PVC pipe in the home, garden, farm, and workshop

By Charles Sanders Issue #94 • July/August, 2005 Perhaps one of the most important innovations in modern plumbing has been the development of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC), and related plastic pipe. These materials...

35 country jobs — How folks make a living near my hometown

By Charles Sanders Issue #89 • September/October, 2004 If you're relocating to the backwoods, you will very likely have to give some thought to generating some income, that is, making a living. Hopefully, the topic is...

Raising cattle on your own place

By Charles Sanders Issue #85 • January/February, 2004 Winter won't last forever. It won't be long before spring will arrive and pastures will start to green up. This may be the year for you to consider...

Beekeeping basics

<!-- Beekeeping basics By Charles Sanders --> Issue #88 • July/August, 2004 Bees have been managed for their honey production for about 5000 years or so. Especially for the smallholder, beekeeping can be an interesting and rewarding pursuit. They...

Build a stone wall

By Charles Sanders Issue #70 • July/August, 2001 The natural beauty of a stone wall has been romanticized in poem and picture for hundreds of years. There is a soothing permanence that can be seen in...

Some unusual jellies for your sweet tooth

By Charles Sanders Issue #70 • July/August, 2001 In my mind, one of the simple pleasures in life is hot biscuits, a dab of butter, and a dollop of homemade jelly. Around here any biscuits left...

Hog butchering — Using everything but the squeal

By Charles Sanders Issue #142 • July/August, 2013 A 450-pound hog will provide a lot of delicious meat. Hogs are raised throughout our neighboring Amish community for many of the same reasons old American homesteads raised them....

Wheat

By Charles Sanders Issue #130 • July/August, 2011 There are few foods and crops that homesteaders consider as essential as wheat. In these days of pasty loaves of over-processed "store-bought" bread, the mere phrase "whole wheat"...

Redworm farming

By Charles Sanders Issue #112 • July/August, 2008 If you are looking for a way to earn extra income, a retirement job, or even a new livelihood, then raising earthworms might just be the thing. This...

How to build a good fence for your homestead

<!-- How to build a good fence for your homestead By Charles Sanders --> By Charles Sanders Issue #103 • January/February, 2007 One of the basic fixtures on a homestead is fencing. Fences are used to keep animals in, or...

This country job really rocks

<!-- This country job really rocks By Charles Sanders --> By Charles Sanders Issue #105 • May/June, 2007 Down here in the hills and hollers of southern Indiana, there is rock a'plenty. Old farm fields still show evidence where early...

Vegetarian pies

<!--Vegetarian pies They kept us healthy on the farm By Habeeb Salloum--> Issue #87 • May/June, 2004 Delicate, flavorful, and very satisfying are the descriptions with which a number of culinary experts label the countless pies...

Tahini — A health food par-excellence

By Habeeb Salloum Issue #89 • September/October, 2004 Since time immemorial tahini has been a choice food in the countries which edge the eastern Mediterranean. The product of hulled and crushed sesame seeds, this delectable, nourishing,...

The chicken and the egg

By Habeeb Salloum Issue #139 • January/February, 2013 One cannot think of our culinary world without chicken or eggs. Chicken is one of the world's most consumed meats and eggs are on the tables of the...

My garden — A springboard of food, pleasure, and history

By Habeeb Salloum Issue #80 • March/April, 2003 "You mean that from this postage-size garden you grow enough vegetables and herbs to last you all year?" my friend asked in disbelief as he watched me plant...

Middle Eastern breads

By Habeeb Salloum Issue #135 • May/June, 2012 Arabs, the majority people in the Middle East, eat bread with every meal. In tradition and in daily life, bread is held to be a divine gift from...