Dandelion recipes

By Tom and Joanne O’Toole Issue #82 • July/August, 2003 For dandelion gourmets there are many ways to prepare this amazing weed, and to include it in soups, salads, main courses, desserts, and wine. Here are a...

Oregon Grape Jam

By Joyce Lindsey O’Keefe Website Exclusive • August, 2008 Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium) bushes are native to the West Coast from northern California to British Columbia. They are the state flower of Oregon. The bushes come...

Making good jerky

By Randy Neumann Issue #130 • July/August, 2011 It is hard to find someone who doesn't like beef jerky. Or teriyaki jerky. Or turkey jerky. And I've had some Hawaiian pork jerky that was out of...

Brew your own root beer

By Tim Murphy Issue #130 • July/August, 2011 Ah, root beer! That sweet, dark elixir of kidhood, majestically topped with a beige pillow of foam. It's the perfect companion to Bazooka bubble gum, baseball cards, wiffle...

Woodstove cooking

By Cindi Myers Issue #127 • January/February, 2011 If you have a woodstove for heat, take advantage of the fire to cook your dinner for no extra cost and very little effort. The heat of a...

Cast iron loaf pans from breakfast to dessert

By Matt and Linda Morehouse Issue #133 • January/February, 2012 Cast iron loaf pans are not just for bread. Nearly as versatile as the cast iron 10-inch (#8) covered skillet, the venerable cast iron loaf pan...

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...

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...

Making baby food at home

By Michele Lightfoot Issue #78 • November/December, 2002 Homemade baby food is not only delicious and economical, it is simple to prepare as well. Being able to control the ingredients, choosing organic produce and meats, and...

Dehydrating eggs at home

By Patrice Lewis Issue #156 • November/December, 2015 Here's a trivia question for you: What do you do when your chickens are laying gangbusters and you have no less than 10 dozen eggs in the fridge,...

Making Yogurt

By Patrice Lewis Issue #132 • November/December, 2011 When you get to the point where you're milking your own cow, you'll need to figure out what to do with the excess milk. One of the easiest...

Pasteurizing milk

By Patrice Lewis Issue #123 • May/June, 2010 In the last hundred years of urban migration, the home or small farm dairy became a lost breed. Who needed to keep a cow when it was so...

Easy-to-make farmer’s cheese

By Leah Leach Issue #152 • March/April, 2015 Ingredients Making cheese is one of the easiest and most satisfying tasks that you can accomplish in the homestead kitchen. While there are many wonderful cheeses out there to...

Make sourdough with wild yeast

By Leah Leach Issue #151 • January/February, 2015 Those of us who live as self-sufficiently as possible love to forage. From wild greens to wild meat, foraged foods make their way onto our tables as often...

Buckboard bacon

By Tanya Kelley Issue #131 • September/October, 2011 Last year, our family processed a hog for the first time. We made roasts, pork chops, bacon, Italian sausage, breakfast link sausages, and hams. All of the results...