Home - Backwoods Home Magazine

Getting out of Dodge — 10 Things I am doing to prepare for the move to the country

Roasting coffee on a wood stove

Boost your immune system with fast and easy fish dishes

By Linda Gabris When I was growing up in the rural woods, Grandpa and I did a lot of fishing from spring through fall so...

Grow some winter squash this year

Vitamins D and K — way more important than you thought

Save Time and Energy with the Fenced Chicken Coop/Garden

By John Silveira Issue #44 • March/April, 1997 My engineer father was not fond of wasting time or energy. He was always searching for a better,...

Rotten Luck: The Skinny on Composting

Exotic Plants for the Homestead

Swiss Chard — The Leaf Vegetable That Keeps on Giving!

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

How to Resurrect Old, Rusted Tools

The Mini-Skyline — A homemade yarder to bring firewood up a draw

Build a pizza oven

Build this sturdy large-capacity food dehydrator

Self-Reliance

Drawing the line on timber trespass

Caveman walking stick

By Jim Van Sant Issue #108 • November/December, 2007 The lake near our rural home has a long hiking trail that winds around its shore. We...

Tale of a country family

By Rachel Baxter Issue #66 • November/December, 2000 Dave and Dianna Saleh (pronounced "Sally") always knew they wanted to live a rural lifestyle. They both came...

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

Science and truth. Are they related?

How big is the solar system?

Gee-Whiz: Ice Ages, Past and Future

Gee-Whiz: Trees

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

Fly it proudly and properly

James Polk — A model for modern presidents

Presidents’ wives of the past Part 4 — Cunning, vindictive, and one may have been a murderess

The Great Depression — A reminiscence

Firearms

How long should your gun’s barrel length be?

Thoughts on ammunition

By Massad Ayoob Issue #108 • November/December, 2007 Ammunition is to firearms as gasoline is to automobiles. However, with guns and ammo, the fit isn't quite...

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....

Military surplus and military “clone” rifles

By Massad Ayoob Issue #116 • March/April, 2009 One reader writes to ask if military surplus rifles are still a good idea for hunting, recreational shooting,...

Preparedness

Power Up

Survival storeroom

A survival key ring — Your everyday tool for emergency preparedness

Bartering for bad times

Protein — The Cornerstone of a Survival Diet

Why you need to addsolar to your emergencypower backup plans

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...