 110 — A proven economical backwoods rifle

By Massad Ayoob Website Exclusive • July, 2008 Fifty years ago, Savage Arms introduced a new bolt-action sporting rifle. In the gun world, this was news. Savage was most famous for its sleek lever action Model...

Peloponnesian Pot Roast

Recipe of the Week  Peloponnesian Pot Roast  Courtesy of Beverly Rossman  This is a fantastic and different pot roast. I usually double the sauce for this roast. We like lots of sauce to put on the...

The world is ending! … Again?

By John Silveira Issue #85 • January/February, 2004 People love to talk about scary stuff. Especially when it's end-of-the-world scary, such as the big asteroid recently in the news that was supposed to hit Earth and...

Deconstructing a bowl of red

By Richard Blunt Issue #138 • November/December, 2012 When we eat, we incorporate all of our senses (sight, touch, hearing, taste, and smell) to help us make a general determination about the food in front of...

Bottle-raise a calf

By Jackie Clay Issue #120 • November/December, 2009 If you think milk and beef are expensive in the grocery store, then you should think about raising a baby calf or two. Because corn and milk replacer...

Honey whole wheat bread

Recipe of the Week  Honey whole wheat bread  Courtesy of Jackie Clay   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1/2 cup warm water 2 Tbsp. dry yeast 1/2 tsp. honey 2 cups warm water 1 Tbsp. salt 2...

Homeschooling through high school

By Janet Leake Issue #65 • September/October, 2000 Why not? Whether you're experienced or inexperienced, whatever your situation, you already know why you want to homeschool your kids through high school. Now, what about how? We have...

Start a fire in any weather

By Charles Sanders Issue #161 • September/October, 2016 Most of us living in the backwoods are comfortable with utilizing fire as a tool. We use fire to heat our homes, burn brush, power our forges, help...

Corn and nopalito salsa

Recipe of the Week  Corn and nopalito salsa  Courtesy of Jackie Clay   You'll find this recipe and over 400 more in Backwoods Home Cooking.Click Here Ingredients 1 1/2 cups cooked sweet corn 1/2 cup chopped nopalitos 2 Tbsp. chopped sweet red pepper 1/4...

Country-style Pork Stew

Recipe of the Week  Country-style Pork Stew   Courtesy of Frances Straight  Ingredients 3/4 pound boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of separable fat Nonstick cooking spray 1-1/4 cups water 1-1/4 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon granules 1 ...