Mosquitoes outnumber us and no one likes them
By Tom and Joanne O’Toole
Issue #80 • March/April, 2003
Mosquitoes are responsible for irritating bites, cause itching welts, can spread diseases, are a constant aggravation at picnics, and are ear-tormenting little beasts. No wonder they...
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...
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...
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...
Annie on Everfree Farm, Part III
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Annie on Everfree Farm, Part III
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By Annie Tuttle
Issue #147 • May/June, 2014
Previous in Series
Me with Brownie, Cupcake, Red Velvet, and Flan (mostly hidden).
These were our first four goats, and are all Kiko x Boer...
A guide to buying silver and gold
By Thomas M. Buckley
Photos By Steve Lindh
Issue #126 • November/December, 2010
The standard measure of weight used for precious metals is the troy ounce. A troy ounce (31.1 grams) is just a bit heavier than...
Teach speed reading to your children even if you can’t speed read yourself
By George Stancliffe
Issue #59 • September/October, 1999
For over two years, I have had the hobby of teaching speed reading to people in the community where I live. So far I have taught over 300...
Disaster preparation!
By Gary F. Arnet, D.D.S.
Issue #74 • March/April, 2002
Are you prepared for a disaster that could affect the daily function of your life or the lives of your family members? Or do you even...
Better wood heating
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Better wood heating
By David Lee
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By David Lee
Shop heater. This example is a 55-gallon drum and stove kit surrounded with leftover concrete blocks. I stack extra bricks, slates, and metal on the top to give...
Tips and handy hints for 4X4 living
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Tips and handy hints
for 4X4 living
By Jackie Clay
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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...
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...
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...
You could furnish an entire homestead at Lehman’s ‘Non-electric’ Hardware Store
By Don Fallick
Issue #47 • September/October, 1997
Let me state my bias right at the beginning: Lehmans Hardware has been advertising in Backwoods Home Magazine for a long time, but I made my first purchase...
Fully Involved
By Diana Morgan
Issue #58 • July/August, 1999
A strident tone blasts me from sleep. I catch the words "fully involved" first time around. Where the heck are my glasses? Oh, God, I can't find my...
Homestead burnout — What it is and how to avoid it
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Issue #134 • March/April, 2012
We've all been there: the roof is leaking on your temporary housing while you try to build a start on your new homestead. It's rained for a week...
Tale of a country family
By Rachel Baxter
Issue #66 • November/December, 2000
Dave and Dianna Saleh (pronounced "Sally") always knew they wanted to live a rural lifestyle. They both came from big cities before they met and fell in love,...






























