Jackie’s tips for hardcore homesteading
By Jackie Clay
Issue #62
Many of us have a garden and enjoy fresh vegetables during the summer and fall. Maybe we even have a few chickens for eggs and meat. But many of us may...
Homemade skin care products
By Carly Egger
Issue #145 • January/February, 2014
When you think of skin care products that soften, moisturize, and nourish the skin, do the words extravagant, unnecessary, and expensive come to mind? The skin is the...
An Introduction to Small-Scale Home Hydroponics
By Ben Richards
Issue #154 • July/August, 2015
As most people are already aware, hydroponics is the practice of growing plants without soil. This is done by using a water-based nutrient solution to deliver the necessary...
10 day survival pack for your vehicle for just $25
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #104 • March/April, 2007
It seems like every winter there are news stories of people getting stranded for weeks in bad weather while driving through the many remote areas of...
Intake and exhaust upgrades for better mileage and performance
By Len Torney
Issue #120 • November/December, 2009
Well, it seems the price of oil and gasoline has peaked and plummeted, much like a lot of the rest of the economy these days. One upside to...
Start your food storage on $10 a week
By Alan T. Hagan
Issue #59 • September/October, 1999
If Old Mother Hubbard had had a food storage program before she went to her cupboard her poor dog would have gotten his bone. Given the fact...
Harvest your own firewood
By Pete Earl
Issue #83 • September/October, 2003
Harvesting firewood has many rewards: exercise, satisfaction, saving money, and the security of having your own fuel supply for winter warmth. Here are some pointers in the art...
A determined Rose Bley escaped the city
By Gene Sheley
Issue #51 • May/June, 1998
Rosie Bley's self-reliance and confidence has served her well all her life, permitting her to live in one of the most remote areas of California and to meet...
The Trigger Line
By Len McDougall
Issue #108 • November/December, 2007
With most of our planet underwater, fish have been a part of the human diet since before recorded history. Almost any permanent body of water can be presumed...
The community treasure chest
By Sandy Coates
Issue #114 • November/December, 2008
Do you have odds and ends sitting around that you no longer need? Are you a "green" thinker, hating to throw items away that are still useful? Do...
Dollar Store to the Rescue
By Jeffrey R. Yago, P.E.
Summer 2019, Self-Reliance
I have talked with emergency responders who have traveled all over the country to volunteer their rescue efforts at disasters like the recent flooding in Texas. While much...
Boost your income by adding a processing step to what you sell
By Harry Styron
Issue #36 • November/December, 1995
Three boys spent several raw November days picking up black walnuts. We hoped to get a nice bit of cash when we took them to the huller. As...
Bath herbs
By Cynthia Andal
Issue #86 • March/April, 2004
The visceral pleasure to be gained from drinking wild herbal teas that you have harvested yourself pales in comparison to lying in a steaming tub, scented with rose...
Small camp security
By Gary Lewis
Issue #148 • July/August, 2014
It might be a sleeping bag in a lean-to with a small warming fire at the entrance. It could be a wall tent with five or six hunters...
The cholesterol in your stovepipe can be fatal
By D.B. Frandsen
Issue #36 • November/December, 1995
The season is arriving. The garden is ready for its final turning, the apples are picked, and it's supposed to freeze by the end of the week. So,...
Clover — From Livestock Forage to Medicinal Tea, This Humble Plant is One of...
By Eugene Mitchell
Issue #130 • July/August, 2011
Whether young or old, lying in the grass and searching for four-leafed clovers is timeless fun. Sometimes they're so elusive, like the leprechaun, it seems they don't exist....






























