This issue is Sold Out.
Most articles are included in our print anthology
A Backwoods Home Anthology — The 21st Year
Click on General Store to the left.
Click on items listed in red to read them.

DEPARTMENTS
6  Publisher’s Note

7  Guest Editorial:
While the nation languishes in a recession…Traffic tickets are BIG business

28  Ayoob on Firearms:
Cold weather shooting considerations

36  Ask Jackie:
Lye soap, tomato pickles, hollow potatoes, salty goat milk, fall pea crop, wood beetles, etc.

40  The Gee Whiz page

73  Remember when…
Y2K and the end of the world

80  Irreverent joke page

81  Making a living: Darrel Stone

82  Letters

84  The last word:
Don’t let crooked politicians hijack the Tea Party movement

85  Classified ads (pdf)

85  Classified advertising form

87   Advertiser Index

88-94   BHM anthologies & books

95-96  Order form/Subscription Info

For a subscription
Call Toll Free 1-800–835-2418

Cover 126
ABOUT THE COVER
This issue’s cover highlights John Silveira’s page 42 article about the recession. The second wave is often the most deadly in a tsunami, so we thought it an appropriate metaphor for what we and many economists believe is on the way. It is a gouache painting by Don Childers, who turned 80 this issue.
FEATURES

Food and recipes

8  Basic cheese making   By Patrice Lewis

52  Fried foods   By Richard Blunt

74  Homemade gift baskets   By Linda Gabris

Building

47  Installing a steel roof   By Norman Bennett

61  Sleep tight — a hand-built rope bed   By Kai Moessle

Self-reliance

20  A guide to buying silver and gold   By Thomas M. Buckley

24  Finding wealth you can wear at yard sales   By Thomas M. Buckley

26  Seven tips for choosing the right home safe   By Kentin F. Waits

34  Life-saving snowshoes   By Len McDougall

68  Cutting hair at home   By Doug Fluckiger

Animals

66  Khaki Campbell ducks — the other egg layer   By Amanda J. Kemp

72  A simple way to catch a mouse   By Tomas Gato

Commentary

42  Think of it this way: How deep can this recession get? How do we escape from it?   By John Silveira