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

DEPARTMENTS
8  Publisher’s Note

9  Editorial: A reluctant coach

31  Ask Jackie:
Hairball treatment, canned tomatoes, grass cuttings, cast iron cookware, pressure canning, Goats Produce Too, vacuum sealers, pickles and peppers, homemade cereal, canned venison, potato soup, tomatillo jam

26  Irreverent joke page

81   Poem:Rules of old plumbers by Jim Thomas

70  Ayoob on Firearms:
Body language and threat recognition

82  Letters

90  Classified ads (pdf)

90  Classified advertising form

93   Advertiser Index

95   BHM anthologies, CD-ROMs, & books

96-97  Order form/Subscription Info

98  The last word:
The tenuous hold of honesty in modern America

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

Cover 87
ABOUT THE COVER
This issue’s cover is a photo by Jackie Clay that features her son, David, 12, and his two-year-old wether, Oreo. David got Oreo as a baby and raised him on a bottle. Oreo’s original purpose was to keep a buck company, since you can’t keep a buck in with the does. But David has trained Oreo to be a pack goat for when they hike, and the two of them, David and Oreo, go rock climbing together. David has since built a cart and will be training Oreo to pull it.

FEATURES

Building and tools

27  The poor man’s ceramic knife sharpener    By Rick Brannan

35  Protect your house from lightning    By Dorothy Ainsworth

41  Double wall adobe construction    By Bob and KD Bellar

76  Converting a gasoline-powered rototiller to electric    By Glenn Willis, Jr.

Food and recipes

66  Vegetarian pies: they kept us healthy on the farm    By Habeeb Salloum

77  Harvesting, husking, and storing black walnuts    By Tom R. Kovach

Gardening

40  Tree planting tips    By Tom R. Kovach

56  Sweet big fat squash that keep all winter    By Jackie Clay

75  Controlling aphids    By Tom R. Kovach

Alternative energy

51  Solar power 101: Batteries    By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM

Country Living

78  Catfish Biscuits    By Danny Fulks

Animals

10  Dairy goats are for you!    By Jackie Clay

Self-reliance

21  Why won’t it all go to my kids? The essentials of estate planning    By Gary F. Arnet

28  For fuel, fertilizer, and maybe even improved water quality you may need look no further than your manure pile    By Rev. J.D. Hooker

46  Living with kerosene    By Julie A. Mikoley

75  Removing pine sap    By Tom R. Kovach

Small Town America

61  Fortine, Montana. Why do you want to live there?    By Steven Gregersen