Articles - Backwoods Home Magazine

Animals

Dorper sheep — Revolutionizing the meat sheep industry

Where our farm animals come from

Shearing, carding, spinning, weaving and creating with Margaret Boos

This St. Bernard backwoods hero saved old Grandma’s life

Building

Build a Composter

By Charles Sanders Issue #170 • March/April, 2018 As with most of the other facets of homesteading, composting can be as simple or as elaborate as...

New invention— The Fencerunner

The poor man’s ceramic knife sharpener

Determined woman builds distinctive vertical log studio

Eye-catching signs with mirrors

Farm and Garden

Build a Keyhole Garden

By Katelynn Bond Issue #152 • March/April, 2015 One of the hazards of living on the side of a mountain in northern New Mexico is that...

A New Use for Old Tires: A Garden Using Tires

Secure and Economical Livestock Feed

Want More Fruit From Less Space? Espalier Your Trees!

Growing Potatoes in Straw

Americana and History

Feeling nostalgic? Now you’ll rave! Here’s the story of Burma Shave.

By Martin Waterman Issue #37 • January/February, 1996 I can remember taking a trip as a child and seeing my first Burma Shave signs. Technically speaking,...

The summer of ’35

Biological and chemical weapons through history

Quilts — Masterpieces of the heart and windows into women’s history

Presidents’ wives of the past Part 4 — Cunning, vindictive, and...

Food and recipes

Red flannel hash

Spicy Beef

Salmon loaf

Elk Roast With Cranberries

Self-reliance

Survival storeroom

Emergency planning beyond the bug-out bag

Drive your own freshwater well

The joys of making soap

Energy

Powering medical equipment during a utility blackout

Install a mobile, solar powered toilet

Solar suitcase

Is steam power in your future?

Guns and Hunting

Thoughts on ammunition

By Massad Ayoob Issue #108 • November/December, 2007 Ammunition is to firearms as gasoline is to automobiles. However, with guns and ammo, the fit isn't quite...

Reload your own brass

Firearms handling refresher Part I: Handguns

Inexpensive retired Russian military rifles can be the ideal backwoods meat...

Get a piece of history — An M1 Garand rifle

Science

Gee-Whiz: From Paper to Canning

By John Silveira (aka O.E. MacDougal) May/June 2017 Backwoods Home The greatest inventions in history are the ones we now take for granted. Fire and the...