The wonderful world of axes
By R.E. Rawlinson
Issue #171 • May/June, 2018
In 1845, Henry David Thoreau began his now-classic experiment in self-reliance at Walden Pond. He soon realized that if he was going to make a go of it...
Homestead water
By Patrice Lewis
Issue #144 • November/December, 2013
It is the most necessary of homestead requirements: water. It is literally a make-or-break resource.
There are some parts of our country blessed with an abundant and never-ending supply...
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...
Just for Kids: Life in the forest
By Lucy Shober
Issue #34 • July/August, 1995
Click on pictures for printable, full-sized versions to color.
"It's a jungle out there!" You've probably heard that phrase time and again, but did you ever stop and ponder...
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...
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...
Your kitchen pharmacy — How common culinary herbs and spices can help you feel...
By Rebekah L. Cowell
Issue #122 • March/April, 2010
In a perfect world, we would get all the nutrients and medication we needed from the food we ate. However, our diets and the foods available to...
Pump water for free
By Kai Moessle
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Issue #158 • March/April, 2016
I opened the valve on the output side of the pump slowly, like the instructions said, and after a few more starts it ran just by itself. Still...
Make coiled rugs from scrap material
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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...
Cut your grocery bill in half
By C. M. Hudman
Issue #53 • September/October, 1998
There was a time when I despised grocery shopping. Every time I walked into a grocery store it seemed the dollars were simply sucked out of my...
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...
Nursing: A perfect backwoods career
By John McLane, RN
Issue #88 • July/August, 2004
For many of us, a job in the traditional economy is crucial to being able to maintain our chosen lifestyle. Others who are pondering a move out...
Paring down for off-grid living
By Steven Gregersen
Issue #93 • May/June, 2005
My first exposure to a home power system came when I visited the remote homestead of a retired electrical engineer. What a set-up. Housed in its own little...
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...
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 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...
