One of the questions I get asked most often is how we manage everything on the homestead while still working full-time jobs. The answer is simple: a lot of our work happens long before most people start their day.
This morning started bright and early at 3:00 a.m.
While most of the world was still asleep, the homestead was already waking up. The coffee was brewing, the kitchen lights were on, and I was beginning preparations for what I hope will be another successful weekend at the farmstand.
Our goal is to keep the farmstand stocked and open from Friday through Monday. While customers may only see the finished products sitting neatly on the shelves, what they don’t always see is the amount of planning, preparation, and work that goes into making that happen.
This morning’s focus was chocolate chip cookies.
Not baking them quite yet—but preparing the dough.
One of the secrets to a really good chocolate chip cookie is patience. After mixing the dough, I portioned the cookies and placed them in the refrigerator. Allowing cookie dough to rest gives the flour time to fully hydrate and allows the flavors to develop. The result is a richer, more flavorful cookie with a better texture than dough baked immediately after mixing.
The actual baking won’t begin until later this afternoon, but the prep work starts many hours before the first tray ever enters the oven.
Of course, I couldn’t resist baking a single cookie.
Just one.
My husband is still asleep while I’m writing this, and when it’s time to bring him his morning coffee, he’ll have a warm chocolate chip cookie waiting alongside it. Sometimes it’s the little things that make an early morning feel special.
But baking is only one part of the morning routine.
Animals don’t care that it’s 3:00 a.m. or that there’s cookie dough waiting to be mixed.
The chickens and turkeys still need breakfast. Waterers need to be checked. Feed needs to be distributed. Everyone gets a quick health check as I make my rounds.
Then there’s Tater Tot, our Russian tortoise, who starts each day with a soak and breakfast. The bunny gets fed and checked on. The dogs, Daisy and Possum, are always eager to start their day as well and make sure I don’t forget their breakfast.
By the time many people are just beginning to think about waking up, a surprising amount has already been accomplished.
This weekend is shaping up to be a busy one for another reason as well. We will be meeting with customers who signed up to purchase our Cornish Cross chickens. Last weekend was processing weekend here on the homestead, and after a long day of harvesting, chilling, packaging, and labeling birds, we are finally ready to begin getting them into the hands of the families who reserved them.
There’s something incredibly rewarding about reaching this point in the process. From the day the chicks arrived, we knew exactly what their purpose would be. Over the past nine weeks, we’ve spent countless hours feeding, watering, monitoring their health, protecting them from the weather, and ensuring they received the best care possible. Now we get to see the final result of all that work.
Many of our customers signed up weeks ago, and we’re excited to finally meet with them at the farmstand this weekend. For us, raising meat birds isn’t just about producing food—it’s about helping connect people to where their food comes from. We enjoy answering questions, sharing what we’ve learned, and helping families feel confident about purchasing locally raised poultry.
That’s one of the things I love most about homesteading.
There is a rhythm to it.
The early mornings aren’t always easy. There are certainly days when staying in bed sounds appealing. But there is something deeply satisfying about watching the day begin while knowing you’ve already accomplished meaningful work before sunrise.
Those quiet hours before dawn often become some of my favorite moments of the day. The homestead is peaceful. The animals are content. The coffee is hot. The to-do list is moving in the right direction.
By 5:00 a.m., it can feel like an entire day’s worth of work has already taken place.
And honestly?
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The farmstand may only be open for a few days each week, but every loaf of bread, every cookie, every basket of vegetables, every carton of eggs, and now every chicken represents hours of preparation behind the scenes. It’s work that starts early, often before the sun rises, but it’s work that brings a tremendous amount of joy.
As we head into another farmstand weekend, I’m grateful for the opportunity to provide fresh food to our community and to connect with customers who value knowing where their food comes from. From fresh-baked treats to locally raised poultry, every item in the farmstand tells a story of hard work, stewardship, and a commitment to producing quality food.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a husband to wake up with coffee and a warm chocolate chip cookie.
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