Buying a used mobile home
By Daniel Motz
Issue #99 • May/June, 2006
One of the quickest, easiest, and cheapest ways to get your country home is to consider a used mobile home. Sometimes you can even find these homes free...
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...
Essential oils
By Joseph Alton, M.D. and Amy Alton, A.R.N.P.
Issue #135 • May/June, 2012
As a medical doctor/registered nurse practitioner team, we received conventional medical training at university hospitals while getting our degrees. Since that time, however,...
The art of living in small spaces
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The art of living in small spaces
By Claire Wolfe
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Issue #92 • March/April, 2005
Long ago, I read that to live in the country you must have the soul of a poet, the dedication...
The joys of making soap
By Grace Brockway
Issue #84 • November/December, 2003
My initial enthusiasm for making my own soap was deflating with each book I read on the subject. They all warned of the dangers of lye, one of...
Breastfeeding — A primer
By Kathy Parkes
Issue #49 • January/February, 1998
Unfortunately hospital practices that negatively affect breastfeeding are often the cultural norm. Our society pays only lip service to breastfeeding and then makes women feel guilty if their...
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...
Garden injuries Part 2
By Joseph Alton, M.D.
Issue #141 • May/June, 2013
In the last issue of Backwoods Home, we discussed some of the hazards encountered by the homesteading gardener. Burns, cuts, abrasions, allergic reactions, and certain insect stings...
Teaching the joy of reading
By Amy E. Peare
Issue #96 • November/December, 2005
Most parents want to see their children well equipped to succeed in life, and homesteaders are no different in that regard. Many homesteaders choose this lifestyle to...
Sew a baby quilt in two days… for a lifetime of memories
By Ilene Duffy
Issue #83 • September/October, 2003
During my last year of teaching school, I was pregnant with Jacob. I'll always remember receiving a beautifully crocheted baby blanket that one of my student's mothers made...
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...
This country job really rocks
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This country job really rocks
By Charles Sanders
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By Charles Sanders
Issue #105 • May/June, 2007
Down here in the hills and hollers of southern Indiana, there is rock a'plenty. Old farm fields still show evidence where early...
An easier way to cut firewood By Larry LaVan
By Larry LaVan
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Issue #159 • May/June, 2016
I've heated with firewood for nearly 50 years. In doing so, I knew my aging back would need...
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...
Just for Kids: Some good clean fun!
By Lucy Shober
Issue #24 • November/December, 1993
Click on pictures for printable, full-sized versions to color.
When a chill hits the air and the first cool winds of winter begin blowing, there's no better place to...
Annie on Everfree Farm, Part I
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Annie on Everfree Farm, Part I
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By Annie Tuttle
Issue #145 • January/February, 2014
So here we are.
Truth be told, it was a complete accident that we found our farm. We weren't even looking for it. We...































