Free article Archives - Backwoods Home Magazine

Cold process goat milk soap

By Michele Cooper Issue #171 • May/June, 2018 Making soap can seem scary to some people, but the truth is, it only takes a few steps. Tools & equipment The equipment you use to make soap needs to...

Recipe of the Week Jamaican Beef Patties Courtesy of Robert McCurdy Ingredients Pastry 2 cup flour 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 cup solid shortening 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) margarine 1/3 cup cold water Meat Filling 2 tbs margarine 1 small white onion finely chopped 1/4 tsp chopped scotch bonnet...

Build a cold smoker so you can make delicious squaw candy

By Jane Duquette Issue #148 • July/August, 2014 For delicious squaw candy, start with the freshest fish. One fresh July evening at our summer cabin in Soldotna, Alaska, my husband, Tom, and I sat with friends around...

Never underestimate a woman

By Dorothy Ainsworth Issue #32 Mar/Apr 1998 (In the May/June issue , we published an article by Dorothy Ainsworth titled "Determined woman builds distinctive vertical log studio," in which Dorothy detailed how she built a beautiful...

Bacon-Avocado Potato Salad

Recipe of the Week Bacon-Avocado Potato Salad Courtesy of Mavis Linder Ingredients 6 medium boiling potatoes 2 avocados, cubed 8 slices bacon 1/2 cup chopped onions, chopped 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 1/2 cup white wine 1/4 cup...

Seven secrets of Dutch oven cooking

By Roger L. Beattie Issue #47 • September/October, 1997 Squatting heavily in dank basements, drafty attics, and dusty, cluttered garages, these three-legged hulks from a bygone era wait impatiently to release their treasures. Until then, they...

Understanding the gun debate, part 3

By Massad Ayoob Issue #163 • January/February, 2017 Click Here to read Part 1 Click Here to read Part 2 As noted in the two previous parts of this discussion, one reason it's hard to maintain honest dialogue...

Nut Trees on Your Homestead

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #149 • September/October, 2014 While growing up in Detroit, we had no nut trees in our yard (though we did have seedlings before I left home). That didn't stop my parents, though....

Chocolate Babka

Recipe of the Week Chocolate Babka Courtesy of Amanda Geller Ingredients 1 cup milk 5 tablespoons butter, plus extra for greasing 1/4 cup lukewarm water 1 package dry yeast 6 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon salt 5-6 cups unbleached...

Doesn’t anyone remember Tom Paine

By Robert L. Williams Issue #19 • January/February, 1993 Many years ago, before I came to my senses and left public education for good, I was teaching on a college campus when one of the administrators...

Meat For the Homestead

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #137 • September/October, 2012 Meat is often the most expensive portion of our grocery bill, and it is getting more and more expensive every day. I've seen steaks "on sale" for more...

Caring for wounds in the field

By Bill Glade, M.D. Issue #75 • May/June, 2002 The beautiful remote Canadian lake has provided a bountiful supply of fresh fish. You are cleaning the catch when a moment's inattention allows the knife to slip...

Mairead’s Fabulous Flan

Recipe of the Week Mairead's Fabulous Flan Courtesy of Mairead Duffy While attending the Solar 2001 Conference in Washington, D.C., I'm staying at the home of my brother, Bill, and his wife, Mairead, and I'm eating especially well....

Can an understanding of math and statistics save America’s freedoms?

By Dave Duffy Issue #66 • November/December, 2000 The other day John Silveira and I were walking by a gas station in Gold Beach, Oregon, where this magazine is located, when I remarked, "The price of...

I heat my house by burning corn

By Judith W. Monroe Issue #42 • November/December, 1996 As I write this, it is fall in New England. If you burn wood, you are probably well along with the annual chores of chopping, splitting, and...

Spicy Beef and Peppers

Recipe of the Week Spicy Beef and Peppers Courtesy of Yvonne Melillo Ingredients 2 lb sirloin steak, cut in 1/2 inch strips 2 bell peppers, cut in strips 2 cups chopped onion 6 green chiles, skinned, seeded, chopped 2 teaspoons fresh...