Articles - Backwoods Home Magazine

Chickens — The most valuable animal on the homestead

Where our farm animals come from

Eye-catching signs with mirrors

By David Lee Issue #144 • November/December, 2013 The reflected image in the mirrored letters give a "see-through" illusion to the sign and the tree. Stained glass...

Free pallet wood and birdhouses add up to big country dollars

For summertime baking needs, build yourself an outdoor horno

How to Grow Potatoes

By Alice B. Yeager Issue #97 • January/February, 2006 Potato plants need plenty of sunshine, a well drained soil, and no weed or grass interference. Ideal...

Graft Your Own Designer Fruit Trees

Quilts — Masterpieces of the heart and windows into women’s history

By Marlene Parkin Issue #22 • July/August, 1993 Many of the quilts of yesterday took a lifetime to make. Perhaps the mystical part of quiltsthe aspect...

Constitution of the united States of America

the gee-whiz! page: Animals, humans, extraterrestrials, and tools

Make sourdough with wild yeast

Everybody talks about lightning and yes, there are things you can do about it

Power Up Light, Water, Communications in Emergencies

Stashing Junk Silver for Bad Times

How to select the right backup generator

Battery powered weekend retreat

Why you need to addsolar to your emergencypower backup plans

Consider the 20-gauge shotgun

By Massad Ayoob Issue #120 • November/December, 2009 A year or more ago in these pages, I made the suggestion that sometimes less is more, and...

Firearms handling refresher Part III: Rifles

An economical battery of guns for the backwoods home

How to shoot a handgun accurately

Subduction zone tsunami — What the residents of the Pacific Northwest...

By John Silveira Issue #94 • July/August, 2004 I was sitting in my cubicle poring over a map of the Oregon coastactually, just that...

Gee-Whiz: From Paper to Canning

If you don’t like it here, why don’t you move to another country?

Want proof of luck, ESP, and psychic powers?

A government with not enough to do, but lots of hungry mouths to feed

Broody biddies make sense on the homestead

By James Kash Issue #139 • January/February, 2013 Broodiness is an avian behavior that is frowned upon in the world of agriculture. All industrial agriculturalists cull...

Raising quail — A home grown delicacy

By Allen Easterly Issue #101 • September/October, 2006 Raising quail is inexpensive, easy, provides very healthy low-fat white meat, and supplies the fertilizer you need for...

How to buy your first sheep without getting shorn

Hog butchering — Using everything but the squeal

Based on years of personal experience, here are 10 good tips for homeschooling your children

Starting a Roadside Farm Stand

By John Murray  Issue #158 • March/April, 2016 For country landowners who desire a way to supplement their income, operating a small roadside farm stand is an excellent business venture. Produce which is harvested on a...

Vermicomposting — Raise Worms to Consume Waste, Amend Soil, and Earn Income

By Rebekah L. Cowell Photos by Amanda Egdorf-Sand Issue #124 • July/August, 2010 Vermicomposting takes composting to another level using Eisenia foetida (commonly known as red wiggler, brandling, or manure worms) to break down organic matter such...