Self-reliance Archives - Backwoods Home Magazine

Frostbite — Don’t flirt with this sneaky danger

By Tom and Joanne O’Toole Issue #96 • November/December, 2005 Frostbite can be defined, in its most severe stage, as when your fingers and toes freeze and have to be cut off because of gangrene. Wow,...

Call me plumber

By Emily Chadwick Issue #121 • January/February, 2010 Sometimes life requires you to climb in the toilet, and elbow deep in the bowl, you discover the path to self-reliance. When I heard the flush, I knew I...

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...

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...

Hypothermia — A real winter danger

By Tom and Joanne O’Toole Issue #84 • November/December, 2003 Hypothermia is a deadly enemy. It steals body heat and kills more outdoor enthusiasts every year than anything else. Hypothermia is the rapid and drastic chilling of...

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...

Storing dry foods

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson More and more folks are starting to buy bulk foods to ensure if stores run out of foods — as they did at the onset of this epidemic — their families will...

Food security 101, part 3: Why I love my vacuum sealer (and more)

By Rowena Aldridge Issue #140 • March/April, 2013 In parts one and two (Issues #138 and #139), we covered basics and homemade convenience foods. Now that you've become so proficient at making delicious, nutritious, and economical...

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...

Tips and handy hints for 4X4 living

By Jackie Clay Where Jackie lives, a 4x4 is essential Issue #71 • September/October, 2001 After spending more than 35 years living in homesteads that were so out of the...

Preparing for winter

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #161 • September/October, 2016 In some climates, winter's no big deal — just a little rain and cooler weather. But for the rest of us, winter is something to be prepared for....

Growing and Using Bamboo on the Homestead

By Jereme Zimmerman  Issue #161 • September/October, 2016 Bamboo: The very word evokes an image of groves of tall, leafy plants swaying gently through the air...

Annie on Everfree Farm, Part II

By Annie Tuttle (Most photos by Dave Duffy) Issue #146 • March/April, 2014 Previous in Series Most of the old fence around the garden was pretty well thrashed. Some was torn out to...

Dealing with heat stress

By Joseph Alton, M.D. Issue #154 • July/August, 2015 In the wilderness, there may not be shelter to protect you from the elements. Even on a working homestead, physical exertion in hot weather can easily lead...

Homestead Helpers

By Charles Sanders Issue #65 • September/October, 2000 Every day around the home place brings with it many new experiences. The number of projects, chores, repairs, and other tasks often seem endless. With those jobs come...

Make a Quick and Easy Tipi

By Bob Van Putten Issue #174 • November/December, 2018 The native peoples of North America were a very practical lot. Over the centuries they developed some very efficient tools. Yet, perhaps because of their appreciation of...