Dreaming

Please re-up my subscription for 2 years. I love your pro freedom stance. I am currently living near St. Cloud, Minnesota and am dreaming and planning for my own home in the woods. I have 10 acres in northwestern Wisconsin and on it is a small cabin that I lived in for only 8 months. The 77 mile commute got old. No running water, no electric, no phone, wood for heat, no problem. I guess I wouldn’t mind some solar cells and some creative plumbing. It seems that a lot of our current society is over focused on materialism, and not so much on spiritual living and positive relations with others. I find cigarette smoke awful and for myself I don’t drink. With that and having a desire to live “out there” it is difficult to find a good partner (read attractive female). I am 47 now and workout regularly, and am in incredible shape. I suppose for now I’ll keep working down bills and dreaming and working on the land and some day I’ll make the move. Thanks for a great mag.

David Tyler
Sauk Rapids, MN

Just a short note to thank you very much for just being there with us.

We are in the throes of excitement as we look forward to our move to our new place in MO.

We thank you also for the anthologies that are available. Everything all wrapped up neat.

Continue the fantastic work of supplying quality, useful, and intelligent articles.

Tess Graves
Palm Beach Gardens, FL

Glock

Mr. Ayoob’s 4-page advertisement for the Glock pistol leaves out one important point. I have handled Glocks at gunshows, and found that they are unsuitable for left-handed use. Ten percent of the population is left-handed, and there are occasions when a right-handed shooter may have to fire with the left hand.

There are very few autopistols suitable for left-handed use and almost none of significant caliber have a grip comfortable for smaller hands. Fortunately, I can use my right hand pretty well, so if I felt the need to carry an autopistol, I could get by. Till then, I’ll stick with revolvers.

Denton Warn
Hutchinson, KS

Making the move

As you can see by the change of address, we have departed Florida for the Northern Panhandle of Idaho. We bought our 40 acre piece of the dream in 1998 and have been “visiting our trees” twice a year since. Now, we have both retired and are here in Bonners Ferry to stay.

For this first winter, we will live in the outbuilding which is 60′ x 42′. 800 SF will be our living quarter and later a shop for my husband. Construction on the main house will begin next spring. Our location is actually 30 miles north of Bonners Ferry, almost to the Canadian border (3 miles). Because we are so isolated, we will be off the grid and make our own power. Mike is an electrical engineer, so this is the least of our challenges.

I just want you to know that Backwoods Home has been a major asset to planning our life here in Idaho. It has always been our habit to save specific articles from subscriptions & file them in a 3-ring binder. With Backwoods Home, we have saved every complete issue! From power to food and water, every issue has had something for us to use. Thank you to all of your staff and contributors. Your help has made our dream of independent living so much easier.

Robin Young
Bonners Ferry, ID

Prisoner policy

I want to thank you graciously for the letter from you stating your policy for inmates. It was so nice and refreshing to hear from some one who is honest and caring in his relation with incarcerated people.

I am in a federal prison and the policies in regard to published articles and magazines sometimes change day to day.

Under these circumstances, with money being a scarce commodity, I will take your warning and delay my subscription until my release. Again thanking you for your honesty and integrity. Rest assured that when I am released (and God willing) am able to pursue my goal of self-subsistence, I will again be in contact regarding a subscription and hopefully help.

James B. Squires
Jesup, GA

Canning butter

First off I just want to say I have been reading Backwoods Home Magazine for a number of years and when you sent me issues to fill out my ASG subscription I was pleased. I finally decided to subscribe and take advantage of receiving the first anthology…I am very glad I did.

I would like to address this letter to Jackie Clay, in her response to the lady that asked about canning butter, she told her that she bet this lady did have a way to do this even though she said all she had was a canner. Jackie, you missed the obvious, her canner can be used as a cold packer. Just don’t seal the lid. It also has a rack to keep the jars off of the bottom. To me that is the most obvious choice.

As for canning butter, here is the recipe I use. I use unsalted butter.

Heat canning jars (jelly jars) in the oven at 250 degrees for 20 minutes, jars only, not rings or lids. Put lids and rings in boiling water for about 10 minutes and then shut off so they are sterilized. While jars are heating in the oven, melt butter in saucepan until it comes to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer 5 minutes. Pour melted butter into hot jars, wipe rims, add lids and rings, and tighten. They will seal as they cool. No need to process. After they are cool, place in refrigerator overnight to harden. Once hard, remove and store. I think cool and dark is best. They should keep for at least 3 years. To keep the contents from separating, you can turn them over a couple of times as they cool to keep contents mixed.

That’s it. I did not come up with this recipe myself. I got it a long time ago but cannot remember where.

Steve Brush
smbrush@alltel.net

Education revolution

Just found your website and was very interested in perhaps subscribing to the magazine. But was curious about the political leanings figuring it must be the same as the others. What a pleasant surprise to read your article on education revolution. I have known these things for many years, yet when you try to convince folks on what is going on they can’t see the forest for the trees, or else they have their head stuck in the sand. Keep up the good work. Now I have to go get my subscription.

Keith & Cindy Burton
Medford, ME

Applause

This is just a short note to thank you for giving us (ASG subscribers) the opportunity to receive your magazine. After resubscribing to ASG I discovered your magazine. I was disappointed that I hadn’t learned about you soon enough to subscribe to yours instead. But after their failure, you came to the rescue and sent us your magazine.

Thank you so much for your magazine’s content. I always read it cover to cover on the day it arrives. I’m only sorry I could not take advantage of your offer soon enough to receive the constitution and basic survival guide.

Your magazine is a gem and I am (temporarily) in your debt.

Nolan G. Gallo
Long Beach, CA

Thank you for rescuing me and others from losing a guide for planning for tomorrow and beyond. I was not going to renew my subscription to American Survival Guide because it had become too tame and sanitized. I enjoy your deep and outspoken editorials. Our forefathers were not ones to follow government leaders’ dictates without question. I live by the motto “I love my country, and distrust and sometimes fear my government.” We do not elect the inner government, CIA, FBI, NSA, etc. They are entrenched and do not answer to the people until scandal uncovers their dark world. Besides, large corporations and big money control expenditures for their benefit with the taxpayer carrying the load of paying for it.

I grew up on a farm and have always loved the country even while living in the city in southern California. Your articles allow me to reconnect with how people lived and survived before the present. I was prepared for the new millennium if the world had wobbled instead of smoothly spinning on. My wife and I had made a retreat to fall back to for our own protection, but your magazine is helping us to better prepare for natural or man-made disasters that may befall us in the future. I had only subscribed to ASG and only on a year to year basis, however, I feel confident that your articles, fiery spirit, and leadership will continue to fulfill our future needs for information and patriotism. We love the feeling that people can enjoy life simply using merely their mind, imagination, healthy body, and spirit to live in a wholesome world and appreciate what mother earth has to offer if we care for it.

Thank you again for providing us with quality reading and thinking.

Clarence Stratton
Coloma, WI

I just received our set of the “Whole Shebang”, and have started reading through it. The more I read, the more wonderful a magazine BHM appears. While we have a few of the individual issues picked up from various magazine stands, we never saw until now the consistent quality of your magazine. We are looking forward to our first issues from the subscription.

In the WS, there are CDs for 2000 and 2001. Will these years also become printed anthologies or will future collections solely reside on CD? I’m hoping they see print because I still find paper more useful and accessible than computer and you can always read a book even without electricity or other requirements.

Bob Slaughter
rslau@atl.mindspring.com

We plan to print the anthologies for 2000 and 2001 in the coming year.
—Dave