Spring! Spring? Spring!

The GREENS are back but come early if you want some!

 

Sweetwater Local Foods Market

Saturday, March 22nd, 2014, 9:00am to 1:00pm
 Mercy Health Lakes Campus
On 6401 Harvey St. at US31/Pontaluna Rd. Exit. 1st Bldg North of Pontaluna Rd.

We accept Bridge Cards Year Round!

 

Spring! Spring? Spring!

 

Save the Date: March 30th Sweetwater Community Spring Gathering!

Stop by the info table this Saturday and grab a ticket for this event – they’re going fast!

Where: Grand Haven Church of the Dunes

When: Sunday, March 30 from 2pm – 6 pm

What: Soups, greens, desserts. Suggested donation: $5, $10 family. Or, free if you sign up for the set-up/clean-up crew!

 

While we know that the market has always been a gathering place for those of us who love and appreciate healthy local food, we thought it was time to sit down and share a meal together as a community. Bill Bobier of Earthscape Farm will be speaking, and the menu will be local, with options for vegetarians.

 

Poster is also here: https://sweetwaterlocalfoodsmarket.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/mar-30-spring-gatherfinal2.pdf

 

Help us Get Out the Guide!

2014 Sweetwater Guide to West Michigan Organic Food!

Claire Schlaff, Project Director for the Sweetwater guide, will be on hand this Saturday with information about how you can help us get out the guide this season! She will also have information about a great Permaculture workshop going on in Montague on May 3rd & 4th.

 

Music at the Market!

One of our very favorite people & a wonderful musician to boot, Kwame Kamau will be holding down a corner at the market this Saturday serenading us with lovely tunes.
Attending this Saturday’s market:

 

Liberty Family Farm & Bakery of Hart

Hoop house Offerings

Yeah!!! Fresh Spinach!

Grass Fed Lamb!

All cuts available!

Bakery Offerings

Breakfast Cookies GFree & Reg.

Spinach & Cheddar Quiche!

Ciabatta Bread

Blackberry Bars

English Muffins

Fresh Bagels

Grain Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Grain Free Breakfast Cookie

Grain Free Banana Bread

Happy Spring !

See you at the market:)

 

Crow Feather Farm of Hesperia

Springtime weather may be a bit behind this year, but not in our hoophouse.  “The little salad greens that could” have not only survived the epic winter of 2014, but are some of the sweetest we’ve ever tasted.  They respond to the bitter cold by producing extra sugars which help protect the leaves from freezing.  We will be offering:

Our baby Brassica salad mix
Tender baby Kale

Fresh, sweet Spinach

Remarkably flavorful Cilantro

We look forward to seeing you all on Saturday!

 

Maple Moon Farm of Shelby

We’re celebrating the arrival of spring with fresh vegetables!

SPRING SPINACH, delicious, cold sweetened spinach picked on the vernal equinox.

CARROTS hidden beneath the snow and straw, we find these tasty  roots

POTATOES

Red LaSoda, Adirondack Red, and Adirondack Blue (this is the last of the Adirondacks for the season)

EGGS

Our chickens are fully free-range.  They have open access to roam and forage on our 40 acres, and they reluctantly venture out in the snow.  They are fed non-GMO feed. (we also gratefully accept empty egg cartons)

DRIED HERBS

Parsley

Sage

Red Pepper Flakes

Whole Cayenne Peppers

HERBALS

Salves:Mama’s All Purpose and Mike’s Muscles Relaxer

Creams: Radiant Beauty and Zen Cream

Teas: Nourish, Restore, and Peace

*we are almost sold out of Peace Tea, again stock up while it’s available

Lip Balm: Michigan Winter balm, and Sova’s Heartsong

We’re opening enrollment in our farm investment program. Last year was a great success and we are looking forward to this growing season.  It’s our version of market-based CSA. Come ask Mike about how you can participate.

 

Five Oaks Farm CSA of Montague

Warm thanks and welcome to everyone who’s signed up to be part of our CSA this year! If you’re interested in becoming a member of our 2014 CSA stop by and talk to us Saturday, we’ll have our brochure and sign up forms with us. Until then check out our new blog here: http://fiveoaksfarmcsa.weebly.com/  See you then!

 

Shady Side Farm of Holland

We will be at market Saturday with 1 and 2 pound bags of our certified organic beans. This week is the last week we will offer Green Flageolet. The rest need to be saved for seed. So get them while you can! Also, we held back a new variety last fall, thinking we would need all of it for seed. We don’t! So we will bring a few bags of this new variety. Stop by and see if you can determine which is the new one. If you guess rightly on the first try (without input from other people), we will sell you a bag of the new beans for $4 (regularly $6), until they are gone.

 

In addition, we’ll have Grassfield Farms raw aged cheeses along in the following flavors: Country Dill, Edam, Fait Gras (a triple cream cheddar), Garlic & Onion, Gouda, Lamont Cheddar, Leyden and Polkton Corners. This week I will also have their limited edition Polkton Spring Herb. It is a Polkton base (a softer cheese) with chives, parsley, garlic and tarragon. Very delicious!

 

Email us by Friday evening if you want something specific along in the wool department (mittens, socks, roving, felting kits), or if you want to buy beans in larger quantities.

 

Shady Side Farm

shadysidefarmmichigan@gmail.com

 

Laughing Tree Bakery of Hart

O yes winter, you can try to hold on, but fate and sunshine will surely be your undoing! Take heart good people, cold or hot, ice or heat, there will be bread.  This coming weekend marks the beginning of The Sweetwater Local market’s every week schedule.  We’ll be there this coming weekend with loaves of Cobmoosa Onion Rye for all those longing for a tasty Reuben sandwich and Chili Cheddar for those brave enough to take their toasted cheese to the next level. We’ll also have loads of the usual suspects including our 100% whole grain Kamut loaves full of great vegetable protein and high in a number of beneficial minerals.

On a market related note, we are looking for one or two enthusiastic folks to help us at market this coming season.  If you or someone you know would like to earn a few bucks and a loaf of bread on Saturday mornings this summer, please let us know here in the near future.  We have been fortunate to work with some extraordinary people over the last few years and would love to broaden our tent a little.

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

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

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 

Chili 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

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

Rustic Baguette  Our interpretation of the classic French baguette.  An excellent partner for your favorite cheese or spread.  They also just look nice sticking out the top of a shopping bag.  Price $3.00

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

PASTRIES AVAILABLE FOR SATURDAY

Hilltoppers Cookies- Molasses Ginger cookies…A 4oz cookie sweetened with golden molasses and bits of candied ginger)  $2.25 each

Mrs. Moose’s Wangdangdoodlers $2.25 each-Chunks of chocolate and walnuts give this cookie texture into which one can sink their teeth with great fervor.

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!!

Pecan Date Scones

Cranberry Orange Scones

Truly Ginger Scones

Michigan Cherry Scones

BAKER’S DOZEN:  If you order 12 pastries you’ll receive a 13th pastry FREE!

 

Earthscape Farm of Hesperia

We are almost out of beef and won’t have a good supply for 3 weeks.  The steers did not grow much for the whole month of January, and our stock trailer needed to take them to the butcher was snowed in back in the woods.  It took a front end loader and many days to dig back to it!

Steaks: Tenderloin, Porterhouse, NY Strip, RibEye, TBone, Sirloin, Rib, Swiss, Round, Skirt

Stew Meat

Roasts: Chuck, Rolled Rump

Ground Beef 

Short Ribs

Soup Bones

Tongue

We also have some leaf lard for rendering.

VEGETABLES~ Celeriac!

EGGS from our own chickens, fed greens, hay, homegrown whole grains and non-GMO feed.

ORGANIC OLIVE OIL ~ Imported by Higher Grounds in Traverse City.  $15 per bottle!

HIGHER GROUNDS COFFEE ~ New packaging!  The coffee now comes in 12 oz. bags.  I have a few 1# bags remaining.  Certified organic, Fair Trade. Various types, beans or ground, dark or medium roast, full caf, half caf or decaf. Try a cup at the Sweetwater Market table!

  

Meadow View Goat Dairy & Farm of Fremont

New! Marco is our latest creation and we think it will be a hit! Similar to Dutch Kase but pasteurized and vacuum sealed, it comes in Pepper, Sage, Italian & Garlic. Try a sample!

Chevreʹ  Fresh chevre with a nice spreading consistency, perfect for sandwich toppings and cooking. Cherry Capital Foods of Traverse City says  ” The chèvre produced by Meadow View has a pitch perfect acidity on the palate that becomes gently sweet and milky with a grassy note on the finish.”

Seasoned Chevreʹ                                                     

Our fresh Chevre available in your favorite flavorings: Blueberry Vanilla (great on a morning bagel!) Hickory-smoked bacon Bits, Garlic, Italian Herb, & Hot Pepper

Feta                                                                                        

A smooth and creamy feta which is low in salt and rich in fresh goat milk flavor. The brining process gives feta cheese a salty, tangy flavor and a crumbly consistency. Feta cheese can be served as a table cheese, used in baking savory dishes, or served as an appetizer or in salads. The classic Greek salad is made with Feta cheese. In crumbles or cubes for easy slicing.

Dutch Kase                                                               

A Meadow View Dairy original! If you are looking for a nicely aged but milder version of our Tomme, this is the cheese for you. Vacuum sealed without mold and aged at least 60 days.

Tomme de Fremont                                     

Our first aged cheese is quickly becoming a customer favorite! Developed from a French recipe, Tomme is a lower fat mold ripened cheese, aged at least 60 days. This gives the cheese a stronger flavor & firmer texture than the fresh Chevres, perfect for slicing.

Other items from our farm:

New! Homemade Egg Noodles! Made with certified organic flour and our own eggs-YUM!

We’ll also have eggs from our free-range, GMO-free flock.  http://www.meadowviewgoatdairy.com/home

 

Funny Farm of Grant

We’ll have plenty of eggs and will offer a quantity discount: $4 ea, 2 for $7, 3 for $10. Also, dried mushrooms, dried sweet peppers, crab apple jelly, herbs and sea salt and any shallots or onions we might have left.  Barb will be at a craft show along with Apron Lady & Janet, at the Mamreland Church on Fruit Ridge just north of 14 mi Rd.

 

Kasza Sugar Bush of Shelby

Along with our bottled syrup, we have also expanded our line of maple products this summer to include the following:

Maple Cream – this is maple syrup condensed, cooled, and stirred into a beautiful buttery-like spread excellent on bagels, toast, doughnuts, winter squash, or a glaze on meat (esp. fish, and venison). The best thing about this is that it is totally natural only pure maple syrup.

Maple Candy – an excellent treat for someone’s sweet tooth. Simply pure maple syrup cooked down to only sugar and minerals remaining with enough moisture to hold the sugar in beautiful little maple leaf shaped candies.

Maple Granulated Sugar – is much like Maple Candy but without moisture. This can be used in place of white sugar as a natural sweetener along with the maple taste (esp. on oatmeal)

Maple Sugar-Coated Almonds and Pecans – a healthy sweet and crunchy treat.  These make great gifts if they don’t get eaten before that!!!

Please stop by and check out all these 100% natural products for yourself. We would be very happy to answer any questions or visit our web www.kaszasugarbush.com Looking forward to seeing you Saturday!

 

Diana Jancek

Market Manager