Articles - Backwoods Home Magazine

A contrary guide to feeding animals

Raising your own beef for your family

Build a Trail

By Claire Wolfe Standing near the top of the trail, looking down. The bright sunny spot in the middle distance will...

Build a wood-fired stock tank heater

How safe is your electric fence?

Mid-season planting

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson As the saying goes “Life happens…” Maybe events have kept you from getting your garden planted early in the spring. When we...

For Extra Production, Try Mound Gardening

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

By John Silveira Issue #35 • September/October, 1995 (This is a four-part series. Click the links to navigate to parts one, two, three, and four.) Do you...

The greatest American who was never President

Former first ladies — Beautiful, brilliant, crazy

Piccalilli — A late summer bonus

Just for Kids: Visit the great prairies

Medical kits for self-reliant families

Women and guns

By Massad Ayoob Issue #121 • January/February, 2010 In a time when what used to be called "the women's liberation movement" has achieved many of its...

The M1A — A rifle that makes a statement

How long should your gun’s barrel length be?

Gee-Whiz: Trees

By O. E. Macdougal September/October 2015, Backwoods Home We’re told they include some of the oldest and largest living organisms on the planet. But do...

Can we make a Tyrannosaurus rex from a chicken?

Reflecting on a life in the woods, and looking ahead

Body language and threat recognition

Armed citizens: the deterrent factor

Switch your family to goat’s milk

By Tanya Kelley Issue #128 • March/April, 2011 If you milk goats, there's no doubt you've heard it"Eww! Goat's milk! Gross!" To be perfectly honest, goat...

Broody biddies make sense on the homestead

By James Kash Issue #139 • January/February, 2013 Broodiness is an avian behavior that is frowned upon in the world of agriculture. All industrial agriculturalists cull...

Goat birthing and raising kids

Where our farm animals come from

Protein — The Cornerstone of a Survival Diet

Pysanki — You can make those biddies pay!

Drive your own freshwater well

By Charles Sanders Issue #67 • January/February, 2001 For those of us living close to the land, the production of a dependable and healthful food supply is a primary objective. To that end, some consideration will...

Here’s a Mighty Creative Way to Protect Your Plants from Animals

By Joy Lamb Issue #39 • May/June, 1996 A huge brown beast stared at me as I drove through our apple orchard toward the house. I parked, walked quickly into the house, and said to my...