1)  What are the hours for the Market Shed?

Rustic Roots Farm Market Shed is open from 7 am-8pm daily. It is a self serve farmer’s market storefront. It is located at the roadside at 7995 Scully Rd, Dexter, MI 48130. Preferred method of payment is exact cash (there is a cash drop box), Venmo, or Paypal. Please write down what you ordered on the clipboard. Throughout the season, there are staples of raw honey, creamed honey, pasture raised chicken eggs, jams, herbs, garlic, maple syrup (from a farmer friend), beeswax cream, wood products, salsa, pickles, and 100% beeswax bars. Seasonally, there are apples, peaches, pears, honeycomb, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, potatoes, live plants and trees, cut flowers, grapes, hops, wool batting comforters, butcher blocks, and occasionally baked goods. We also do custom woodworking primarily in the winter months.

2) What's the difference between Spring honey and Fall honey?                                                  

Local beekeepers take the time to separate and bottle honey at different times of the year. The honey tastes and looks distinctly different from it's counterparts. Spring raw honey is a lighter, milder flavored honey. It's harvested in the late spring so therefore has many of the earliest pollen from clover and early blooming trees. Fall raw honey is a darker, richer flavored honey. It is more of an amber color compared to the spring lighter yellow honey. It's harvested in the late fall so therefore has many of the pollen from goldenrod, aster, and other late blooming trees and plants. 

3) How many beehives do you have?

On average we have 50 beehives. This number changes as some hives do not make it over the winter and we split the hives in the spring to add more. We have four bee yards. One is at Rustic Roots Farm, one is at my mother and father in laws farm, another is at a (lovely) neighbors property on Scully rd., and the last is in a forested area known as Camp Woodbury. We also sell nucs (nuclear package-better known as beginner beehives) in the spring for the burgeoning beekeeper.

4) How many sheep do you have? 

Currently, 20 Shetland sheep, a heritage breed, on my mother-in-law's farm. We sell the wool for comforters, roving, and yarn.

5) How many goats do you have? What kind are they?

Currently, two. We plan on breeding them next year to produce goat’s milk. They are Nigerian Dwarf goats. Their milk has the highest level of butterfat content making it very creamy.

6)  I'm interested in beekeeping. Where are some resources for information? 

https://pollinators.msu.edu/resources/beekeepers/michigan-beekeeping-rules-and-regulations/. Also, consider joining the Chelsea Area Beekeepers club for local insight.

7)  Do you take back egg cartons and honey jars?

Yes! I recycle and use whatever I can and appreciate putting these items into reuse. The same goes for any packaging material. Frequently I put out text messages to my extended family members asking for donations of shipping boxes and packaging material. This helps keeps costs lower as well as reducing waste in the environment.

8) How many chickens do you have?

Roughly from 60-80 hens and 4 roosters at a time. This is what I strive for. Some are 5 years old now! New chicks will be coming along this year to keep up with demand.

9) How are your chickens raised?

Our hens are raised alongside roosters on our 10 acre farm. They are pasture raised, on grass, meaning they have access to the outdoors every single day of the year. They can freely go as they please. You will often see them in the front yard. They are cooped up at night in a barn and an automatic door opens and closes at night to keep them protected from predators. We have a border collie who runs around the farm, two loud mouth goats who pasture alongside the chickens, and the roosters who do a great job warning of predators, usually hawks. We live on a forested property with an abundance of natural food sources. They are fed non-GMO Dexter Mill feed along with food scraps and goodies from the garden. The eggs range in color from browns to blues to greens.

10) What kind of wood products do you offer?

Everything under the sun! Kidding. I will work with you to get what you are looking for. We have lots of wood available now that has been kiln dried and ready to be finished. You can schedule a barn tour to come and see all the wood varieties available.