Articles - Backwoods Home Magazine

Finding, buying, milking, and living with the family milk cow

How to butcher a chicken in 20 minutes or less

Build a 6500-gallon concrete water tank for $1500

By Dorothy Ainsworth Issue #101 • September/October, 2006 When I bought 10 dry barren "affordable" acres back in 1981 I got what I paid for: No...

Make your own effective fishing tackle while you save money and...

Build an Old-Fashioned Hotbed and Start Your Seeds in Style

By Roy Martin Issue #104 • March/April, 2007 A hotbed is a miniature greenhouse that is heated to protect new seedlings from cold. The hotbed differs...

An Introduction to Small-Scale Home Hydroponics

Elderberries — Hospitality, Health, And Beauty

Farm baseball … with ghost runners!

By Tom Kovach Growing up on a farm in north-central Minnesota wasn’t all chores and hard work … although there was plenty of that too....

Presidents’ wives of the past Part 3

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

Tips for finding your affordable home

In the classroom and at home, this system will help you grow self-reliant kids

Intake and exhaust upgrades for better mileage and performance

Grid-tied, Grid-connected, Off-grid. What’s the difference?

Picking a holster

By Massad Ayoob Issue #69 • May/June, 2001 One good thing about being out in the boonies by yourself is that you can carry a gun...

Choose your ammo… police style

The threat of electromagnetic pulse!

By John Silveira Issue #132 • November/December, 2011 I like "doomsday" scenarios even ridiculous ones, such as the supposed Mayan calendar prophecy for 2012 or...

Subduction zone tsunami — What the residents of the Pacific Northwest...

Gee-Whiz: Ice Ages, Past and Future

The current ‘Gun control’ push — A cop’s eye view

Raising your own beef

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #175 • January/February/March, 2019 Every time I sit down to enjoy a wonderful beef roast or perfectly grilled steak, I am so...

Where our farm animals come from

Issue #105 • May/June, 2007 We don't know how far back the domestication of animals goes. But we...

Hog butchering — Using everything but the squeal

Chickens — The most valuable animal on the homestead

Khaki Campbell ducks — The other egg layer

Just for Kids: Life in the forest

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

Kick the credit card habit and learn to stash cash

Use Plastic to Get a Head Start on Corn in the Fall

By Mark and Lynn Klammer Issue #41 • September/October, 1996 As spring approaches each year, we can hardly wait for the feel of warm earth between our fingers. And so, while most avid gardeners let Mother...

Fermenting Chicken Feed

By Melissa Souza Issue #174 • November/December, 2018 On our homestead, we eat yogurt, kombucha (fermented tea), sauerkraut, and kimchi to add probiotics to our diet. These beneficial bacteria promote good digestive health, strengthen the immune...