Self-reliance Archives - Backwoods Home Magazine

Winter in the High Desert — Understanding the music

By Claire Wolfe Issue #121 • January/February, 2010 My old friends from the Pacific Northwest think I don't love them anymore, now that I've moved far away to the high desert. It's all a misunderstanding. One after another,...

Homestead security for women

By Donna Insco Issue #143 • September/October, 2013 In these tough economic times, many women are finding themselves alone for long hours on the homestead. As local jobs disappear, the major breadwinner may take a job...

Life-saving snowshoes

By Len McDougall Issue #126 • November/December, 2010 If you live in or drive through places where winter generally means having snow on the ground from autumn till spring, you should have a functional pair of...

Make coiled rugs from scrap material

By Robert Van Putten Issue #164 • March/April, 2017 Remember that old rag rug Great-grandma made? Chances are, most country homes have one or two of these things lying around. Back in the days before wall-to-wall...

13 steps to a life of freedom

By Mary Ann Wutzke Issue #76 • July/August, 2002 My husband and I have lived in the desert and mountain back country of Arizona since 1988. We own no home and just about all of our...

Picking your pressure canner — All American or Presto?

By James Kash Issue #143 • September/October, 2013 The garden is in full swing and you have baskets of vegetables piling up; what do you do? You can them, of course. Your mother's old granite-ware canner...

The accidental homesteader

By Terry Hooker Everyone who homesteads has hit that point where they decide to be more self sufficient. Sometimes it’s from life circumstances and sometimes it’s a conscious choice. For me the moment came after...

How to begin taking wildlife photographs

By H. Bumper Bauer Issue #120 • November/December, 2009 If you want to get into wildlife photography, your timing could not be better. Many serious amateur and professional photographers are upgrading their 35mm film cameras to...

By Hook or Crook: A Billhook is a Handy Homestead Tool

By R.E. Rawlinson Issue #173 • September/October, 2018 When compared to our ancestors, we are very lucky to have readily-available tools. Stores are full of anything you could need and with online shopping, you don’t even...

Help your home survive in the path of a wildfire

By Brent Stainer These firefighters fought hard to save this house, but the best way to save your house is to make basic preparations...

In the classroom and at home, this system will help you grow self-reliant kids

By Marjorie (Sultzbaugh) Harrison Issue #42 • November/December, 1996 My husband Allan started teaching sixth grade at the Moreno Valley, California, Unified School District in September of 1959, without even slightly knowing how. Fortunately for him,...