Farmers markets - summer preview with the help of Real Time Farms

Posted on Mon, May 3, 2010 : 11 a.m.

Farmers markets - summer preview with the help of Real Time Farms

By Edward Vielmetti

Purple asparagus from Panama Hill Farms was for sale at the Ypsilanti Depot Town Market on Saturday.

Courtesy Karl Rosaen, Real Time Farms

This week is opening week for a number of local farmers' markets. The Saturday Ann Arbor Farmers Market runs year round, as chilly March vendors will attest, but most area markets are seasonal and their season starts the first week of May.

Here's a review of some of the markets in the area, written with the help of the detailed reporting the new Real Time Farms online service for tracking what's at the farmer's market today. The developer, Karl Rosaen, is a University of Michigan graduate who recently returned to Ann Arbor after helping Google develop its Android operating system.

Saturday Ann Arbor Farmers Market

The Ann Arbor Farmers Market runs year round on Saturdays. This week, Real Time Farms collected information about what was for sale at market on May 1.

Some highlights of the early season include asparagus, green onions, greens, rhubarb, maple syrup and honey. Last year's apple crop is available as well as apple cider and apple butter. There were lots of flowers and vegetable plants.

John Harnois from Harnois Farms in Whitmore Lake brought turkey, duck eggs and fresh stinging nettles to market. Linda Diane Feldt has a guide to using stinging nettles, which are also for sale at the People's Food Coop.

Zingerman's Creamery was also selling its special edition Baracky Road Gelato at the market.

Saturday Ypsilanti Depot Town Farmers Market

The Real Time Farms report for the Ypsilanti Down Town Farmers Market for this weekend shows nine vendors.

Asparagus was the featured vegetable, and Panama Hills Farm from Ypsilanti brought purple asparagus to market. I don't know a lot about purple asparagus firsthand, but this Rutgers Asparagus Breeding Program guide refers to a cultivar called Violetto d'Albenga grown in northern Italy.

Follow the Ypsilanti Depot Town Farmers Market on Facebook, which has lots of details about the market and its vendors. The organization's web page, YDTFM.ORG is just a placeholder.

Saturday Saline Farmers Market

The first Saline Farmers Market for the season was up and running Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. The Real Time Farms listing for the Saline market shows eight vendors, who brought asparagus, apples, flowers and tomato plants to market.

Four Corners Creamery was up from Tecumseh with fresh cheeses.

Saturday Chelsea Farmers Market

The first Saturday Chelsea Farmers Market ran from 8 a.m. to noon in downtown Chelsea on Park Street.

Real Time Farms identified eightÂ vendors at the Saturday market, selling bread, cheese, eggs, plants and flowers.

Back Forty Acres is a centennial farm in Sylvan Township; they brought chicken and duck eggs and honey to market.

Howell Sunday Farmers' Market

The nearest Sunday market in the area is in Howell, located in the center of that Livingston County town about 45 minutes north and west of Ann Arbor. The Howell Sunday Farmers' Market season runs from May 2 to Oct. 31.

Real Time Farms found nine vendors at this Sunday's market, selling asparagus, rhubarb, flowers, cheese, meats and breads.

Oliver Farms Cheese Company brought artisanal raw milk cheeses to market from Fostoria.

Upcoming markets for the week

Tuesday afternoon from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. is the Ypsilanti Downtown Farmers Market, opening for the season this week. It is managed by Growing Hope, and this year it's in a new location near Michigan Avenue and Hamliton. See itsÂ season flyer (PDF).

Wednesday, the Ann Arbor Farmers Market is open at 7 a.m. for its first Wednesday market of the season.

Thursday, the Manchester Farmers Market is an afternoon market, located at Adrian Street at Main in downtown Manchester. Contact Irene Stedman, 989-413-5137, for details. The Manchester Enterprise has a season preview.

Thursday, July 3, the Westside Farmers Market opens up. Market Manager and AnnArbor.com contributor Corinna Borden has a season preview.

Edward Vielmetti eats purple vegetables for AnnArbor.com. Contact at edwardvielmetti@annarbor.com.Â

Comments

glenn thompson

Sat, May 8, 2010 : 11:12 a.m.

Here are photos of the strawberries and the berry patch. http://arbormarket.blogspot.com/

Rici

Mon, May 3, 2010 : 8:49 p.m.

I think this is awesome! No more local food columnists trying to pull the wool (straw?) over our eyes by telling us local strawberries are now available...

Karl Rosaen

Mon, May 3, 2010 : 3:46 p.m.

Thanks Ed, great to see the data gathered by Real Time Farms put to use! Glenn, I hadn't seen the arbormarket blog before, very cool! Let me know if you would like to chat sometime, I wonder if The friends of the Market would be interesting in helping keep up the reports by contributing and/or tagging photos on Real Time Farms, and perhaps if Real Time Farms could make its data available to your blog in some way. http://www.realtimefarms.com/contact

glenn thompson

Mon, May 3, 2010 : 12:06 p.m.

Some photos taken at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market are here: http://arbormarket.blogspot.com/