The coffee mug knife sharpener
By Michael Cantrell
Issue #105 • May/June, 2007
Not too long ago, I watched a man open his pocket knife by pulling it partway open to a wide L-shape with his hands, and then push it...
The return of home emergency shelters takes on a dual-purpose approach
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #74 • March/April, 2002
After September 11, 2001, all of us became much more concerned with protecting our families from biological, nuclear, and terrorist attacks. However, if you followed up...
Everybody talks about lightning and yes, there are things you can do about it
By Albert H. Carlson
Issue #37 • January/February, 1996
What was a beautiful sunny day with large white billowing clouds low on the horizon has turned progressively darker. The clouds are now almost black, and the...
For safety’s sake, homestead fuel storage must be handled properly
By Emory Warner
Issue #43 • January/February, 1997
Home storage of fuel is a necessity for homesteaders. Even if you are still on the grid, your truck, tractor, standby generator, etc. will still require fuel. I...
Simplifying simplicity
By Claire Wolfe
Issue #117 • May/June, 2009
In the bustling 19th century, Henry David Thoreau urged us to "simplify, simplify, simplify."
In the even more hectic 20th and 21st centuries, writer, philosopher, and frugalista Wendy McElroy...
A canoe livery — An honest, clean business
By Harry Spetla
Issue #46 • July/August, 1997
A canoe and kayak livery business is inexpensive to start and it's easy to operate. The business fits in well with country living since it can be as...
Winter in the High Desert — Understanding the music
By Claire Wolfe
Issue #121 • January/February, 2010
My old friends from the Pacific Northwest think I don't love them anymore, now that I've moved far away to the high desert.
It's all a misunderstanding.
One after another,...
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...
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....
Stay clear of young wild animals
By Tom and Joanne O’Toole
Issue #86 • March/April, 2004
This spring and summer millions of wild animals and birds will be born. This is the new generation of wildlife, and their survival depends a great...
Battery-Powered Tools are Changing
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., C.E.M.
April/May/June, 2019
Battery-powered tool technology is now undergoing some rapid changes in both the power of the tool motors and the batteries supplying the added power. For many years most battery-powered...
Clean up your act!
By Nanette Blanchard
Issue #100 • July/August, 2006
I used to get a headache just inhaling the chemical fumes while walking through the cleaning product aisle of the store. I started using less toxic products from...
7 Mistakes of food storage
By Vicki Tate
Issue #55 • January/February, 1999
If you are going to store food, make sure that the food you store is adequate for the need you and your family anticipate. This may not be...
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...
Funerals don’t have to be expensive
By Kelly McCarthy
Issue #95 • September/October, 2005
Being of Celtic extraction, I am naturally disposed to dwelling on the blacker side of life. I started to wonder what would happen to all the dead bodies...
Homestead helpers
By Charles Sanders
My parents were children of the Great Depression. They learned to get by on very little, to make or repair or reuse almost anything, and never throw anything away — it might...
