What are the opening hours?

Friday 3pm - 8pm Saturday 9am - 8pm Sunday 9am - 8pm

https://www.instagram.com/the_rustyrakehomestead?igsh=Mnp3YjV3OWl6Zm1r&utm_source=qr

The Rusty Rake Homestead, Holt, MI (2026)

03/15/2026

As Easter approaches, I put together a traditional Easter dinner menu to share with you all. ✝️🌷

For many families, Easter Sunday starts in church and ends gathered around the table. It’s a beautiful day to celebrate the hope and new life we have through the resurrection of Jesus.

I know holiday planning can sometimes feel overwhelming, so I created this suggested Easter dinner menu to be helpful. The graphics include the meal ideas along with the ingredient lists to make shopping and planning a little easier.

You’ll see classic, comforting favorites like ham, scalloped potatoes, glazed carrots, and the traditional sides that make Easter dinner feel special.

Feel free to use it as inspiration, follow it exactly, or adapt it for your own family traditions. My hope is that it helps make your Easter meal a little simpler so you can focus on what really matters.

Wishing you a blessed Easter season. ✝️🌷

What are some of your favorites for Easter?

03/15/2026

CASH is doing an awesome job so far protecting his ladies while free ranging! The ladies are also doing a fantastic job laying eggs!! Their egg production is increasing rapidly and I have 2 dozen eggs available! 🍳🪺5.00 each

03/13/2026

✨ FRIDAY PRE-ORDER IS OPEN! ✨March 13, 2026

How it works:
1️⃣ I post items every Friday morning
2️⃣ Comment to claim (first come, first served!)
3️⃣ I’ll DM your total + pickup details
4️⃣ Venmo only, due within 3 hours
5️⃣ Pre-orders close 7 PM Friday
📦 Pickup: Sunday 12–2 PM

***SELF SERVE FARMSTAND HOURS***
Farm Stand Update
Our self-serve stand will be paused for the winter and will reopen in the spring. During this time, The Rusty Rake Homestead will be moving to 100% pre-order, prepaid sales. Orders will be taken weekly every Friday with Sunday pickup from 12:00–2:00 PM. Thank you so much for your continued support through the slower season!

Be sure to check our page for updates to any possible changes!

COZY KITCHEN COLLECTION:
•3 Bean Chili Mix $1️⃣0️⃣
•White Chicken Chili Mix $1️⃣0️⃣
•Cornbread Mix $6️⃣
•Friendship Tea Mix $6️⃣
•Fireside Coffee Mix $6️⃣
•Bread Dipping Spice Kit$5️⃣
•Homemade Vanilla Extract 8oz (made with organic Vanilla beans)$2️⃣5️⃣1 available
•Gourmet Salad Croutons $6️⃣
•Rosemary Sea Salt $5️⃣ 3oz (Rosemary grown by us)

FARMSTAND FAVORITES:
•Artisan Bread$8️⃣
•FRESH EGGS $5️⃣doz (5 available-maybe 6)
•Artisan Jam RESTOCK $9️⃣ ea
•Strawberry 🍓-2 available
•Peach Cobbler 🍑 -4 available
•Mixed Berry (strawberry, blueberry, blackberry & raspberry) -2 available

FARMACY:
•Extracts*** (Mullein, Elderberry, Lemon Balm & ImmuniTEA)$3️⃣0️⃣
***mdard does not permit the use of the word “tincture”
•Organic Elderberry Oxymel 16 oz $2️⃣5️⃣(1 available)
•Elderberry Syrup Kit$2️⃣5️⃣
•Whipped Tallow made with all organic castor oil and frankincense $1️⃣5️⃣
•Skin Serum made with all organic Castor oil, Jojoba oil & Frankincense$1️⃣5️⃣
•Tallow Lip Balm Organic $8️⃣
•Transdermal Magnesium Spray$1️⃣5️⃣
•Organic Loofahs $5️⃣
•ALL NEW-Bath Salts(epsom salts, pink Himalayan sea salts. Dried rose petals & essential oils) $6️⃣

Thank you all for continuing to support our homestead through the winter season — this new system helps us reduce waste, stay organized, and make sure everyone gets the freshest goodies! ❤️🌱

***ALBUM LINK IN THE COMMENTS BELOW
This album is a new way for me to show you my items instead of reposting all my pics with descriptions repeatedly.

03/08/2026

One of the things that makes backyard eggs different from store-bought eggs is size variety.

In commercial egg production, eggs are sorted very strictly so every carton is the same size. Backyard flocks don’t work that way. Hens of different breeds and ages naturally lay eggs that vary in size, and that’s completely normal.

From my flock, eggs can range anywhere from small to jumbo, though most fall in the large to extra-large range. Instead of trying to make every egg identical, I focus on the overall weight of the dozen.

A standard dozen of large eggs typically weighs minimum 600 grams at 50 grams each. My dozens will always weigh at least 650 grams, and nine times out of ten they come in over 700+ grams. All of today’s dozens weighed in at OVER 700+ each.

So while you may see a mix of sizes in the carton, you’re still getting a full dozen of farm-fresh eggs from happy hens.

Price: $5 per dozen

That’s one of the small, honest differences between backyard eggs and grocery store eggs. Nature doesn’t make them all the same—and that’s part of the charm. 🥚

03/07/2026

One of the things we’ve really come to love in our coop is h**p animal bedding.

Inside the coop, h**p has been a great option for us. It’s extremely absorbent, helps control moisture, and keeps odors down much better than many traditional bedding options. A drier coop means a healthier environment for the flock, especially during the colder months when ventilation can be a little more limited.

Out in the run we normally use medium grit sand, which works really well for drainage and easy cleanup. But this time of year, when the flock still isn’t free ranging much, I like to add a few flakes of h**p bedding out there too.

Not for cleanliness… for enrichment.

Chickens are natural foragers. When I toss some h**p out in the run, they spend hours scratching, digging, and spreading it around themselves. It gives them something to do, keeps boredom down, and encourages their natural behaviors while they’re still mostly confined for the season.

The best part is that nothing goes to waste. After they’ve worked it over for a while, the used h**p can be scooped up and added right to the compost pile where it will eventually make its way back into the garden.

Healthy coop. Busy chickens. Future garden soil.

That’s a win all the way around. 🐓🌱

03/06/2026

✨ FRIDAY PRE-ORDER IS OPEN! ✨March 6, 2026

How it works:
1️⃣ I post items every Friday morning
2️⃣ Comment to claim (first come, first served!)
3️⃣ I’ll DM your total + pickup details
4️⃣ Venmo only, due within 3 hours
5️⃣ Pre-orders close 7 PM Friday
📦 Pickup: Sunday 12–2 PM

***SELF SERVE FARMSTAND HOURS***
Farm Stand Update
Our self-serve stand will be paused for the winter and will reopen in the spring. During this time, The Rusty Rake Homestead will be moving to 100% pre-order, prepaid sales. Orders will be taken weekly every Friday with Sunday pickup from 12:00–2:00 PM. Thank you so much for your continued support through the slower season!

Be sure to check our page for updates to any possible changes!

COZY KITCHEN COLLECTION:
•3 Bean Chili Mix $1️⃣0️⃣
•White Chicken Chili Mix $1️⃣0️⃣
•Cornbread Mix $6️⃣
•Friendship Tea Mix $6️⃣
•Fireside Coffee Mix $6️⃣
•Bread Dipping Spice Kit$5️⃣
•Homemade Vanilla Extract 8oz (made with organic Vanilla beans)$2️⃣5️⃣1 available
•Gourmet Salad Croutons $6️⃣
•Rosemary Sea Salt $5️⃣ 3oz (Rosemary grown by us)

FARMSTAND FAVORITES:
•Artisan Bread$8️⃣
•FRESH EGGS $5️⃣doz (5 available)
•Artisan Jam RESTOCK $9️⃣ ea
•Strawberry 🍓-2 available
•Peach Cobbler 🍑 -4 available
•Mixed Berry (strawberry, blueberry, blackberry & raspberry) -2 available

FARMACY:
•Extracts*** (Mullein, Elderberry, Lemon Balm & ImmuniTEA)$3️⃣0️⃣
***mdard does not permit the use of the word “tincture”
•Organic Elderberry Oxymel 16 oz $2️⃣5️⃣(2 available)
•Elderberry Syrup Kit$2️⃣5️⃣
•Whipped Tallow made with all organic castor oil and frankincense $1️⃣5️⃣
•Skin Serum made with all organic Castor oil, Jojoba oil & Frankincense$1️⃣5️⃣
•Tallow Lip Balm Organic $8️⃣
•Transdermal Magnesium Spray$1️⃣5️⃣
•Organic Loofahs $5️⃣
•ALL NEW-Bath Salts(epsom salts, pink Himalayan sea salts. Dried rose petals & essential oils) $6️⃣

Thank you all for continuing to support our homestead through the winter season — this new system helps us reduce waste, stay organized, and make sure everyone gets the freshest goodies! ❤️🌱

***ALBUM LINK IN THE COMMENTS BELOW
This album is a new way for me to show you my items instead of reposting all my pics with descriptions repeatedly.

03/04/2026

I used to think “treats” just meant tossing scratch on the ground and watching the stampede.

But chickens are smarter than we give them credit for. They need enrichment just like any other animal. Bored chickens pick on each other. Busy chickens mind their own business. 😉

So I added a few new treat dispensers from RentACoop to the coop and run, and let me tell you… it’s been better than reality TV.

Instead of inhaling treats in 30 seconds flat, they now have to peck, nudge, and work for it. It keeps them moving, spreads out the flock so the bossy hens don’t control everything, and gives their brains something to do. Natural foraging behavior is the goal.

We still use scratch as a treat a couple times a week, but putting it in a dispenser slows them down and turns snack time into an activity. It’s especially helpful during the colder months or muddy seasons when they’re not free ranging as much.

Think of it as a chicken puzzle toy… except the prize is food and the players are highly competitive feathered velociraptors.

Enrichment doesn’t have to be complicated. A little creativity goes a long way toward happier hens and a calmer coop. 🐔

03/03/2026

Let’s talk rooster to hen ratio for a minute.

You’ll usually hear 1 rooster to 10 hens. That’s the general “rule.” But technically that number is about breeding and fertilization, not necessarily about day-to-day flock harmony.

Real life isn’t always that tidy.

Age matters. Season matters. Hormones matter. Temperament matters. Some flocks do fine with fewer hens per rooster. Some absolutely do not. A young, enthusiastic rooster in spring is a whole different story than an older, calmer guy in winter.

And even in a good ratio… roosters still pick favorites.

Cash has decided Geraldine is his girl. And poor thing, it shows. She’s missing feathers across her back from being over-mated. When feathers thin out, other hens notice. If they start pecking at those bare spots and draw blood, it can escalate fast. Chickens are prey animals. They key in on weakness immediately.

That’s why having a way to isolate a hen is so important.

We have our runs divided with hardware cloth so Geraldine can rest and heal while still seeing the flock. They can see her, she can see them, and nobody “forgets” her. That makes reintegration much smoother when she’s ready to go back in.

Sometimes good animal husbandry just means being prepared before you need it.

It’s not dramatic. It’s not fancy. It’s just paying attention and having a plan. 🐓

03/02/2026

We are already seed starting and up potting tender small plants over here! Cmon Summer! 💐🌷🌸🌺🪻😎

03/01/2026

When we first started with just 6 young pullets, we had them on an organic starter feed from Kalmbach Feeds that fit their age perfectly. Simple and easy.

But then our flock grew… and so did their needs.

We brought in a Polish hen and her baby who turned out to be a surprise rooster (hello, Pablo 🐓). That’s when we learned ornamental breeds often need a bit more protein, and roosters should not be on a traditional layer formula because of the higher calcium. So we went back to the drawing board and did some research.

We pivoted to Kalmbach Flock Maker 20% so everyone could eat the same base feed safely. It’s lower calcium for Pablo, higher protein for our ornamental girls, and we offer oyster shell (calcium) and grit on the side. We also prefer pellets because we’ve noticed way less waste compared to crumble.

A couple times a week we give scratch as a treat. Right now it’s Kalmbach Henhouse Reserve Lovebug Edition, and I mix in Fertrell Breeder Supplement for an extra nutritional boost. They absolutely gobble it up.

Fertrell can be fed daily, but at around $50 for a 10-lb bag, we’re sticking with twice a week for now. Even with that, we’re already seeing improvement, and it seems to have helped a few hens get back to laying after their winter break.

I’ve learned there are so many ways to manage a flock. What works for ours might look different for someone else’s, and that’s okay. We’re just doing what fits our flock the best. 🐔🥚

02/28/2026

***CLAIMED!
2 dozen eggs available FCFS! 5️⃣ dozen
Porch pickup 3/1 Sunday afternoon noon-2pm
The ladies are really picking up with the extra daylight hours 🐓😍

02/27/2026

✨ FRIDAY PRE-ORDER IS OPEN! ✨February 27, 2026

How it works:
1️⃣ I post items every Friday morning
2️⃣ Comment to claim (first come, first served!)
3️⃣ I’ll DM your total + pickup details
4️⃣ Venmo only, due within 3 hours
5️⃣ Pre-orders close 7 PM Friday
📦 Pickup: Sunday 12–2 PM

***SELF SERVE FARMSTAND HOURS***
Farm Stand Update
Our self-serve stand will be paused for the winter and will reopen in the spring. During this time, The Rusty Rake Homestead will be moving to 100% pre-order, prepaid sales. Orders will be taken weekly every Friday with Sunday pickup from 12:00–2:00 PM. Thank you so much for your continued support through the slower season!

Be sure to check our page for updates to any possible changes!

COZY KITCHEN COLLECTION:
•3 Bean Chili Mix $1️⃣0️⃣
•White Chicken Chili Mix $1️⃣0️⃣
•Cornbread Mix $6️⃣
•Friendship Tea Mix $6️⃣
•Fireside Coffee Mix $6️⃣
•Bread Dipping Spice Kit$5️⃣
•Homemade Vanilla Extract 8oz (made with organic Vanilla beans)$2️⃣5️⃣1 available
•Cake Slices(vanilla/raspberry-3 slices available)$8️⃣ big enough for 2 people
•Gourmet Salad Croutons $6️⃣
•Rosemary Sea Salt $5️⃣ 3oz (Rosemary grown by us)

FARMSTAND FAVORITES:
•Artisan Bread$8️⃣
•FRESH EGGS $5️⃣doz (5 available)
•Artisan Jam RESTOCK $9️⃣ ea
•Strawberry 🍓-4 available
•Peach Cobbler 🍑 -4 available
•Mixed Berry (strawberry, blueberry, blackberry & raspberry) -4 available

FARMACY:
•Extracts*** (Mullein, Elderberry, Lemon Balm & ImmuniTEA)$3️⃣0️⃣
***mdard does not permit the use of the word “tincture”
•Organic Elderberry Oxymel 16 oz $2️⃣5️⃣
•Elderberry Syrup Kit$2️⃣5️⃣
•Whipped Tallow made with all organic castor oil and frankincense $1️⃣5️⃣
•Skin Serum made with all organic Castor oil, Jojoba oil & Frankincense$1️⃣5️⃣
•Tallow Lip Balm Organic $8️⃣
•Transdermal Magnesium Spray$1️⃣5️⃣
•Organic Loofahs $5️⃣
•All New Goats Milk Soaps $7️⃣(2 pack)
•ALL NEW-Bath Salts(epsom salts, pink Himalayan sea salts. Dried rose petals & essential oils) $6️⃣

Thank you all for continuing to support our homestead through the winter season — this new system helps us reduce waste, stay organized, and make sure everyone gets the freshest goodies! ❤️🌱

***ALBUM LINK IN THE COMMENTS BELOW
This album is a new way for me to show you my items instead of reposting all my pics with descriptions repeatedly.

The Rusty Rake Homestead

03/15/2026

03/15/2026

03/13/2026

03/08/2026

03/07/2026

03/06/2026

03/04/2026

03/03/2026

03/02/2026

03/01/2026

02/28/2026

02/27/2026

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