Jim Van Camp: Coffee roaster, painter
By Jim Van Camp
Issue #117 • May/June, 2009
The only thing we knew for certain when my wife and I moved to Gold Beach from the big city was we were passionate about good coffee,...
How to Resurrect Old, Rusted Tools
By R.E. Rawlinson
Issue #176 • April/May/June, 2019
The homesteading lifestyle can require a number of tools to cultivate the garden, maintain the home, repair the tractor, and build various pens and coops. We use them...
Roger Clark: Cane syrup maker
By Massad Ayoob
Issue #117 • May/June, 2009
In the syrup house on Roger Clark's farm in Suwannee County, Florida, three generations of his family gather around a vat big enough to make a good size...
Couponing, refunding, and stockpiling will make your money stretch
By Mary Kenyon
Issue #92 • March/April, 2005
Seven years ago, when my brother John helped us move into our current country home, he commented wryly, "If you ever fill those cupboards upstairs I don't want...
Medical kits for self-reliant families
By Jackie Clay
Issue #60 • November/December, 1999
There may be a time, as close as tomorrow, when your loved ones need medication or medical treatment and there is no drug store open or doctor available....
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...
Foraging for wild berries
By Kristina Seleshanko
Issue #176 • April/May/June, 2019
I had just posted a photo online of some wild berries I was going to preserve, when suddenly I was inundated with messages: “Are those really safe to...
Self-reliance for women — Surviving a biochemical attack
By Kelly McCarthy
Issue #94 • July/August, 2005
Three and a half years ago, on the morning of September 11th to be exact, I was just ending a White House tour with my husband, children, and...
Bugging out in place
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Issue #163 • January/February, 2017
Some emergency situations require quick evacuation. You barely have time to grab your bug-out bag, gather the family, and run out the door. Most of us are ready...
Small Town America: Thermopolis, WY — Horses and hot springs
By Emily Salinger
Photos by Richard Coffinberry
Issue #85 • January/February, 2004
When Nate and MaeCile Brown amble down the main street of Thermopolis, Wyoming, everybody recognizes them. They're old friends, honored citizens, and local characters. They...
Build a holz hausen to dry firewood
By Doug Fluckiger
Issue #132 • November/December, 2011
My secret passion is tall, dark, and handsome. I may find her lying luxuriantly among a dark grove of firs. She may be standing proudly on a sunny...
Breastfeeding — Babies love it, and for good reason
By Rebekah L. Cowell
Issue #115 • January/February, 2009
Here's a secret mothers have known since the beginning of time: breastfeeding is the most pro-active, sustainable action a mother can take, and it is so easy....
Grandma will love this personal ‘Helping Hands’ wall hanging
By Sally Boulding
Issue #46 • July/August, 1997
Here's a relatively easy gift that you and your child can make together. The instructions here are to make a wall hanging or a lap blanket, but consider...
The joys of making soap
By Grace Brockway
Issue #84 • November/December, 2003
My initial enthusiasm for making my own soap was deflating with each book I read on the subject. They all warned of the dangers of lye, one of...
Flea market stories and strategies
By Jim Capossela
I’m convinced it’s clean living that’s helped me make it to the age 39 I’ve been for quite some time now. I don’t drink, smoke, or do drugs and I normally take...
Keeping tools sharp
By Dana Benner
There are some things on the homestead that we take great care of, like firearms, knives and machinery. Then there are those things that don’t get the attention that they should, such...































