Opening Wednesday, July 3rd – Sweetwater Pop-up Farmers’ Market at
Tanglewood Park in the heart of Norton Shores!
The Sweetwater Local Foods Market, West Michigan’s “healthy, humane & homegrown” farmers market currently operating every Saturday from 9:00am to 1:00pm at the Mercy Partners Lakes Campus building on Harvey St. near Pontaluna Rd., is “kicking it up a notch” this summer; adding a second weekday evening “pop-up” market beginning Wednesday, July 3rd from 5:00p.m. to 7:00p.m.in the parking lot of Tanglewood Park Services, 560 Seminole Rd. in Norton Shores.
As long-time customers of Sweetwater know, the market supports and encourages organic and sustainable growing practices, requiring all who sell at the market to sign a Pledge to Our Customers that details those organic and GMO-free practices. The market began operations in July of 2005 at Russ’ Restaurant parking lot and after a search for a year-round location began operating full time in 2007 at the Mercy Partners Lakes Campus location.
With organic farming becoming one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. agriculture (even during the worst of the economic woes of 2000-2008, the industry grew at an annual rate of around 18%), the decision to open a second market was easy. “Consumers are becoming increasingly selective about where they will spend their food dollars, making those decisions based on their values and awareness about health and environmental concerns,” said Diana Jancek, Sweetwater’s co-founder & market manager. “For them, it matters whether foods are genetically engineered, or produced using practices that are good for their families.”
The new “pop-up” Market will run every Wednesday from July 3rd until late September from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Locally grown fresh produce, baked goods, cheeses, meats and more will be featured. The Market is conveniently located on the Sixth Street MATS bus line that makes stops at that location every hour on the hour. http://www.matsbus.com/schedules-and-maps/sixth.
Sweetwater board member Patrice Bobier of Earthscape Farm commented that “We are extremely grateful for the staff at Tanglewood Park, especially Executive Director of Senior Resources, Pam Curtis, who helped to make this new market possible.”
Visit the Good Food News blog at http://sweetwaterlocalfoodsmarket.wordpress.com/ where a weekly market newsletter is posted, and also the Sweetwater Local Foods market Facebook page for up-to-date information.
Saturday, April 27th, 2013, 9:00am to 1:00pm Mercy Health Partners Lakes Campus
On 6401 Harvey St. at US31/Pontaluna Rd. Exit. 1st Bldg North of Pontaluna Rd.
We accept Bridge Cards Year Round!
Attending this week’s market:
New! Sweetwater Pre-Ordering Service Begins Sunday, April 28th!
Creswick Farms will be leaving the market as of April 27th, and we wish them well.
We know that some of you who prefer the convenience of pre-ordering your meat are wondering if that can continue at Sweetwater, and the answer is YES!
Beginning this Sunday, April 28th you will be receiving an email from the market with price lists and ordering info from the following farms: Earthscape Farm (beef & eggs), Chickadee CreekFarm (pork & eggs), Liberty Family Farm (lamb, chicken, pork & eggs), Hickory Ridge Family Farm (pork, chicken & eggs), and Maple Moon Farm (pork & eggs).
You will have several days to put an order in which we will send off to the individual farms who will fill the orders and bring them to the market. If this service goes as well as we think it will we may expand it to offer other items as well! Thanks for your loyalty to our little market!
Shady Side Farm of Holland
Lona from Shady Side Farm will be at market with their certified organic dry beans. This week’s special is the Jacob’s Cattle Bean. The 2-lb. bags of these beautiful red beans will be available for $10, regularly $11.50. In addition, she will have Grassfields Farm Cheese along this week in the following flavors: Country Dill, Edam, Gouda, Lamont Cheddar, Leyden, and Polkton Corners. Lona is trying out some new real-estate this week–look for her on the south side of the stairs, over by Earthscape. Questions? Contact Shady Side Farm shadysidefarmmichigan@gmail.com
Chickadee Creek Farm of Nunica
The weather is FINALLY warm enough to think about grilling! May we suggest some of our favorites: Juicy Ribs, and Plenty of Pork Chops & Steaks too! We’ll also have our delicious picnic hams, smoked ham slices, smoked hocks and more! Our Mulefoot pork was selected as a Heritage Breed by the Slow Ark of Food.
Maple Moon Farm of Shelby
This week we have a variety of greens; baby lettuce salad mix, kale, and spinach.
Mother Nature has grown ramps and garlic chives. These have intense and incredible flavors! Ramps are delicate and unfortunately are often over and improperly harvested. We are committed to sustainable and ethical wild harvesting.
We have our normal spread of herbal products; herbal teas, creams, lip balms, and a few remaining salves.
PRE-ORDER ONLY: Ground Breakfast Sausage! From our pastured pigs. We love sausage and spinach together. $6.50 per pound, or 10 pounds for $60. Please email maplemoonfarm@gmail.com or call 231.861.2535 by Friday night with your order.
We are offering a unique opportunity for you to invest in our farm. Our Seed to Harvest program allows you to redeem your financial investment with an additional 10% in farm produce. Please ask us for more information.
Laughing Tree Brick Oven Bakery of Hart
After a quiet week at the Muller homestead, we are ready to re-immerse ourselves in baking the highest quality naturally leavened breads we know how. Please check our location schedule below for the upcoming late spring/summer season. We’ll be at Sweetwater this Saturday! Our thanks to you, our most loyal customers for including us in West Michigan’s burgeoning local foods community!
HAVE YOU TRIED OUR GRANOLA LATELY? We make two different varieties of granola: Mountain Crunch Granola (pure vanilla, toasted almonds, and organic coconut oil) and Laughing Tree Peanut Butter Granola (all-natural PB, pure vanilla, and Michigan honey).
Both of these granolas are baked in our wood-fired brick oven after the intense bread-baking heat has dissipated (after several days). They are baked at a low temperature to ensure that the nutrients in the grains and seeds remain intact! Please note, these granolas are SWEETENED ONLY WITH MICHIGAN HONEY! There is absolutely no refined sugar in them. They are both wonderful with milk or yogurt or as part of a trail mix. Our children love them! We often have samples of each variety available at market—come have a taste!
OUR EIGHT WEEKLY VARIETIES:
Homesteader’s Wheat (An extraordinary light wheat bread with a wonderfully chewy crust) $5.00
Oceana Round ( Rustic Italian country bread) $5.00
Third Coast Three Seed (Sunnies, Sesames, and Flax in a light wheat) $5.50
The Michigander (made with Michigan-grown whole wheat—dark and soulful) $5.50
Griff’s 8-Grain (Hearty, hearty! Eight organic grains and a bit of Michigan honey) $6.50
Finn’s Pecan Raisin Pecan (Jam packed with pecans and organic raisins) $8.25
100% whole grain Kamut: Light and moist with a fruity flavor, a great loaf for folks with wheat sensitivities. $6.00
SPECIALTY BREAD BAKE SCHEDULE
Pumpernickel Rye A new twist on an old Eastern European standard. Cracked Rye and Caraway seed in a dark, chewy loaf. $6.00
Chile Cheddar Whoa-homegrown, pickled jalapeno peppers coupled with mild cheddar cheese makes for great flavor with a little kick. Fresh or toasted, great as an accompaniment to soup or chili. $8.00
Pastries available for Saturday:
Cranberry Orange Scones
Truly Ginger Scones
Michigan Cherry Scones
Lovely Lemon Poppyseed Scones
(All our scones are $2.25 each* and are handmade with our own fresh eggs, organic cream, and organic butter)
Deep Mud Brownies $2.75 each* Our brownies are made with extraordinary Callebaut dark chocolate, our own fresh eggs, and Michigan grown organic barley flour—they are amazing!!
Orange Mud Brownies $2.75 each* Deep Mud brownies infused with candied orange peel.
Liberty Family Farm and Bakery of Hart
From the Hoop house
Limited mixed greens and spinach. It has been quite cold and cloudy.
Let’s hope for Spring to warm up!!
From the Farm
Farm Fresh Eggs
New!! Grass-fed Lamb and Pastured Pork
We have a full selection of meat featuring
Sliced pepper bacon
Harwood bacon
Fresh Ham roasts, country style ribs, chops, ground and more…
From the Bakery
A new selection of artisan bread whole wheat, ciabatta, 3 seed bread and challah
New! Spinach, onion, and ham turnovers Made with our nitrate free ham.
New! Ham, onion & cheddar quiche
New! Our own ham sliced lunch meat, organic cheddar sandwich on our
own Bollio 3 seeded roll. Delicious!!
Cinnamon Rolls are back!!
New! Mixed Green Salad to go, with our mixed greens, dried cherries,
sliced almonds and organic cheddar.
Hope to see you at the market!
Italian brats, german brats, garlic basil brats, breakfast sausage and more…
Earthscape Farm of Hesperia
The BOBIER BEEF Story ~ We look forward to getting your pre-orders by Email, beginning this Sunday, April 28th! If you want more info about our farm in particular, including prices, send us an email at earthscapefarm@gmail.com .
Our steers and cows were born on our Farm, as were their great-great-great Grandmothers. We’ve been doing rotational pastures since the 70’s. We only buy bulls for breeding, and they come from reputable farmers in Michigan. Our cows raise their own calves until they are weaned at about 9 months. We raise our own hay, plus what we buy comes from our own neighborhood so we know how it was grown. Our cattle have access to 3-5 acre yards through the winter, with some barn access, fresh water, bedding straw, and all the hay they can eat. The steers get minimal amounts of homegrown and ground grain during the colder months (like Dessert!). We think this makes our beef tasty and tender, with all the benefits of grass-fed beef, too! The cattle really hope the weather straightens out so they can get on pasture soon!
BEEF: We should have a good supply of all cuts as more beef is being picked up from Falmouth.
At the market this week:
SPECIALS: Ground Beef – 10 packages for $50. 1 Whole Brisket remains – make Corned Beef!
Ground beef 1 lb pkgs
Ground Sirloin
Ground Beef Patties 1/4 # each, 4 to a package
Bone-In: Rib, T-Bone and Porterhouse Steaks
Boneless: Tenderloin – Do a stir-fry with a small package or grill some larger steaks!
Boneless: NY Strip, Sirloin and RibEye Steaks.
Roasts: English, Arm and Chuck
Swiss Steak & Round Steak
Stew Meat
Short Ribs, also good for meaty soups
Soup Bones
Tongue, Liver and Heart
Vegetables:
Spinach from our small hoophouse!
We hope to have some nice Potatoes from the root cellar ~ White Potatoes (Kennebec, Russet, Bintje, Augusta)
Eggs from our small flock.
ORGANIC OLIVE OIL ~ Fair Trade, too! Imported by Higher Grounds in Traverse City
New Shipment! HIGHER GROUNDS COFFEE in 1# bags. Certified organic, Fair Trade. Various types, beans or ground, dark or light roast, full caf, half caf or decaf. Try a cup at the Sweetwater Market table!
Crow Feather Farm of Hesperia
We have a Facebook page now – check us out, and “like” us, please! https://www.facebook.com/CrowFeatherFarm?fref=ts
You can find us at the Earthscape Farm spot, this week we will be bringing our Baby Kale salad mix, beet greens, spinach, kale, parsley, cilantro, rosemary, and our eggs.
Funny Farm of Grant
We’ll be a market this week with fresh cut Spinach & Spring Mix!
Apron Lady & Janet will return as well!
Maple Creek Sugars of Fremont
Please note: If you ordered Grade B syrup, it will be ready and waiting for you to pick up this Saturday at Sweetwater – thanks!
Tate Luchies will be bringing our 2013 Maple Syrup this Saturday, and he will also have order forms on hand if you want to place an order for Grade B Maple Syrup -first come first served. Grade B is wonderful for health drinks (most of us agree that it contains more minerals), excellent for cooking/baking (richer in flavor, see recipe above), and some people like it better in that it can “go a little further” as most people use less of it due to the slightly richer flavor.
Creswick Farms of Ravenna
From Creswick newsletter for April 27: This is the last Sweetwater Market for us until after Jan 1, 2014. On May 4th, we resume our presence at the Muskegon Market. If we can afford additional staff, we will return to the Sweetwater Market.
Hickory Ridge Family Farm of Ferry
Raised on pasture, our pigs get 60% of their diet from foraging. We’ll have our usual pork cuts: bacon, pork steaks, ham roasts, ham slices, ham hocks, ground pork in one pound pkgs, shoulder roasts and our newest product – Smoked Ham Ends & Pieces! Use for flavoring all your soups, stews and casseroles. We’ll have eggs as well.
Saving Face Organics of Fruitport
New Product! Due to the large amount of requests for eyeliner, it is now available at the SFO booth – try some this week!
About SFO: Less than two years ago Susie Meyers became concerned about all the unknown chemicals in her body care products. She started to make her own, and then give samples away. Reaction was immediate and so overwhelmingly positive she started making cleansers, make-ups, masks, scrubs and lotions. Now she has also added products for men, and children!
Bees & Botanicals of Spring Lake
Pretty, Practical, Eco-friendly and Organic!
Our soaps are made with organic ingredients, no foaming agents added, only rosemary extract for preservative and only essentials oils used for a nice variety of scents (unscented also available) – Lavender, Lavender Citrus, Honey, Shea & Oats, Simply Rosemary,Lemongrass Tea, Oats & Spice,Orange, Vanilla & Oats (Dreamsicle)
By request – Soap Dishs now available in both pine and cedar
Pretty draw Cord embroidered bag with 2 oz. bar available in the Orange, Vanilla & Oats and Lavender (make nice gifts)
Fragrant and versatile Organic Lavender – Organza, embroidered, and hand colored organic Lavender Sachets. Add natural fragrance to drawers, closets, clothing in storage, travel bags, desk drawers… it smells sweet, clean & fresh but also known to be a natural relaxant and also a moth deterrent.
100% Michigan beeswax candles; natural, bright, clean and long burning.
Tea lights back in stock!
Pet Chef Lakeshore of Twin Lake
Barb Pitcher, vendor of all natural dog and cat food, treats and dog chews.
Pet Chef Express quality dry kibble pet food. Made with high quality, human grade proteins, no meat byproducts, seven different vegetables, kelp, flax, oatmeal for healthy immune systems, pre- and probiotics for digestive health, omega 6 & 3 oils for a shiny healthy coat, glucosamine/chondroitin for joint health, low temperature cooking process to .prevent heat damage. Contains NO artificial preservatives, NO wheat, corn, soy, cereal fillers, artificial coloring.
Six specialty formulas for dogs with sensitive digestion and food allergies to cater to your pet’s need from weaning through all life stages, and three formulas for cats.
Pet Chef Express food is manufactured FRESH each month, available at the market or I deliver direct to the consumer with FREE HOME DELIVERY. Not available in retail stores, never sits in warehouses. Orders can be placed no later than FRIDAY evening by calling Barb at 231-288-9805, or email petcheflakeshore@gmail.com
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Friends of the Market
If you would like to become a Friend of the Market for a suggested donation of $20.00, which entitles you to a free cup of coffee at every market you attend for a full year, please see me at the market this Saturday! We will also have Higher Grounds Coffee by the Cup for a suggested donation of $1.00.
I grabbed the wrong info for Earthscape Farm – they are NOT having a beef sale this week! Their corrected info for the June 4th market is below. Apologies to all.
Earthscape Farm of Hesperia BEEF ~ Try our beef. Our steers were on lush rotational pastures from May to November. They get all our quality hay they can eat, plus a little home-grown and ground- on-the-farm grain in winter. They are hung to age and processed by Ebel’s Meats in Falmouth, a family-run USDA operation. Email us pre-orders by Friday 7pm.
Quarters of BEEF for sale. This is the most economical way to purchase beef. Talk to me or email for more information. If you have a special way you want your beef cut, order it by June 10th and it will be cut to your specifications. www.earthscapefarm@gmail.com
New Product!Organic Olive Oil from Palestine! 500 ML Bottles. Organic, Extra Virgin and Cold Pressed EGGS! Our chickens are loving all the greens and sunshine! VEGGIES this week ~ Fresh from the outside gardens ~ Spinach! Scallions! Salad Greens! Pak Choi! Radishes! Kale. Herbs: Parsley, Dill, Chives, Oregano, Rosemary and Cilantro. Also parsley plants. May have a few more things – have to check in the morning. HIGHER GROUNDS COFFEE in 1# bags ~ Various types, beans or ground, dark or light roast, full caf, half caf or decaf. CSA – We still have shares available. Email for more information. Delivery to Bluffton Marina area on Monday evenings or Sweetwater on Saturdays. Pick up on the Farm Monday or Thursday evenings. Are you interested in interning on our farm? We have housing, some meals and a weekly stipend available. Call or email for more information.
Thanks so much to all of the brave souls (vendors & customers) who came out last Saturday in spite of the terrible weather!
Beautiful Christmas tree in Hackley Health atrium
One of the things we have come to love the most about the grand space we occupy in the winter is the beautiful and grand Christmas trees placed in three locations in the lobby & atrium. The two story prairie-style building almost seems to have been designed with Christmas in mind.
Of course, shuffling all the vendors around to make room for them is always a challenge, but the spirit they lend to our Holiday Market is well worth it.
Accomodating the great Christmas trees....
This Saturday December 13th, looks like a better weather forecast. We have new vendors coming and others returning, so come on out and join us!
Abundant Harvest Bakery of Hart Dennise & Elisa are baking up a storm (hmm, maybe I should tell them to stop…) and they will be bringing a great assortment of Christmas Goodies like Gingerbread Scones
Apple Galettes, Quiche, Holiday Pies & Gluten free Apple Cakes. Come sample a Christmas treat!
New Vendor!
Martinus Maple Syrup of West Olive
Martinus Sugar Shack
Making maple syrup or “sugaring off” brings winter to a close and allows spring to begin early at our sugarbush in West Olive off Lakeshore Drive. During the mud season of March, when there is often little to do out-of-doors, our sugar shack and sugarbush is bustling with activity: tapping, setting up equipment, collecting sap, getting firewood, boiling, collecting sap, boiling, tending fire, boiling, and finishing off. Syruping activities are often pleasantly interrupted by visiting small groups; rest home residents, church groups, fourth graders, garden club, cub scouts. . . We learned the art of sugaring off via apprenticeship from an elderly neighbor, and it was soon in our blood. Our home-operation started in the early 1990s, and moved indoors into our sugar shack in 2001. Yearly, we tap about 80 trees, and with150 taps, produce on average, 25 gallons.
Bill and Shirley Martinus
17300 Beach Ridge Way
West Olive, MI 49460 Steve n’ Sons Grassfields Farm of Coopersville
Back this week! Fait Gras (European cheddar) & Chili Pepper Gouda! Great Gift Idea! Pound blocks of many varieties.
Certified Organic raw milk cheeses in the Dutch process tradition. Try Gouda, Gouda with Dill, Leyden, Gouda Spice (garlic & onion), Edam, Lamont Cheddar Earthscape/Full Circle Farm of Hesperia Bobier Farm-Raised Beef ~ Ground Beef, steaks, roasts (Standing Rib Roasts for Christmas!), stew meat, short ribs, soup bones, heart, tongue and beef liver. Our newest beef is 100% grass-fed; stock your freezers for winter! Veggies: Red Onions, Celeriac, and Red and Savoy Cabbages ~ from storage in our root cellar.
Earthscape Holiday Table
Great Gift Idea!Organic Olive Oil! These oils are imported from all over the world. Grown, pressed and bottled on small organic farms. Incredible quality! Checkout http://organicoliveoilcompany.com
Now in stock:
Lakelands 250 ml decanter $25
Mansur 250 ml $12; 500 ml $18.
Catalan 250 ml $16; 500 ml $24
Moutere Grove 250 ml $20; 500 ml$35 Creswick Farms of Ravenna Handcrafted Sausages and Specialty Meats Back by customer demand: Red Hots Little Links! Smoked sausage with a kick! Fresh-Aire Pastured Pork.
Hickory Smoked Nitrite-Free Bacon, Boneless Pork Chops, Pork Breakfast sausage in links & bulk. Pork Sausages include: Garlic Kielbasa and German Thuringer. Also Chicago Style Beef and Pork Hotdogs. Chicken Sausages include: Apple/Chicken Sausage Links and Chicken with Spinach & Feta Cheese. Pastured Chicken
New! Smoked Chicken. Also: Whole Broilers, Ground Chicken. Grass-fed Beef
New items! Rib-Eye Steak and Shitake Mushroom Beef Burgers. Also: Filet Mignon, T-Bone Steak, Chuck Roast, Round Roast and Beef Shank (great cut for the crock pot!), Ground Beef in 1 lb pkg and ¼ lb BeefBurgers 4/pkg
For a complete list of products, please see the website: www.CreswickFarms.com .
Earthly Kneads Bakery of Muskegon
Bakery Hours: Tuesday through Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Saturday from 9:00am to 2:00pm. Closed Sunday & Monday. Visit webwsite: http://www.earthlykneads.com/ Store location: 810 Terrace St., Muskegon, MI 49440. Ph: 231 728-6383
For market Saturday, Patrick will bring a selection of breads, cookies & granolas. Ag and Health Alive of Marne From Nantucket Bread Company of Grand Rapids:Chilled Whole Wheat Pizza Dough! Sold in single size bags, just roll out on a pizza tin, let rise a bit and then add your favorite toppings! Also: Whole Wheat Raisin Bread, Whole Wheat Bread, Seven-Grain Sourdough bread, Cranberry Walnut bread and Health Muffins. Made of whole grain organic flours. Customer favorite back this week! Jerusalem Artichokes
Other Veggies & Fruits. Turnips & Daikon Radish.Our own Winter squash, green and red cabbage andEmpire, Ida Reds, and Golden Delicious certified organic apples from Evergreen Lane Farm of Fennville. New this week! Duck Eggs. Fed certified organic feed. Lamb! Time or order halves & whole lambs for your winter freezer. This week at the market: We have individual cuts of lamb in chops, roasts, ground lamb, stew meat and shanks. Great gift idea!Give your favorite gardener a gift certificate from Ag & Health garden supplies! Who on your Christmas list wouldn’t appreciate a gift for their garden, or a great gardening or cook book? We are an authorized Fertrell Dealer and have a huge list of available organic garden supplies. Happy Hill Farm of Hart Turkey Sausage and Ground Turkey . Breakfast, Italian, Brat & Chorizo. Breakfast & Italian in links/andor bulk. Turkeys were fed certified organic feed. HolidayDucks! Young and tender. The drakes weigh about 6 lbs.; the hens are just over 3 lbs. Pastured turkey: Fed certified organic grain. We will have frozen packaged thighs, drumsticks, breast roast, sliced breast, and tenderloin.
Pastured chicken: Two options: Frozen chicken fed certified organic grains or chicken fed our own 2nd year transition corn. We have all cuts—whole, cut up, bone-in and boneless skinless breast, drumsticks, thighs, leg quarters and wings, soup stock, feet, liver, hearts and gizzards. All of our meats are raised on pasture with daily moves, and are processed on farm: no stressful transporting. Stewing Hens. Hens retired from laying eggs make the best chicken soup in the world! Simmer these gals for several hours and you have genuine old-fashioned chicken! Or roast on high in the crockpot with no water for 8-12 hours for scrumptious roasted chicken! Rabbit. Whole, frozen. Raised by David Filbrun on the farm. Pastured Eggs. Large Eggs from chickens who live on grass. Olson Farm of Shelby Sale! Taste of Spring Maple Syrup. All Christmas Themed and Maple Leaf Etched Gift Bottles will be on sale! Making maple syrup from the over 300 trees on the farm has been an Olson tradition for three generations now. Potatoes. Stock up now for that Thanksgiving feast!Red Norland, Pontiac and Reddale Red potatoes, the Butte White Baking Potato; and Swedish, Russian & Banana fingerling potatoes. Onions. Red Zeppelin and white keeping onions.
HandCrafteds
Locally made products good for the body and spirit! Great Christmas gift ideas!
Bountiful Increase of Whitehall
Anita is back, for possibly just this week, with a fresh batch of soaps, lotions and massage oils-buy this week while supplies last! She reports: I have a fresh batch of lotion made-wonderfully scented with lemon and lavender I also have beautiful red and green swirl soap, which combines the all-time favorite spearmint soap with the holiday tradition peppermint soap. The result is a very double minty bar! I also have a fresh batch of lemongrass soap and for those who have been waiting, I have shampoo bars. Boo boo sticks and relief sticks will be available this week, along with lotion bars. For the women we have bronze mica lip shimmers, which is our lip balm with a touch of bronze color added. Also this week we have massage oils, including: workaholic oil, migraine oil, childrens cold oil, baby oil and more. We have Goodie Bar soap, with the lovely scent of cinnamon, Rosemary Soap, a zesty herb-sprinkled bar. We have our traditional goatmilk soap with the lovely scent of lavender and lemon. our Kitchen Bar removes odors from your hands, such as onion, garlic and fish. And our Grease-Cutter Soap removes grease and oils from your hands with the aid of pumice and orange oil. Laundry and dish soap will be available this week. We have a beautiful soap dish for sale hand made by the very talented Peter Johnson, this round soap dish compliments our round bar soap wonderfully-only one in stock. MANY of these items are limited in supply and/or only available for Christmas, if you are interested in these items they may not be available after this week. Small gift bags are available. Under the Pines of Fruitport Great for group gifts and stocking stuffers!
Back by popular demand handcrafted soaps in the following aromas: Patchouli and Sweet Orange, Lavender & Tea Tree, Lemongrass & Coconut, Lacy Lavender.All of our soaps have 10% shea butter added to help fight that winter “dry” skin. Gift idea! All of the above soaps have matching body butters for holiday gift giving. Use our wonderful intensive moisturizing body butters on feet, knees, elbows, cuticles and hands.
Try our new handcrafted (made from scratch) soap: Triple Tree. This soap is made with corn mint, spearmint, peppermint and tea tree essential oils. Leaves your skin with that fresh tingly feeling.”
Stop by and see our other assortment of hand crafted bath and body goodies too, for you and the special people on your list.Sale! Washing Soda (laundry soap) special – buy one get one for half price. Bee and Botanicals of SpringLake
Crafting under her own name, Julia has great little gifts as well; lavender dryer bags, floral and woodsy sachets, hand crafted gift tags and cards. New Vendor!
Kathy Lucas Craftworks of Grand Haven
Kathy has been sewing and quilting for over 30 years in her home, making items for family and friends. She is a native of New Jersey, where she was president of the Brownstone Quilt Guild from 1997 to 1999.
Kathy will bring Knitted & Fabric Hats, adults & kids sizes, Cloth Handbags, Quilted Patchwork Lavender Sachets, Felted Coasters and some of her photo-cards. New Vendor!
LaMaire Handblown Glass Art of Grand Haven
http://www.lamairestudios.com/
Linda LaMaire will be bringing the glasswork of her son Jonathan LaMaire. He has been a glassblower for 10 years, now working out of his studio in Grand Haven. She will bring: handblown glass pendants, bracelets, perfume bottles, marbles, oil lamps and diffuser bottles (including diffuser reeds and essential oils) Jonathan’s glass art is sold in several different galleries and museums throughout the country.
BeechCoast Studio Pottery of West Olive
Susan Hoekema pottery
Susan Hoekema is back with stoneware bowls and mugs and colorful maiolica tiles and serving dishes, influenced by the lakeshore around her studio and her sojourns in Africa.
Aquarian Vibe Art Co of SpringLake Special Sale! This week only: $3 off 1 bowl $35 and up, $9 off 2, and $15 off 3 or more.
Sheryl will also be bringing new kilnwork including bowls, sushi plates, draped glass, and flattened bottles. Do your Christmas shopping early to get the best pieces before someone else does. Also: Glass sample sets. Choose your own colors for custom-ordered artwork that can be made in time for Christmas. Custom orders must be requested 2 weeks before needed and require a deposit of half down.
Artists Sheryl Marshall & Ann Nessa Dec 6th Market
Fiber Creations of Whitehall
As artist/owner Ann Nessa says: “Fiber is good for ya!” She takes recycled wools, handwoven, knit and felt fibers and turns them into beautiful and useful items like purses, scarves, wall hangings and shopping bags. In addition, Ann has now turned her creative eye to pottery and will bring a few a selection of Sushi Bowls and Fired Clay Jewelry Pins.
As Michigan’s only all local farmers market featuring foods produced according to organic standards, our main focus has always been on gaining customer acceptance of “healthy, humane & homegrown” foods. Beginning last year we decided to add locally made arts & crafts to the market during the Christmas season.
This year, with the economy in a funk and less dollars to spend on gifts, it’s even more important to “act locally”. Going on every Saturday from now until Christmas, our Sweetwater Holiday Market will enchant you with tons of ideas for wonderful, affordable, locally made gifts. Whether it’s beautiful blown glass oil lamps, or Swarovsky crystal jewelry, or all organic Body Care products, the HandCrafters featured at Sweetwater need your support! Why not keep the Christmas spending and spirit in our local economy this year?
Barb Pitcher & Common Unity Drumming up a Fundraiser!
Our intrepid and inspired baker Gail Smythe of Earthly Kneads wrote this in her weekly email and I’m borrowing it to re-post here:
There’s a fund raiser for the gals at Groundswell Farm this weekend.Please come by the Sweetwater Market and show your support.Barb and Amy are going to be there with their awesome drum circle and all coffee cup sales and a portion of vendor fees will be donated.I know it’s not exactly a vegetable, but we’re donating 80 loaves of bread for their CSA members next week.If you have something you’d like to contribute, please let me know and I’ll see if we can get it in their delivery.
We joined the Bobier’s CSA this year and it’s been like Christmas opening our box every week to see what vegetables are inside.We had a full Sweetwater Market dinner the other night, and I wanted to share it with you.See the bottom of this email for recipes and ideas.Everything turned out so tasty that I ate most of the leftovers before Patrick could get his hands on them!Everything made enough food to feed 6-8 people.
OUR ASIAN INSPIRED SWEETWATER MARKET DINNER
We had some asparagus from Fruitful Acres, garlic scapes and shiitake mushrooms from Dave (our Mushroom guy), baby pak choi, green onions, red & white radishes, kohlrabi, and sirlion steak from Earthscape/Full Circle Farm, and eggs from Creswick Farms.This is what we did with all of it:
CRISPY SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS
Once they were cooked, we sliced the caps and tossed them with some grilled tofu and grilled sirlion steak.For a vegetarian version, omit the steak!To grill the tofu, cube it, toss it in the leftover marinade from the shiitake mushrooms, skewer it, and cook over high heat, turning every few minutes until there are nice grill marks on each side.Yum!
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh Shiitake mushrooms caps
1/2 cup water
3 garlic scapes, minced
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
Whisk together all the ingredients except the mushrooms.Toss the mushrooms in the marinade and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour, turning the caps frequently.Grill on high or broil for 3 minutes per side or until the edges are brown and crispy.
SIMPLE ASIAN SLAW
2 medium/small Kohlrabi, cut in thin julienne (or coarsely shredded)
Small handful of radishes, thinly sliced
2-3 green onions, sliced thinly on the diagonal
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
Toss all the vegetables in a bowl with a small splash of tamari sauce (or soy sauce), a splash of seasoned rice wine vinegar, and a dash of toasted sesame oil.Adjust seasonings to taste.Let sit while you prepare everything else.Top with some toasted sesame seeds if desired when serving.
BOK CHOY AND ASPARAGUS FRITTATA
Found this recipe online.We substituted the garlic with a few garlic scapes, but kept the rest of the recipe the same.I cooked it in a cast-iron skillet. http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/asparagus-and-bok-choy-frittata
In our market’s 3 + years of existence one of the things we treasure the most is the many exhilarating conversations we have every market day. The vendors and customers of Sweetwater are a wonderfully diverse group and we all like to talk – about food, politics, you name it! The problem is that so many conversations go unfinished because most importantly we are a marketplace and need to conduct business. So, this blog is an attempt to have those longer conversations about our local food system and all the things that go with it.
So let’s start this first conversation off with some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the Sweetwater Local Foods Market has been asked by the ROTHBURY Festivalpromoters to bring the whole market to the Festival, and we have agreed! The bad news is that we can’t be in two places at once, and have decided to close our regular market on Saturday, July 5th.
The opportunities, both in terms of advancing the cause of organic agriculture and the chance for our vendors to have an extra financial windfall in the summer were just too great to pass up. We’ve posted the Press Release for the event below. We hope many of you might be attending the festival; if so be sure to look us up!
In the meantime, please let me know what you would like to talk about here – this blog is for you too!
Local Farmers Market to Promote Green Thinking Among Music Fans.
Billed as a New American Celebration, the ROTHBURY Music Festival, to be held at Double JJ Ranch in Rothbury, MI over the 4th of July weekend, will offer attendees the opportunity to taste the “healthy, humane, homegrown” food of the farmers of the Sweetwater Local Foods Market. The Sweetwater Local Foods Market in Muskegon is Michigan’s first farmers market to exclusively sell local fruits and vegetables raised using organic farming practices and meat, eggs, and cheese from humanely raised animals.
“We were thrilled to learn back in March that festival promoters were seeking an ‘organic farmers market’ for their festival,” said Sweetwater Market Manager Diana Jancek. “After our initial call they immediately offered us the opportunity to bring our market and its farmers into the festival. Their invitation highlights the fact that organic farming is becoming more accepted and the food our farmers grow is becoming more appreciated and in demand.”
Sweetwater farmers will offer festival goers a range of fresh vegetables, meat and cheese packaged as snacks, baked goods, and other locally grown items in a farmers market that will operate from 11am to 6pm each day of the festival.
“Many of our vendors have prepared unique items especially for the Festival,” said Jancek. “I think people will experience both great food and great music this weekend – all the while supporting a green, sustainable food system.”
The ROTHBURY Festival is the first in Michigan to consciously promote an ecologically intelligent approach to large music events. All eating utensils, bags, and other wrapping will be made from compostable materials like corn-based plastic. The festival is also sponsoring an Eco-ThinkTank of presentations, each day, on how to solve some of the important ecological challenges before us.
Tanglewood Park in the heart of Norton Shores!
