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Frankenmuth Farmers Market |
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A source for your freshest locally grown produce |
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Location of the Frankenmuth Farmers Market |
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Farmers' markets are an ancient method used by farmers worldwide to sell their produce directly to consumers. As U.S. food production became increasingly industrialized and specialized, farmers' markets were replaced by brokers and supermarkets. In the past two decades, however, farmers' markets in the U.S. have rapidly regained popularity. Farmers find a number of advantages in selling at farmers' markets. By selling directly to their customers without going through middlemen, farmers can charge retail prices for their produce. A farmers' market is a good place for new growers who are perfecting production skills and learning which products customers want most. In addition, many growers enjoy the interaction with customers and other vendors, and say "This is my social life!" For customers, too, the farmers' market is not just a place to buy food, but a social affair. A festive atmosphere helps to bring people to markets, where they can talk with farmers about how the produce was grown and how it can be prepared. |
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The Frankenmuth Farmers Market is located near Cass and Main Streets, between Harvest House Coffee and the Kite Craft Toy Company.
Parking can be found behind the Market and is accessible through the Zehnder’s Restaurant entrance on Main Street or via Cass Street. Visitors may also park across Main Street behind the Chamber Platz. |
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We invite you to visit us this year during Our 2010 Market Season. Market Days are every Saturday, Rain or Shine May 22nd through October 16th
Also, don’t Forget to Mark Your Calendars for this year’s Traditional Christkindlmarkt held festively on Thanksgiving weekend and this year, the following weekend, too ! |
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Web Sites of Interest
www.eatingwell.com www.cooksillustrated.com
“Both periodicals have fantastic recipes! I haven't come across a bad recipe yet. Both magazines overflow with lots of helpful information on cooking and on nutrition and healthy eating habits.”
“Cooks Illustrated - The only twist with this magazine is that they do not allow any advertising of products on their pages. If someone has a question about which salsa is the best, they will get a panel of judges together and run a taste test, plus they will cook with the products in their own test kitchens and find out which salsa is the best. It is really a great magazine.”
Heidi Enge
We encourage you to visit these other informative websites:
· The Frankenmuth News at: www.frankenmuthnews.com
· The Frankenmuth Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau at: www.frankenmuth.org · Michigan Farmers’ Market Association at: www.farmersmarkets.msu.edu · Farmers’ Markets listed by State—useful when planning your trip: www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/map.htm · Local Harvest — Real Food, Real Farmers, Real Community: www.localharvest.org · True Food Network — Community Supported Agriculture: www.truefoodnow.org/shoppersguide/sustainable.html
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“All For” Farmers Markets!
As most farmers markets are nonprofit organizations, they are only able to rely on grassroots marketing efforts and word of mouth to promote the importance of markets. The public’s cooperation in spreading the word is extremely important to markets’ long-term success. Help the volunteer-organized, nonprofit markets in your area, and you will in turn reap many benefits for your community.
Farmers markets positively influence their region in so many ways. Benefits provided include: the freshest local, flavorful produce; affordable, convenient, healthful products; connection to food and nutrition for youth; preserving open space and productive land; social interaction and enrichment; united communities; education and entertainment; reduced pollution and oil dependency; environmental awareness; strengthened local economies; preserving heritage; and many, many more. With farmers markets encompassing so many aspects of life including culture, economy, agriculture, ecology, and society, everyone is able to benefit from them. However, not everyone takes advantage of their local markets. One trip is all it may take to have them returning again and again for the positive experience. Live music, educational and informational booths, cooking demonstrations, children’s events and activities, product sampling, and the exchange of goods and information between producer and consumer enrich a region in a venue and phenomenon unmatched by any other in today’s society. The popularity of markets is on the rise as their number has more than doubled from 1,800 in 1994 to over 3,800 today. Convincing everyone to support their local farmers market is key to the continued survival and growth of these markets.
Farmers markets contribute substantially to the local economy by keeping funds within a region, preventing their funneling to out-of-state agribusiness corporations. For instance, only 22 cents if the average retail food dollar ends up in the hands of the farmers who produced the food. This is not too surprising, considering the average food item travels 1,500 miles before it is consumed. Farmers markets eliminate the middlemen, directing 100% of the food dollar to the farmers while often creating lower prices for consumers, a win-win situation for both sides. The region benefits even more because family farms tend to support other local, family businesses, who in turn support other local businesses, multiplying the power of the monetary flow in a region.
This is especially critical in Michigan’s current state of economic difficulties. With mid-Michigan being a largely agricultural region, farmers markets play an even more vital role in the area’s economic prosperity. While an economy may shift as consumer demands and foreign influences change, such as in the automobile industry, the need for food is a constant one and one that will grow in the future as the population grows. Every major city in the U.S. has its own or several farmers markets, and the trend is now spreading to more rural areas where it can more powerfully influence a greater portion of the local economy.
Farmers work year-round to provide society with three meals a day, every day of the year. We can help give back to them by supporting farmers markets and inviting friends and family members to the market if they have not yet been. Citizens can further support their local economies by frequenting locally owned businesses and restaurants and purchasing locally made products whenever possible, such as Michigan sugar. Please support and shop from your local market, and spread the word about the power of farmers markets. |
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The following article appears in the July 28, 2010 edition of the Frankenmuth News
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The following article appeared in the July 21, 2010 edition of the Frankenmuth News
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Would you please take our Frankenmuth Farmers Market e-Surveys? Please follow each of these links:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/56TC96N
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/56MVM8X
THANK YOU for your efforts to help the Market! |
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Jarhead, Jerk & Jerky
by Dietrich Bronner
8am-2pm Saturday in Downtown Frankenmuth:
· Music by Frankenmuth Credit Union: Pianist Keith Boesnecker · Nutritionist Chelsea Burk
-Weekday Farmers Market 4-7pm Every Wednesday at Covenant MedExpress
Summer’s surge of plump produce is flowing from fields to farmers market tables to thousands of dining tables around town. You know you’ll find even more fresh, local foods at your Market as the season continues. But you never know what else you’ll find at your Market! Last Saturday saw no fewer than 8 new vendors with intriguing artisanal products for your exploration and enjoyment. An ever-rotating assembly of producers each Market day means you’re guaranteed a good supply of surprises! Heating things up with a golden cause, Jar Head Salsa (www.jarheadsalsa.com) was developed by Gunnery Sgt. Dave Smith at his U.S. Marine Corps base. Now using a top-secret blend of farmers market vegetables, this superb salsa with a uniquely sweet touch of Michigan sugar is produced 150 pints per batch in Flint, with 10% of sales donated to Veterans of Foreign Wars. Sansonetti’s latest addition to their luscious line-up of sauces is Neon Palm Jamaican Jerk Sauce. This ultra-flavorful multi-use sauce is superb slathered on any meat as a marinade or condiment, blended with mayo for sandwiches or seafood, or mixed into dips and spreads. Sansonetti’s “free” samples of their sauces will “sell” you in the end…they are all that good! Relish their Roasted Red Pepper Mustard, which won a gold medal in Napa Valley’s 2010 World Wide Mustard Competition. Jerking you from Jerk Sauce to Jerky, Country Style Premium Jerky is new at the Market this year with nine flavors of Jerky and Hunter Sausage. Four generations of hunting traditions and family recipes help Bay City’s Carl and Leanne Pressler transform extra-lean top round of beef into flavorful jerky favorites like Honey BBQ or Sweet ‘n Hot. Cherry Maple Turkey Jerky is a super snack (or salad ingredient, below!). Hunter Sausage satisfies with flavors like Fresh Garlic or Teriyaki. Although these shelf-stable products require no refrigeration, locals who come back for three or four packages every single week apparently can’t resist the savory snacks for long. Pick up a peck of peppered jerky along with Country Style’s giant dill pickles, authentic Hausbeck-grown nostalgic treats with 87 years of Saginaw tradition. In fact, Hausbeck supplies these salty dills exclusively to Country Style and no one else. They sell out every Saturday, so pick a fresh pickle from the barrel when you see the giant pickle hanging from Country Style’s booth. Sample all these products this Saturday, then savor them all week long.
Honeyrockin’ Sweet Corn & Cool Cuke Salad 2 cups of ¾” cantaloupe cubes ½ cucumber, thinly sliced Kernels from 2 cooked cobs of corn Handful of lettuce leaves 1 green onion, thinly sliced ½ bell pepper, thinly sliced A few sprigs each of basil, cilantro, and mint, torn ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled 1 oz. Country Style Cherry Maple Jerky, thinly sliced 2 Tbsp. each olive oil and white balsamic vinegar 2 tsp. honey Combine all ingredients, season with salt and pepper, and toss thoroughly. –Recipe by Dietrich Bronner
Full article available at www.frankenmuthfarmersmarket.org |
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Taking Credit (Cards)
by Dietrich Bronner
8am-2pm Saturday in Downtown Frankenmuth:
· Music by Frankenmuth Credit Union: Guitarist Riley McLincha · Frankenmuth Police Dept. · Nutritionist Chelsea Burk: Diet & Diabetes
-Weekday Farmers Market 4-7pm Every Wednesday at Covenant MedExpress
Your Frankenmuth Farmers Market now takes credit cards, debit cards, and EBTs (electronic benefit transfers). Simultaneously preserving our rural heritage while foraying into the future, your Market is making change in your local food supply while getting rid of loose change in your pockets. Market Mistress Laurajeanne Kehn diligently obtained grant funding to implement a new credit/debit card processing machine at your Market. Swing to the Info Booth, swipe your card, and receive “wooden nickels” worth $1 each to pay your farmers. No more worrying about bringing enough bills to your Market…just bring your credit/debit card and take home loads of local luscious produce. If you don’t use all your wooden nickels, simply bring them back to the next Market—or tip the Market musicians so they can refuel on fresh produce after 6 hours of playing! Part of SNAP (USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), the new system also accepts EBT usage through the Bridge Card, Michigan’s food assistance program that supplies fresh, wholesome food to those in need. This program is especially critical in “food deserts” such as Saginaw and Detroit that would lack a source of fresh food without farmers markets. Laurajeanne Kehn said, “I’m so proud the grant support has allowed the Market to now serve all populations in Saginaw County and beyond with good, fresh food that all deserve.” Bring your plastic and your plastic bags! We’ll take credit for helping you go paperless!
Double Brown Butter/Berry Tart Berried treasure awaits in brown butter flavored filling and crust. In light-colored saucepan, whisk 12 Tbsp. butter over medium heat until deep nutty brown and fragrant, about 6 minutes. (Do not burn!) Immediately pour browned butter into glass measuring cup. For crust, stir up the melted browned butter and mix together 5 Tbsp. of it, 1/3 cup sugar, pinch of salt, and ¼ tsp. vanilla. Add 1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. Hampshire Farms pastry flour; stir until mixed. Spread dough on bottom and sides of a greased 9” pie plate or tart pan. Bake 16-17 minutes at 375°F until lightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool. For filling, whisk together ½ cup sugar, 2 J-Land Farm eggs, and pinch of salt. Add ¼ cup Hampshire Farms pastry flour and 1 tsp. vanilla. Slowly whisk in remaining 7 Tbsp. melted browned butter until blended. Spread 1 cup of Market blueberries and 1 cup of Market raspberries in baked crust. Pour filling overtop. Bake at 375°F on a baking sheet 35-40 minutes, until toothpick in center barely comes out clean. Cool. Garnish with mint and dust with powdered sugar. -Dietrich
Full article available at www.frankenmuthfarmersmarket.org |