PHOTO: iStock/ThinkstockOur chickens are fun and friendly, and we enjoy having them in our lives, but let’s be honest: We’re in it for the eggs. Keeping laying hens is an educational experience—a daily lesson that reminds us that our food is the product of another being’s energy and hard work. It can be frustrating when our girls’ eggs get lost, crack or lose their freshness.

Home /Gardening /Gardening in the SnowPhoto by Jessica WalliserI’m having a hard time thinking about gardening with 30 inches of snow on the ground. It took us three hours to shovel a path to the chicken coop and clear out an area for them to ‘run.’ They aren’t very happy these days and I’m trying my best to remain happy myself.

Photo by Rachael BruggerI’ve heard this statistic many times, but each and every time I come across it, I’m startled and saddened by what it represents for the people of our country: one in six people in the U.S. do not know where their next meal is coming from.That data, provided by Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks, translates to more than 52 million men, women and children in what is presumably one of the wealthiest countries in the world classified as “food insecure.

Home /Urban Farming /10 Ways To Be More Self SufficientHobby Farms publishes the info you need to know to run a small-scale, sustainable farm.MORE ARTICLESNext UpJenna Lee Panehal-Pelayo from the South Carolina mini-farm explains how goat yoga sessions with Nigerian Dwarf goats bring smiles to the faces of guests.

Home /Gardening /4 Flowering TreesPhoto by Jessica WalliserThe flowers on my Moonglow sweetbay magnolia tree smell like heaven.This has been a great year for our flowering trees. Although many of them were planted just last year, they were stellar bloomers this spring. I think our warm winter and earlier-than-usual spring played a role in making them so outstanding this year.

Why Are They Called Devil Trees?Early-day ranchers like W.T. Waggoner called mesquite “the devil with roots” because it absorbs all of the water in its surroundings, causing other plants and trees to wither away and die. This, in turn, allows more mesquites to move in and take over. Last but not least, this tree has positively vicious thorns.