DEPARTMENTS
6  Editor’s Note

7  Editorial:
Tackling the real problems that face us

34  Irreverent joke page

56  Ayoob on Firearms:
Affordable firearms

62  Ask Jackie:
Storing eggs, whole wheat and groats, soap for washboard, spelt sourdough starter, etc.

80  Letters

84  The last word:
When “good” laws are bad

85  Classified ads (pdf)

85  Classified advertising form

87   Advertiser Index

88-94   BHM anthologies & books

95-96  Order form/Subscription Info

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Cover 134
ABOUT THE COVER
This issue’s cover, which highlights the issue’s “apocalypse” theme, is by our long-time writer Claire Wolfe. The illustration began as three separate images done in pastel, pencil, and colored pencil, then all the elements were scanned and combined on computer. Finally, Claire added various computerized “explosive” light effects.
FEATURES

Self-reliance

48  Medicinal uses of garlic   By Joe and Amy Alton

60  Keep your family comfortable and safe on the go   By Annie Schap

66  Homestead burnout: what it is and how to avoid it   By Jackie Clay-Atkinson

Building/Projects

75  Build a small cabin   By Dorothy Ainsworth

Independent energy

44  Portable solar power   By Jeffrey R. Yago, P.E., CEM

Farm and garden

26  The gourmet trinity: garlic, shallots, and leeks   By Gail Butler

36  Potatoes — the workhorse of the garden   By Jackie Clay-Atkinson

Doom and gloom

8  A brief history of the end of the world   By Claire Wolfe

16  Zombie Apocalypse   By John Silveira

Crafts

50  Mother Nature’s pottery   By Bernadette Fox