There’s nothing quite like the feeling of being a pioneer. Such is the case with our new recipe for Chaggis, a contraction of chicken and haggis. We’ve succeeded in creating a delicious steamed pudding-style skinless haggis utilizing chicken hearts, livers and, eat your hearts out (speaking of hearts) permaculture friends, even the lungs! We butchered […]

The new e-book by editors of Backwoods Hipster and Duende Publishing entitled The Absinthe Alchemist: How To Make Superior Quality Absinthe is now available from AbsintheAlchemist.com. Based on years of knowledge in the herbal product manufacturing industry and tons of research, this volume is certain to find a place in many an absinthe maker’s research […]

OK, Let’s set the record straight right now, before we even begin. Alexander Hamilton was a stinker! Thomas Jefferson was cool! In fact, Jefferson was so cool that Backwoods Hipster endorses a new holiday, Jefferson Day, to be celebrated on June 30th each year. The Fouth of July has become an empty holiday. It’s a […]

Here’s a plant that’s worth having some fun with. Mandrake (Mandragora officinarum) enjoyed a long career with a mixed reputation before falling into obscurity. The old superstition was that it screamed when uprooted and killed or caused to go insane those who heard it.
Early records show that mandragora {mandrake} and Indian hemp {hashish} were […]

Enough already! I consider myself pretty open minded when it comes to food fusion. Much of my culinary awakening occurred in California kitchens of the 80”s and 90’s. But jeez, this fad is even more spent than belly button piercing. So, I’m declaring a moratorium on chipotles. That’s right, don’t even think of opening that […]

Each of us needs to understand intimately our options when it comes to food. I suppose you’re reading this because you want to be ready when the shiznit goes down. Or you’re getting a kick out of reading this “alarmist” bullshit. Or you’re a family member or friend who got a free copy and are […]

For the last several months, my little see-through pepper grinder has been filled with Cubeb Berries. I came across them in a book called Spice, by Jack Turner. Back in the day, the Middle Ages to be more precise, when the Spice Age was in its heyday, Cubeb berries were quite a bit cheaper than […]

Me and Mark the Butcher were hot, sweaty and spattered with blood. Killing, plucking and gutting 27 chickens will do that to you. We started at 5 AM and were finished by noon. The mid-July sun pounded us as we cleaned up. We needed a drink to cool our core temp and set us right […]

We caught up with Sandor, fittingly nicknamed Sandorkraut, this past July just hours before his sold out class. He and his small retinue were ensconced in the mobile abode of some local friends. Arriving late morning, we wandered in with a gallon jug and air lock to loan them for one of their recipes, passing […]

I really like canning jars. I’m no collector, mind you, just a fond user. I’m not quite sure what to think of those who collect jars and put them on shelves. Can a vessel be divorced from its purpose and still retain its soul? Usually, I find out when a jar should have been shelved […]