Southfield

Down on the farm

By Jennie Miller
C & G Staff Writer

Southfield Farmers Market returns June 3

SOUTHFIELD — Fresh Michigan produce and assorted handicrafts will be among the items rolling out at the Millennium Center in Southfield every Thursday June through October at the Southfield Farmers Market.

Back for its third year, the market is open 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. and features local vendors selling their wares in the parking lot at 15600 J.L. Hudson Drive, sponsored by the Southfield Cornerstone Development Authority and Providence Hospital.

“It’s kind of a trend right now. So many cities have one,” said Mary Daley, assistant to the executive director of the CDA, who plans the seasonal event. “It’s tough being a new market, and especially being a weekday market, but we’re growing, and people are coming out. They like it because it’s close and they have contact with the actual producers, so that’s nice. (The produce) is literally picked within the last 24 hours, and that’s the best time to eat the vegetables, because they haven’t lost all their nutrients yet and the taste is the best. And people are choosing Michigan products over any others right now.”

The market features fresh fruits and vegetables, herbs and herbal products, jams and jellies, Michigan cherry products, cheese, vegan pastries, flowers and plants, freshly baked breads and baked goods, homemade salsas, frozen seafood and crafts.

Additional vendors are welcome. Daley has her own wish list for what she’d like to see at the market.

“It has to be Michigan-based,” she said. “Local farmers — urban farmers would be awesome. We do have an urban farmer right now (Cornelius Williams of Vandalia Gardens in Detroit) but the more the merrier. I would love to have more flowers or plants; that would be nice. Anything, really. I’ll take anything. Honey would be nice. Handicrafts. Another thing I would love to have is certified organic products.”

Interested vendors can contact the CDA at (248) 796-5190.

Celeste Ivey of Southfield, owner of Patisserie Ci, which offers vegan pastries, has been taking part in the market since it began three years ago.

“I love that it is local Southfield, that it is available to the community,” she said, adding that it’s a challenge to spread the word about the market. “But once people find out about it, they come out.”

Daley agreed.

“The hardest part about it is getting people out here for the first time,” she said, adding that once they come out, they’re hooked. “But so many people are still saying they haven’t even heard about it.”

Ivey participates in many farmers markets around the area, and said that it’s a great opportunity for her to interact with customers and educate them about her food and what she does. She said farmers markets are all the rage right now, especially given the struggling economy.

“I think that people are definitely more aware of the importance of buying local, of buying Michigan-made,” Ivey said.    

Throughout the season, some special events are held at the Southfield market, like the annual corn roast in early fall and a visit from the largest pumpkin grown in the state at VanHoutte Farms in October.

“We’re excited,” Daley said. “I think it’s a great addition to our community, and I’m excited to start again.”

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Jennie Miller at jmiller@candgnews.com or at (586)279-1108.