Articles - Backwoods Home Magazine

Where our farm animals come from

Raising quail — A home grown delicacy

Chickens — The most valuable animal on the homestead

Building a Ferro-Cement Shed

By Robert Van Putten Issue #162 • November/December, 2016 For a year and a half, we lived in an 18-foot travel trailer while building a straw...

A recycled dresser makes a useful bathroom vanity

Livestock fencing for the small homesteader, part 2

For Extra Production, Try Mound Gardening

By Edward Love Johnson Issue #44 • March/April, 1997 I began experimenting with mound gardening several years ago, due to limited garden space. Then as time...

Time to Forget About Snail and Slug Bait

Your Manure Pile — For Fuel, Fertilizer, and Maybe Even Improved...

Doesn’t anyone remember Tom Paine

By Robert L. Williams Issue #19 • January/February, 1993 Many years ago, before I came to my senses and left public education for good, I was...

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

Biological and chemical weapons through history

Preserve the harvest naturally through wild fermentation

10 day survival pack for your vehicle for just $25

Gee-Whiz: From Paper to Canning

Solar system codes — Build it right!

Make your own biodiesel for 80¢ per gallon

Firearms handling refresher Part II: Shotguns

By Massad Ayoob Website Exclusive • December, 2003 In Part I, we began a series of refreshers on safety and proper handling of firearms. This time,...

The M1A — A rifle that makes a statement

Hiding a gun — The rules of three

The subtleties of safe firearms handling

How long should your gun’s barrel length be?

Can we make a Tyrannosaurus rex from a chicken?

By John Silveira Issue #169 • January/February, 2018 Do you have chickens, ducks, turkeys, or geese in your yard? They’re not “just birds” because scientists now...

The threat of electromagnetic pulse!

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

Science and truth. Are they related?

Turn the poor into capitalists

Dealing with Liberals and History

My View: Grand Theory vs. Stark Reality

Khaki Campbell ducks — The other egg layer

By Amanda J. Kemp Issue #126 • November/December, 2010 Spring brings the pitter-patter of little feet in the mud, games of tag, and raucous quacks. While...

Llamas guarding sheep? — Not such a far-fetched idea

By Karen McGeorge Sanders Issue #19 • January/February, 1993 It seems that farmers always need an extra pair of hands, but finding the money to pay...

Hog butchering — Using everything but the squeal

Build a chicken feeder on the cheep cheep cheep

Raising your own beef for your family

Make a fully functional cold storage pit/mound and enjoy your garden’s production all winter

Step onto the ice and catch tonight’s dinner

Paring down for off-grid living

By Jackie Clay-Atkinson Issue #153 • May/June, 2015 Carrots are an old-time homesteader favorite. They can be frozen, canned, dehydrated, or simply stored in a cool location. They are nutritious, too, being a great source of beta...

The Home Citrus Orchard

By Anita Evangelista Issue #81 • May/June, 2003 It may seem like an impossible dream if you live outside of southern Florida, California, or Texas, but you can grow a home "backyard" orchard of oranges, lemons,...