“Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest.”—Proverbs 20:4 Farming is unforgiving. You can’t plant whenever you feel like it. You can’t wait until it’s convenient. You can’t ignore the seasons and expect the land to produce anyway. If the work isn’t done at the right time,Continue reading “Farm Table Talk: The Work Comes Before the Harvest”
Author Archives: Traci Houston
If You Give a Homesteader a Bumper Crop of Root Vegetables
If you give a homesteader a bumper crop of root vegetables, they’re going to want to store them properly. They’ll start by layering carrots, beets, and parsnips in sand. Storing them in sand will remind them that potatoes need burlap sacks. Finding space for sacks will lead them to reorganizing the pantry. While reorganizing theContinue reading “If You Give a Homesteader a Bumper Crop of Root Vegetables”
Cowboy Cuisine: From Chuckwagon Meals to Modern Ranch Fare
The life of a cowboy is tough, demanding, and deeply rooted in the American West’s rugged landscapes. While the romantic image of the cowboy on horseback herding cattle across vast plains is widely celebrated, the culinary traditions that sustained these hardworking cowboys often remain unsung. Cowboy cuisine has a rich history, from the no-frills mealsContinue reading “Cowboy Cuisine: From Chuckwagon Meals to Modern Ranch Fare”
Farm Table Talk: Burnout Is a Season Too
Let’s be honest—this isn’t the article we wanted to write. We’d rather be talking about a bumper harvest or some wild new rabbit genetics or a witty anecdote from duck wrangling. But right now? Those stories feel like they belong to someone else. This story—the one we’re living—is about burnout. The kind that sneaks inContinue reading “Farm Table Talk: Burnout Is a Season Too”
Sex-Linked Chickens: How Genetics Predict Chick Color and Traits from Hatch
For poultry breeders looking to identify male and female chicks at hatch, sex-linked genetics offer a reliable shortcut. Unlike standard breeds where chicks look identical for weeks before their gender becomes apparent, sex-linked birds show differences right away, making sorting and management much easier. Sex-linked traits in chickens occur when certain feather color genes areContinue reading “Sex-Linked Chickens: How Genetics Predict Chick Color and Traits from Hatch”
Farm Table Talk: Learning From the Land
“But ask the animals what they think—let them teach you; let the birds tell you what’s going on. Put your ear to the earth—learn the basics. Listen—the fish in the ocean will tell you their stories. Isn’t it clear that they all know and agree that God is sovereign, that He holds all things inContinue reading “Farm Table Talk: Learning From the Land”
Farm Table Talk: The Worm Box Experiment
“Why would you eat something worms won’t eat?” That was the question posed to a group of middle school students after a week-long experiment in an 8-foot-long worm box. The setup was simple: half the box was stocked with real food—an apple, a banana, beef, boiled eggs, and fresh green beans. The other half? AContinue reading “Farm Table Talk: The Worm Box Experiment”
Dilution in Rabbits: Understanding the D/d Gene and Its Effect on Color
Rabbit coat colors can range from deep, rich shades to soft, muted tones, and one of the key genetic players in determining intensity is the D/d gene—the dilution gene. This gene decides whether a rabbit’s color appears at full strength (D_) or is diluted down to a lighter version (dd). Unlike some coat genes thatContinue reading “Dilution in Rabbits: Understanding the D/d Gene and Its Effect on Color”
Farm Table Talk: When Experience Trumps Facts—Or, Why Some People Will Never Consider They Could Be Wrong
There’s a particular kind of frustration that comes from debating someone who refuses to entertain the possibility that they might be wrong. Not just skepticism, not just hesitation—full-scale, impenetrable denial that someone else’s knowledge, research, or experience could possibly challenge their worldview. Take rabbit genetics. I recently had a conversation with a breeder who wasContinue reading “Farm Table Talk: When Experience Trumps Facts—Or, Why Some People Will Never Consider They Could Be Wrong”
The Worm Test: How Earthworm Activity Reveals Soil Health
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of plunging your hand into rich, loose soil and discovering it crawling with earthworms. It’s a moment of affirmation—a sign that the soil is alive, thriving, and responding well to your care. Earthworms aren’t just garden companions; they’re nature’s soil inspectors. Their presence (or absence) tells us a lotContinue reading “The Worm Test: How Earthworm Activity Reveals Soil Health”
