Build a cistern out of corrugated road culvert
By Joe Mooney
Issue #146 • March/April, 2014
Using a corrugated road culvert as a cistern is an economical way to add to your water storage. Here is the finished tank with PVC pipe directing water...
New yarn from old sweaters
By Margaret Mills
Issue #132 • November/December, 2011
Years ago, when my grandmother learned that some women purchased new fabric to make quilts, she was shocked. She was an "old-school" fiber artist quilting, crocheting, and...
Fly it proudly and properly
By Roger Meyer
Issue #130 • July/August, 2011
Since September 11, 2001, more Americans are displaying the national flag. Our flag gives us a sense of unity and purpose as a nation. Old Glory represents our...
Drive your own freshwater well
By Len McDougall
Issue #128 • March/April, 2011
The well point's slotted holes permit water to enter, while stainless steel mesh inside keeps out abrasive sand.
X marks the spot. How "witching" for water works is a...
Nursing: A perfect backwoods career
By John McLane, RN
Issue #88 • July/August, 2004
For many of us, a job in the traditional economy is crucial to being able to maintain our chosen lifestyle. Others who are pondering a move out...
Life-saving snowshoes
By Len McDougall
Issue #126 • November/December, 2010
If you live in or drive through places where winter generally means having snow on the ground from autumn till spring, you should have a functional pair of...
The fire wick fire starter
By Len McDougall
Issue #114 • November/December, 2008
When my hunting buddy Dar met me for lunch at our rendezvous point, he said he doubted we could make a small cookfire on the wet, snow-covered ground....
Funerals don’t have to be expensive
By Kelly McCarthy
Issue #95 • September/October, 2005
Being of Celtic extraction, I am naturally disposed to dwelling on the blacker side of life. I started to wonder what would happen to all the dead bodies...
Self-reliance for women — Surviving a biochemical attack
By Kelly McCarthy
Issue #94 • July/August, 2005
Three and a half years ago, on the morning of September 11th to be exact, I was just ending a White House tour with my husband, children, and...
Build a portable woodstove for $30
By David Scott Matthews
Issue #78 • November/December, 2002
I had a problem. Other men love football, baseball, basketball, or golf. I love to hunt. And the animal I love to hunt more than any other...
Adventures of a 9-pound cabbage
By Katie Martin
Issue #131 • September/October, 2011
Last fall we decided to take a nice Sunday drive through the mountains, an activity we like to do all year long it doesn't even have to...
The convenience of a bread bucket
By Karen Marshall
Issue #145 • January/February, 2014
Does making four or more loaves of bread at a time, with no hand kneading, no electricity, and only one container to clean sound appealing?
If making one loaf...
Water development for the homestead: Ponds, cisterns, and tanks
By Roy Martin
Issue #102 • November/December, 2006
In most areas, wells or springs are able to provide water sources for the homestead, but there are places where groundwater is either not available or where it...
Cultured milk — Food of centenarians
By Edna Manning
Issue #84 • November/December, 2003
Cultured milk products have been enjoyed in the Middle East, Europe, and parts of Asia for centuries. The Greeks felt that yogurt had therapeutic qualities for diseases caused...
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: we use tools, they don't. But, in the last few...
Take care of your knife
By John Lo Cicero
Issue #98 • March/April, 2006
There was a time when I did not understand the value of quality, or respect for a fine tool. I received my tool education first-hand when I...
