Backyard Chickens
How to Protect Chickens From Predators: 12 Proven Ways
Every chicken keeper I know has a predator story, and mine still stings: my third spring with chickens, I lost two hens in one…
Author: Ames Family Farm
Farm Recipes
How to Make Kombucha at Home: Easy Beginner’s Guide
The first time someone handed me a glass of homemade kombucha, I braced myself for something that tasted like a science experiment. Instead, it…
Farm Recipes
Bread and Butter Pickles: A Sweet, Crunchy Canning Recipe
There’s a jar in my pantry right now that I guard like it contains something precious. Sweet, tangy, shatteringly crisp cucumber slices in a…
Backyard Chickens
Feeding Chickens During Fall Molt: The Protein Playbook
The first October with our flock, I walked into the run and panicked. Feathers everywhere. Bare patches on two of my best layers. One…
Homesteading
Plant Garlic This Fall: 7 Steps to a Huge Summer Harvest
The first fall I planted garlic, I almost talked myself out of it. October was already busy — the garden was winding down, the…
Farm Recipes
9 Pumpkin Baking Recipes That Beat the Basic Pie
Every October, my kitchen smells like cinnamon for about six weeks straight. It starts when the pumpkins come in — the big carving ones…
Farm Recipes
Apple Butter Canning Recipe: Slow, Sweet, Shelf-Stable
Every fall, there’s a moment when I realize I have too many apples. The trees are loaded, the neighbors are dropping off bags of…
Farm Recipes
10 Dump-and-Go Crockpot Dinners for Busy Fall Days
There’s a stretch every October on our homestead where the daylight just vanishes. I’m hauling firewood at dusk, the garden needs its final clearing,…
Farm Recipes
Canning Apple Pie Filling (No Clear Jel Needed)
Every fall I watch the same drama play out in canning groups: someone wants to can apple pie filling, the recipe calls for Clear…
Backyard Chickens
Chicken Mites: How to Find and Get Rid of Them Fast
Nothing makes a chicken keeper’s stomach drop like finding mites. Your hens look a little ragged, egg production dips for no obvious reason, and…