Grow Mache for Fresh Winter Salads
The herb mache is as easy to grow as a weed — because it is a weed, or once was. Mache (Valerianella locusta) started out as a weed growing in European grain fields. It has become so popular as a...
Weird Eggs Laid by Backyard Chickens
Most chicken eggs are oval in shape, with one end rounded or blunt and the other end somewhat pointed. An egg is shaped in the part of the hen’s oviduct called the isthmus, where shell membranes wrap the yolk and...
15 Reasons Chickens Stop Laying Eggs
Chickens stop laying eggs for so many different reasons you practically have to be Sherlock Holmes to determine the cause. To get you started, here are 15 reasons why hens lay fewer eggs or stop laying altogether. Wrong Breed To...
Beware the Spotted Lanternfly
The spotted lanternfly is an invasive insect that threatens to destroy numerous species of fruit, nut, and hardwood trees in North America. It first appeared in Pennsylvania and is spreading to other states, attracted by another invasive species: tree of...
Make Your Own Tomato Paste the Easy Way
You can make homemade tomato paste by cooking down the liquid from fresh tomatoes until you get the consistency of paste, then process the results in canning jars. But here’s a much easier way to make your own tomato paste....
Summer Squash and Tomato Salad
This simple but delicious summer squash and tomato salad makes a nice light lunch. We typically make this salad with small zucchinis from the garden, plus either bell pepper or kohlrabi. Including the kohrabi or bell pepper is entirely optional,...
Garden Surplus Yields Winter Treats for Goats
Our summer garden always produces more vegetables than we can possibly eat and preserve. We share some of the surplus as treats for our chickens. Our goats also get a small share of the bounty. But during the summer they...
Garden Treats for Chickens
Everybody loves a treat, and chickens are no exception. Fed in moderation, garden treats for chickens add variety to their diet. And they don’t contribute to obesity or dilute nutrients provided by layer ration. Summer Treats Chickens eat to meet...
Do Goats Eat Chickens?
Many of us who keep goats and chickens together in the same facility have certain issues to deal with. One is that a frisky goat might step on or head-butt a chicken, especially a young one. Another is that, given...
How to Pick a Ripe Watermelon
Learning how to pick a ripe watermelon is an important gardening skill. Picking a fresh melon in anticipation of its juicy sweetness, only to discover the melon isn’t nearly ripe, is a disappointing and frustrating experience. Doubly so, because unlike...