Christopher B. Bedford

April 25, 1944 – June 15th, 2011

 He brought his ideas, extraordinary talents and his passion for positive change here in December of 2004. Prior to that he had been organizing an innovative local-only farmers market in Sioux City, Iowa and ahead of his arrival to Michigan he sent 5 Farmers Market Popup Tents to Diana with the challenge: You can do it too! Together we, with a group of organic farmers  started the Sweetwater market in July of 2005. After that Chris became a man with a mission to change the way we look at food in Michigan. If you had an organization and wanted him to come and speak, he went, no matter what part of the country you lived in. If you wanted help organizing a group, he would come and help. In between the market and the speaking and presentations he made a half dozen films about growing food and community.  Chris dedicated his life to changing people’s attitudes about what we as individuals can accomplish if we just believe in ourselves and our human communal ability to bring change at the local level. I don’t believe it’s an exaggeration to say that he touched peoples hearts in nearly every part of Michigan. His daughters and his brother came from Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Boston when he was hospitalized this last week; they have been blown away at the reaction to the news. As his daughters said, “Our dad was always an activist and a filmmaker but he really seemed to hit his stride when he came to Michigan.” We Michiganders embraced Chris Bedford and we will all miss him desperately.

Tomorrow during our regular market there will be a gathering at 11:00am to celebrate the life of our President, Co-Founder, friend and life partner Chris Bedford.
There is a nice piece in the Chronicle today. http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2011/06/organic_farmer_environmental_a.html

At this week’s market:

Earthscape Farm of Hesperia

ABUNDANT VEGGIES ~ Salad Mix Sale!  Arugula, Chard, Head Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Scallions,  Pak Choi.   Herbs: Parsley, Dill, Chives, Oregano (this is the best time of year to harvest and dry oregano!) Rosemary and Cilantro.  Also parsley plants.
BEEF ~  Try our beef.  Our steers are 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. We have 4 steers aging at Ebels Market in Falmouth.  If you have a special way you want your beef cut, order it ASAP and it will be cut to your specifications. www.earthscapefarm@gmail.com
ORGANIC OLIVE OIL from Palestine! 500 ML Bottles.  Organic, Extra Virgin and Cold Pressed
HIGHER GROUNDS COFFEE in 1# bags ~  New Shipment.  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.

Creswick Farms of Ravenna
Please note: Due to the unexpected death of Chris Bedford we did not accept any special orders this week. I apologize for those who may have placed an order earlier. We will resume taking orders next Monday, June 20 for the following market. The meat listed below is what is in stock tomorrow.

Thanks for understanding.

Pastured Raised, Antibiotic & Hormone Free, Artisanal Meats
SAUSAGES, CHICKEN, HOT DOGS, BURGERS

Place a Special Order (see below) to insure availability of the meats you want.

CHICKEN
Chicken Breasts (Boneless)

Chicken Leg Quarters

(No Ground Chicken this week!)

Whole chickens must be pre-ordered (see below)

PORK

Pork Chops
Pork Tenderloin,
Bacon, Apple Smoked
Bacon, Hickory Smoked
BEEF
Ground Beef in 1 lb. packages
Stew Meat
Gourmet Burgers
Soy-Free EGGS (Limited Supply – First come, first serve)

SPECIALTY SAUSAGES & MEATS
Garlic Kielbasa Sausage
Chorizo
Deli Ham Slices
Pepperoni Slices
Hot Italian Sausage Links
Breakfast Sausage (Bulk)
Meat Snack Sticks
Chicago Style Hog Dogs

Important Notice Regarding Pre-Orders: If you pre-order meat you will have to pick it up on Saturday by no later than 12:00 noon or the items will be put back in stock. If you have an emergency and can’t make it you can call the phone to reach me before the noon cut-off at 231-769-6514. Thanks! Pre-Orders: Email Diana Jancek at dijaan@charter.net  by no later than midnight on the Monday evening before the next market and she will have it ready for you to pick up on Saturday. For a complete list of products, please see the website: www.CreswickFarms.com

Grassfields Farm of Coopersville
Raw Milk Certified Organic Cheese

“The best cheese in Michigan!”
Gouda, Gouda w/dill, Gouda w/chili flakes, Gouda w/cumin (Leyden), Gouda with Garlic and Onion, Lamont Cheddar. Edam

The Fishmonger’s Wife of Muskegon

If you would like to receive our email newsletter Fish Wrap for Fish Folk email me at thefishmongerswife@frontier.com

This week: Fresh and Smoked Whitefish. Pre-orders will be held until 11 a.m. and then released. If you are going to be late feel free to call us at 231-730-3327 to make other arrangements.

We Use a Month’s Worth of Muskegon Chronicles every Saturday… Please feel free to bring us your newspapers throughout the market season, we’ll gladly use them.   We Also Accept and Reuse Plastic Handled Grocery Bags to pack your fish on ice. During the warm summer months it is very important that your fish be kept cold until you are able to refrigerate it. If you want to avoid using plastic bags you can borrow an eco-cooler from us for a $5 deposit, or bring your own cooler with ice to market.

Liberty Family Farm & Bakery of Hart

FRESH,  Pasture Raised CHICKEN!! Various Cuts will be available.
From the Garden and Hoophouse
Spinach, Lettuce, Radishes, Lettuce Mix & Mustard Mix.   HEIRLOOM TOMATO STARTS.
From the Bakery
MORNING PASTRIES
Rhubarb Pecan Buns
Morning Glory Muffins
Maple Muffins made with local Maple Syrup (from Maple Creek Sugars)
Strawberry Rhubarb Streusel Muffins
Rhubarb Galettes
Organic Apple Galettes drizzled with white chocolate
GALLETTES available in Gluten Free
Gluten free cheesecakes topped with fresh fruit
Meringues and Brownies
NEW! Rhubarb marmalade with crystallized ginger
Maple Walnut Granola, Cashew Cranberry Granola, Crispy Rice GF Granola & Peanut Butter Granola.
Breakfast Cookies – Regular and Gluten Free
Quiches made with Fresh Greens from the Garden
New! Asparagus and Cheddar Quiche
DELICIOUS BREADS
3 Seeded Sandwich Bread- A delicious bread for sandwiches or just plain with sweet butter & jam.
Apple Cinnamon Bread Great for Sunday morning brunch.  Makes great french toast!
New! Cinnamon Raisin loaf
Turnovers- Veggie, and Empanadas.

Laughing Tree Brick Oven Bakery of Hart

Laughing Tree Brick Oven Bakery breads are all made from 100% organic flours and grains.  Nearly all of our breads are naturally-leavened using a levain that we cultivate on site in our bakery.  All of our doughs undergo a long, slow fermentation process that produces extraordinarily flavorful and easily digestible breads.  The grand finale:  our breads are baked in a handbuilt ,wood-fired brick oven which creates loaves of amazing texture and beauty!

            Come early if you are able!  We often sell out before noon…

Bread Available Saturday June 11th:

Homesteader’s Wheat (A 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

Annie’s Raisin Spice (sweet organic raisins, organic cinnamon, and freshly ground cardamon) $6.00

Cobmoosa Onion Rye (carmelized organic onions, Michigan rye flour, and  a pinch of caraway) $6.00

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) Price Change TBA

Elbridge Parmesan Olive (Sumptuous parmesan and Kalamata black olives) $8.00

Irish Cheddar Peppercorn (Smooth Irish Cheddar and tongue-tingling organic black pepper) $8.00

We will be baking our Cranberry Orange Scones, Truly Ginger Scones, and Michigan Cherry Scones.  All of our scones are made with organic butter and cream, our own fresh eggs, and a pinch of organic sugar.  We will also be baking our Expedition Cookies, our Tree Hugger PB Cookies, and our Deep Mud Brownies.

We are truly honored to bake for you and your family.

Hilde and Charlie Muller

Shady Side Farm of Holland

Think local when you make your next batch of Baked Beans for that picnic! We’ll have our pinto beans, black beans, soybeans, wheat and corn. Plus our beautiful made on the farm wool socks, roving and rag rugs. We are Mike and Lona Bronkema of Shady Side Farm and we have been farming since 1992 and have recently transitioned to organic in parts of our operation, certifying through Global Organic Alliance (GOA). http://shadysidefarm.etsy.com

http://shadysidefarm.blogspot.com

Olson Farm of Shelby

 STRAWBERRIES! First of season, come early they are going to go fast! Also: Taste of Spring 2011 Syrup. Stop by and try a sample of our syrup and taste the difference in fresh & local!

Maple Creek Sugars of Fremont

Doug & Tate Luchies have been producing wonderful maple syrup & honey for almost 8 years on their farm.  Sizes will range from quarts to pints.

Hickory Ridge Family Farm of Ferry
Fresh Chicken is back! All cuts. Two offerings: chickens fed certified organic feed, or GMO-free but not organic feed.

Eggs this week! We’ll be bringing plenty of eggs from our Delaware, Barred Rock, Araucana, and Black Australorpe flocks.

Bee & Botanicals of Spring Lake
Nature inspired…pretty, practical and organic!
Organic Soaps –  A full selection of great organic soaps: Grapefruit, Blood Orange & Bergamot, Lemongrass Tea, Lavender, Peppermint, Oatmeal Spice (made with certified organic oils, and botanicals – no artificial fragrances or colors, only essential oils).  Soap Gift boxes with gift tag – $1 each
Bees Wax Candles –  angel, Bee skeps, Bears,  3″ and 5 ” pillars,  tapers, votives,and tea lights.
Clean burning! Long Burn Time! Non-Petroleum!  100% Michigan beeswax!
Lavender – Sachets A variety of styles and sizes to choose from, Organic Lavender dryer bags
Hand made cards and gift tags
Look forward to seeing you at the market!

Theresa’s  Bags & Blooms of Ravenna

Beautiful flower bouquets, handsewn tote bags, and lots of barley grass for juicing.

McLaughlin Grows will be at the market to distribute their CSA shares.

Last but not least

As always, if you would like to become a Friend of the Market for a suggested donation of $10.00, 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.

Sweetwater is on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Muskegon-MI/Sweetwater-Local-Foods-Market/111077177535

Hope to see you at the market!

Diana Jancek
Market Manager

We are an authorized Bridge Card farmers market!