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...
Moving to the wilderness — Turning the dream to reality
By Jackie Clay
Issue #36 • November/December, 1995
The Dream An increasing number of folks are having the same dream today: get a piece of land isolated from the stress and pollution of civilization, and...
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,...
Building and stocking your pantry
By Jackie Clay
Issue #125 • September/October, 2010
At the turn of the 19th century, most country homes had a walk-in pantry, as well as a root cellar for keeping vegetables and fruits. This pantry contained...
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...
Buy your country place from the government
By Dorothy Cady
Issue #54 • November/December, 1998
While looking for your place in the country, you've probably been researching real estate books, newspaper ads, and maybe even using the Internet. You may have even considered...
10 country do’s and don’ts
By Julie Crist
Issue #96 • November/December, 2005
When we moved from the city to the mountains, I kept my eyes open and my mouth shut and and paid very close attention to other people's botchery....
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...
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...
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...
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...
Preserve the harvest naturally through wild fermentation
By Jereme Zimmerman
Issue #154 • July/August, 2015
Little hands are ideal for helping to stuff jars with vegetables. Just be sure to "pay" your help — but don't let them eat it all!
For a homesteader,...
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...
Based on years of personal experience, here are 10 good tips for homeschooling your...
By Mary Jo Bratton
Issue #41 • September/October, 1996
Are you considering homeschooling your children, but don't know where to start? The following 10 tips will help answer some of your questions.
Read, read, read
But don't read...
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...
Saving money on the homestead
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Issue #148 • July/August, 2014
I come from a "penny-pinching-and-proud-of-it" family background and I learned the importance of saving a buck at an early age. Throughout my journey toward a self-reliant lifestyle, I've...
