Another issue of my very favorite magazine just arrived and I wanted
to tell you all about it. It is "The magazine of modern homesteading":
Countryside and Small Stock Journal. Unlike most magazines
out there, C&SSJ has a very low ad to content
ratio. It doesn't waste page space with lots of pretty photos or other
fluff like the other "country" magazines. And it is written
by the subscribers. C&SSJ
is 130 pages full of
practical information! The Nov/Dec.2005 issue contains full length
articles about purchasing
and
using a masonry
stove, how to build a "cut back" thermostat to reduce energy
use, and several other alternative energy articles. Each issue features
a question of the month, this issues question was "How to start
a home business on the homestead" There
were
thirteen thoughtful replies to the question from readers who had
done just that. Not only were there a number of innovative home-based
business
ideas, but the writers pointed out the benefits and costs of their
particular businesses as well as their successes and failures. Each
issue of C&SSJ has a number of how to articles. This
issue features how to build a smokehouse,
make soap, make a boot scraper, how to repair a hose, and build
an egg incubator from an old cooler. Each issue also features regular
departments The Garden, The Country Kitchen, The Henhouse, The
Livestock Barn, which always contain great
ideas and timely tips from readers. This issue had articles about seed
companies, turnips, recipes for pumpkins,salsas, relish, wheat berries,
and sourdough starter, just to highlight a few! I think C&SSJ is
a good value because there is so much content crammed into each issue.
The fact that C&SSJ is reader-written is another reason why I prefer
Countryside and Small
Stock Journal to all other "country" magazines. The articles
are written by people actually living on
homesteads who tell it like it is. C&SSJ writers don't sugar coat
their experiences. They don't edit out the
parts about the obnoxious neighbors, the predators that killed half their
chicken flock, or the prized dairy goat that died of bloat. You get the
unvarnished truth about country life. How refreshing!
The newsstand price of C&SSJ is $3.95. $18 for a year subscription.
Subscriptions: Countryside Subscriptions, P.O. Box 3190, Van Nuys, Calif.
91407
Their toll
free # is: 800-551-5691 Subscription website:: http://www.countrysidemag.com