Articles - Backwoods Home Magazine

Where our farm animals come from

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

We built John Silveira’s chicken coop/garden

By Suzy Lowry Geno Website Exclusive • April, 2007 I have what seems like mountains of great "fertilizer" from my barn full of English Angora rabbits....

Adventures with a portable sawmill

Make your own lumber with a chainsaw mill

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

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...

Time to Forget About Snail and Slug Bait

Vermicomposting — Raise Worms to Consume Waste, Amend Soil, and Earn...

the gee-whiz! page: Animals, humans, extraterrestrials, and tools

By O. E. MacDougal Issue #154 • July/August, 2015 There was a time when it was thought that a defining difference between humans and animals was:...

George Washington Carver — He wrote the book on self-reliance

Habeeb Salloum — Poet, Traveler, Recipe Writer

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

Hunting, processing, and serving black bear

Just for Kids: Knock knock vinegar

Advice from second-time homesteaders

With commonsense planning, you can survive hard times

Solar Power 101 — Batteries: Part 2

Build a community assistance recharging station

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 subtleties of safe firearms handling

A used shotgun bargain: The Browning Auto-5

How long should your gun’s barrel length be?

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...

Science and truth. Are they related?

The false argument about defending our freedom

My View: Jury duty: The charge was rape

Gulf War II opened the eyes of Americans to the UN and the media

Keeping homestead animals healthy

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #169 • January/February, 2018 As a veterinary field technician for more than 20 years, I saw firsthand the frustration and heartbreak when...

Raising quail — A home grown delicacy

By Allen Easterly Issue #101 • September/October, 2006 Raising quail is inexpensive, easy, provides very healthy low-fat white meat, and supplies the fertilizer you need for...

How to butcher a chicken in 20 minutes or less

Cheaper than Store-Bought Eggs

Mountain lions — Attacks are still rare, but just in case…

Preserve the harvest naturally through wild fermentation

Boost your income by adding a processing step to what you sell

The art of living in small spaces

A Small Space Yields a Big Crop of Garlic

By Howard Tuckey Issue #131 • September/October, 2011 In less than an hour last fall, I tilled up a 4x8 foot garden bed and planted 250 seed cloves of Chesnok and Russian Red garlic. I've been...

By Sylvia Gist Issue #155 • September/October, 2015 Currants and gooseberries all belong to the genus Ribes (pronounced "rye-bees"). There are varieties of currants and gooseberries native to Europe and North America, along with some developed...