Backwoods Home Magazine - Practical Self-Reliance

Tools and hardware for the backwoods home

A determined Rose Bley escaped the city

How to build a good fence for your homestead

Practical Ideas for Self-Reliant Living

Grow some winter squash this year

By Lisa Nourse I love summertime — I love the green of the trees, the warm weather, and growing my own food. I especially love...

Vitamins D and K — way more important than you thought

Boost your immune system with fast and easy fish dishes

Fruit Trees

By Alice B. Yeager Fall winds down with the ripening of a Japanese persimmon known as the Fuyugaki...

By Hook or Crook: A Billhook is a Handy Homestead Tool

Converting a Gasoline-Powered Rototiller to Electric

A Child’s Garden — More than Child’s Play

Follow Jackie Clay-Atkinson and her husband, Will, as they homestead a 120-acre piece of northern Minnesotan woods entirely off-grid. Sharing their homestead are horses, beef cattle, a milk cow, dairy goats, chickens and turkeys.

Massad Ayoob on Guns

This blog, from a retired police captain and self-defense instructor, covers the use of different firearms, political musings, and self-defense tactics.

Building

Building David’s Cabin, Part One

Livestock fencing for the small homesteader

For summertime baking needs, build yourself an outdoor horno

Herb Boxes from Fence Boards

Self-Reliance

Jackie’s tips for hardcore homesteading

Turn your passion into a business

By Patrice Lewis Issue #150 • November/December, 2014 In 1993, my husband and I did something most people merely dream about: we chucked our professional nine-to-five...

Starting a Roadside Farm Stand

By John Murray  Issue #158 • March/April, 2016 For country landowners who desire a way to supplement their income, operating a small roadside farm stand is...

Animals

The homestead cat

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson We have had at least one cat in our home ever since I was a young child. So it’s no wonder we...

Cheaper than Store-Bought Eggs

Raising your own beef

Fermenting Chicken Feed

Keeping homestead animals healthy

Science and Education

A doomsday scenario to sleep on

Gee-Whiz: Sleep

The MTHFR mutation and why it may matter to you

Three more ways the world can end … and I’m not kidding

Energy

Solar power for farm and ranch

By Jeffrey R. Yago, P.E. It may be surprising to learn that there are now all kinds of do-it-yourself solar powered devices specifically designed to...

Power-up bag

Amateur Ham Radio – The Ultimate Tool for Survival Communications

Keep the Ice On

Power Up

Americana and History

Grandpa’s justice

Declaration of Independence: The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

Fly it proudly and properly

The greatest American who was never President

Firearms

BHM hosts Appleseed marksmanship event

Hiding a gun — The rules of three

By Claire Wolfe Issue #140 • March/April, 2013 My friend Jack pulled the car into a grassy clearing. We donned rubber boots, fetched a metal detector...

Savage Model 110 — A proven economical backwoods rifle

By Massad Ayoob Website Exclusive • July, 2008 Fifty years ago, Savage Arms introduced a new bolt-action sporting rifle. In the gun world, this was news....

Answering some well asked questions about personal defense

By Massad Ayoob Issue #97 • January/February, 2006 Jeff Yago, Backwoods Home's energy writer, recently completed a couple of concealed carry handgun courses. The classes apparently...

Preparedness

Bartering for bad times

Food security 101

The 7 core areas of preparedness

Food security 101: part 2

Survival infection control

Power Up

Articles By Dave Duffy

My View: Call Me Miracle Man!

By Dave Duffy Issue #177 • July/August/September, 2019 Superheroes are the rage these days at movie theaters. Even I am fascinated by them. Old style heroes...