natural | Better Hens and Gardens

Beautiful Natural Pine Cone Ornaments

These natural pine cone ornaments are not only beautiful; they’re easy to make and inexpensive as well. All it takes are some pinecones (gathered for free in our case), spray paint, ribbon, and a glue gun. I chose to make them using metallic gold paint and gold ribbon, but they could be made in whatever color suited the decorating situation.

Simply spray the pine cones with the paint, let dry, and attach the ribbon with the glue gun so they can be hung from the tree. I used prefab ribbon hangers – they were inexpensive and it was worth it to me not to deal with creating [...]

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Choices in Egg Quality

In the US today, we’re being offered more and more choices in food quality; and it’s because many of us are demanding locally grown foods that are antibiotic, hormone, and pesticide free. In terms of eggs quality, it’s not clear sometimes what the choices mean – here’s a rundown on the different types of eggs:

Commercial or “Factory Farmed” Eggs

These are the standard grocery store eggs; and unfortunately, the “farms” that produce these eggs are typically poultry houses where the hens are housed indoors in tiny metal cages. They’re routinely debeaked (part of their beaks are cut [...]

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