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A Backwoods Home Anthology — The Thirteenth Year
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DEPARTMENTS
6  Publisher’s Note

7  Editorial: Just Say NO! to the Federal Government

76  Ask Jackie:
Fastest cooking beans, bread in jar, planting wild rice, making hominy, fruit leather, horseradish, and more

47  Ayoob on Firearms:
Getting along with the cops

52  Living the outlaw life:
Going PT: an experiment in freedom on the road

75  Irreverent joke page

46  The gee-whiz! page

80  Letters

86   Poems: John Silveria

86   Advertiser Index

82  Classified ads (pdf)

82  Classified ad form

91-97   BHM anthologies, CD-ROMs, & books

88-89  Subscription Info & Order form

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Cover 76
ABOUT THE COVER
This issue’s cover is a photo of the tipi Dynah Geissal and her husband built, then lived in for four months.

She writes, “We bought our land August 1. The elevation is 4600 feet, and the first snow can be expected around September 20. Our first priority was shelter for the livestock, so we were unable to begin our own home until September 17. We knew we would need something substantial to serve as a temporary home.”

For those who wonder how livable a tipi can be, she adds it was warm and comfortable “…even at 25 below…”

FEATURES

Building

17  Tipi   By Dynah Geissal

This isn’t for camping. Dynah Geissal actually lived for four months in a tipi she made herself while she and her husband built their house. In this article she tells us how you can build a tipi of your own.

24  Yurt magic — building an enchanting instant house    By Claire Wolfe

A housing concept that was developed by nomads in Mongolia, the yurt today can be a modern marvel with skylights, indoor plumbing, and electricity, and the basic unit can be set up in a day and costs less than $10,000

29  Here’s how we built our straw-bale house   By Dawn Schatz

Firearms

59 Surplus firearms for preparedness and self-defense    By Jeff Salmon

You don’t have to pay top dollar for a useful firearm. Jeff Salmon explains how you can get surplus firearms that are safe, durable, effective, and inexpensive.

Earning a living

42  Start a post-construction cleaning business   By Dorothy Ainsworth

For less than $1800 you can get the tools, know-how, and licensing to start your own post-construction cleaning business that will gross you upwards of $2,000 a month.

Farm and garden

8  Dehydrating fruits & vegetables    By Alice B. Yeager

Why not dehydrate some of your garden’s bounty so you can enjoy it year-round?

36  Get to know your herbs   By Alice B. Yeager

There are four easy-to-grow herbs that can make ordinary fare into gourmet dishes. Alice Yeager tells us how to grow them and use them. In addition, she also tells us how to cultivate catnip for your loyal mouser.

63  Happy chickens — healthy eggs   By Edna Manning

Free range chickens are not only cheaper to keep, they’re healthier and their eggs are better for you

Country living

70  For health & comfort, try wild herbal teas   By Cynthia Andal

Seven herbal teas offer a variety of health benefits, ranging from naturally occurring vitamins and minerals to having the effects of a broad spectrum antibiotic. But best of all, they just taste good.

Self-reliance

55  13 steps to a life of freedom   By Mary Ann Wutzke

Wutzke and her husband have lived on the road since 1988. She outlines the 13 steps they took to ensure their freedom

65  Harvest the wild cactus   By Jackie Clay

In the third of her “foraging the wilds” series, Jackie talks about finding, preparing, and preserving cactus.