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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 next year during Our 2010 Market Season. Market Days are every Saturday, Rain or Shine
Also, don’t Forget to Mark Your Calendars for next year’s Traditional Christkindlmarkt held on Thanksgiving weekend ! |
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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 February 10, 2010 edition of the Frankenmuth News
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The following article appeared in the January 20, 2010 edition of the Frankenmuth News
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Alive Thanks to Farmers
by Dietrich Bronner
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day last Monday inspires equality for all people of all nations, that all on this planet may live together as one population. As we work to achieve this goal across the world, we can start on a local level, within our own towns, amongst our friends and neighbors. Unfortunately, one segment of our citizens seems a segment apart. Working long hours for little pay and respect, reaping few rewards other than the satisfaction of the harvest, and, quite frankly, often considered a class apart from the rest, farmers don’t seem to find the favor and respect we should show them. Every occupation is important. Each person is a puzzle piece fitting perfectly into the overall economic scheme that employs individuals who use their personal gifts and skills to contribute to the whole. This is most certainly an amazing and fortunate arrangement of circumstances! Who is to say that one occupation is more important than another? From bakers to bankers to builders, one piece taken out of this economic masterpiece would sorely be missed. Fortunately, we are all able to contribute to our economy thanks to the fuel provided us by our farmers. With soil and sunlight, farmers fortify our community, our nation, and our world with food, the energy that fuels us to go about our own goals and ambitions. Were it not for our farmers, we would all have to grow our own food, keeping us from contributing in the ways we do now. Farmers make the world go around! Regretfully, farmers seem relegated to certain sect of society, perhaps a step down from the rest. They don’t seem to quite get the respect they deserve for their hard work, being at the mercy of the weather, tireless and unending hours in the fields, late nights and early mornings, and the required financial gambling required of them with little to no guaranteed return on investment. Each season, farmers stick their neck out and risk everything for us. In other words, few would choose farming as a lucrative career. Yet it is the passion, the determination, and the satisfaction that drives a farmer to fuel the world. No farmers, no food! Know your farmers, know your food. Let’s celebrate the celebrity of the farmers, the folks who feed us day in and day out. Let’s herald our local heroes! We are alive thanks to farmers. Let’s let them know our thanks and gratitude as we elevate their status in society to the hard-working, life-saving heroes they are!
Sauerkraut Soup 32-oz. local sauerkraut, lightly rinsed 4 cubes beef bouillon 2 Tbsp. ham soup base 2 cups cubed potatoes 1 cup chopped celery ˝ cup chopped onion 1 pkg. local bratwursts, grilled, sliced into coins Optional: 2 Tbsp. caraway seeds In large crockpot or pan, combine sauerkraut, beef bouillon, ham soup base, and enough water to cover. Simmer 2 hours. Add potatoes, celery, onion, and sliced bratwurst. Simmer until potatoes are tender. –Recipe by Peggy Day
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I ♥ Frankenmuth – A Valentine for Our Valiant Town
by Dietrich Bronner
With Valentine’s Day making a romantic out of even the most stoic, our loved ones receive an extra helping of affection (and chocolate!) this Sunday. As we are blessed and free in our country to celebrate the day as we please, we are also fortunate to live in our unique town bestowed with so many blessings and opportunities. Oh, Frankenmuth, how we love thee, and we can only begin here to count the ways! Our town was settled by missionaries who spread the word of Christ in the New World. Still to this day, our Christian values provide so much peace, guidance, and prosperity. An excellent school system and Community Education provide constant opportunities for enrichment to all. Our library, Historical Museum, Military Museum, and more preserve the past for the future. Bolstered by the City Beautification Committee, City, DDA, businesses and residents, the beauty of our charming town could best any other in the nation! Along with a farmers market, festivals and events every week of the year offer entertainment and enrichment, truly creating community. Familiar faces and friends on the streets spark up conversations. Many civic organizations enhance every facet of our existence. Locally owned stores serve up an awesome array of offerings. You needn’t venture beyond Main Street for anything from 11-year-old cheddar to 11-inch screws. If the way to one’s heart is through the stomach, the restaurants, foods shops, and farmers market successfully court us all. We can travel around the world through our restaurants with stops in Germany, Boston, Italy, China, Mexico, and more. Bringing it all back to love, people are what truly make our community. Residents, leaders, and volunteers strive to create a perfect place for living, laughing, loving, and leading our lives into a prosperous future. Happy Valentine’s Day! And Happy Fat Tuesday, too! Balance out your chocolate overload by pre-ordering paczki for February 16. Call Butter Crust Bakery at (989) 777-3680 before this Sunday for paczki locally scratch made with Star of the West flour from an heirloom, Polish family recipe, and overflowing with fillings of apple, lemon, cherry, prune, custard, blueberry, cream, chocolate, raisin, raspberry, pineapple, or strawberry.
Hot Truffle Chocolate -5 Tbsp. cocoa powder -pinch salt -6 ounces of your favorite truffles or chocolates, finely chopped, from Frankenmuth Fun Ships Chocolates & More -2 cups non/low/full-fat milk, half & half, or cream In saucepan over low heat, combine cocoa, salt, and 2 Tbsp. of the milk. Stir constantly to combine; do not boil. Slowly stir in remaining milk and heat almost to a simmer. Stir in chopped chocolate until melted, smooth and hot. Serve.
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