Caveman walking stick
By Jim Van Sant
Issue #108 • November/December, 2007
The lake near our rural home has a long hiking trail that winds around its shore. We walk on this path in the morning through the oak...
Swedish log candle
By Nick Weston
Issue #138 • November/December, 2012
At my Hunter-Gatherer school, we are constantly experimenting with different methods of outdoor cookery, from underground ovens (umu or hangi) to smoke roast tipis and run-of-the-mill fire pits....
A view of self-reliance from a more timid perspective — A woman’s opinion
By Claire Wolfe
Issue #94 • July/August, 2005
My fellow Backwoods Home writer Jackie Clay is a domestic wonder woman who can do anything from can kumquats to butcher an elk.
Not me. Unh uh. No way....
10 day survival pack for your vehicle for just $25
By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM
Issue #104 • March/April, 2007
It seems like every winter there are news stories of people getting stranded for weeks in bad weather while driving through the many remote areas of...
13 steps to a life of freedom
By Mary Ann Wutzke
Issue #76 • July/August, 2002
My husband and I have lived in the desert and mountain back country of Arizona since 1988. We own no home and just about all of our...
The poor man’s ultra-light dual-fuel backpacking stove
By Rick Brannan
Issue #124 • July/August, 2010
For as long as I have been venturing into the backcountry, which is a pretty long time, I have been on a quest for the perfect backpacking stove....
Just for Kids: Sun-kabobs and solar sizzle
By Lucy Shober
Issue #28 • July/August, 1994
Click on pictures for printable, full-sized versions to color.
Picture yourself in this dreamy scenario: It's a hot summer afternoon. The sun is beaming through the shade trees as...
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...
Dehydrating eggs at home
By Patrice Lewis
Issue #156 • November/December, 2015
Here's a trivia question for you: What do you do when your chickens are laying gangbusters and you have no less than 10 dozen eggs in the fridge,...
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...
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....
Fire resistant property
By Jacob Duffy
Summertime is fire season. Red-Flag Warnings abound and many property owners surrounded by acres of forest or tall grass often become acutely aware that their homes are more vulnerable this time of...
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....
Step onto the ice and catch tonight’s dinner
By Jim Capossela
During open water season, the dedicated fisherman dreams of a trophy gamefish to hang in the fishing camp, or, increasingly, to photograph and return to the water. During those three seasons,...
Sewing and using cloth diapers is easier than you think
By Annie Tuttle
Issue #113 • September/October, 2008
I'll admit that it was the pastoral vision of a laundry line full of sun-bleached diapers above barefooted, rosy-cheeked, milk-fattened babies that first drew my attention toward cloth...
Storm survivors
By Anita Evangelista
Issue #71 • September/October, 2001
First couple days of June, 1998, weather pretty good, a bit wetter than it is now. Clear day, clouds moving in during the afternoon. By suppertime, the sky...
