Greens Guru / Three Oaks, Mich.
When she planted her garden in Three Oaks in 2001, Barbara Presti’s goal was simple – to put fresh produce, herbs, greens and flowers on her family’s table. But good fortune blessed her: Her second crops were much more than she could use, can or freeze. “I begged my friends at the food pantry and a chef friend at the Inspiration Café to take my excess. Just take it!”
Sadly, neither could, so she built a simple roadside stand, and her humble garden grew to become Treeline Farms. Presti is now known as the “Gourmet Greens Lady.” Her offerings – lettuce, arugula, sorrel, bitter greens, collard greens, chard and turnip greens as well as heirloom tomatoes, herbs, and edible and decorative flowers – are winners at the Three Oaks Farmers’ Market, which she helped start in 2005.
The market is truly a community event. Presti credits farmers Dana Lee, Lily Padgett and Beth Denton for their help starting it. Together they talked to the village and developed the market guidelines, which stipulate that 60% of the produce must be grown by the farmer. This eliminates the large farms and middlemen in favor of the smaller farmers.
“We all work together and are respectful of each other,” she says. “We have a mix of farmers – young and old – and we all learn from each other.
“Every town should have a farmers’ market. There can’t be too many of them,” Presti says. Her booth has been known to draw crowds – and a few drop-in visits by local llamas, too.
Not surprisingly, Presti has firm ideas about what makes for a great salad. “A good salad has to have different textures,” she declares. Her favorite includes lettuce and greens, chopped vegetables, dried fruit and croutons topped by her trademark lemon juice-olive oil dressing.
– Linda K. Strohl
Where to find her: Three Oaks Farmers’ Market, Elm and Central streets. May-Oct. Sat. 9:30 am-2 pm
Dairy Queen / Muskegon, Mich.
Think back to a marvelous meal, perhaps eaten in an exotic locale. Kathleen Riegler is willing to bet a wonderful cheese was involved.
“Cheese brings people back to their roots,” she says. “It reminds them of places they have traveled, experiences they have had.” Riegler has been enamored with fromage since a visit to France years ago. “I absolutely haunted the markets; every single one had a cheese person.”
Quitting her job in 2004, she began selling imported European cheeses at the Muskegon Farmers’ Market. Known for her trademark black-knit beret, her knowledge is legend. Whether selling a Manchego – sheep’s milk cheese from Spain – or a Bucherolle – soft, ripened goat cheese from France – she recommends just the right chutney, toasted nut, dried fruit or herb to serve as an accompaniment.
Longtime customer Nancy Carlyle, of Spring Lake, Mich., says it’s a combination of Riegler’s knowledge and sunny disposition that keeps bringing her back. “I joke that before Kathleen, I thought gourmet cheese was Velveeta,” Carlyle says. “But not only does she know cheese, she is always friendly and upbeat. She’s just good people.” – Patti Eddington
Where to find her: Muskegon Farmers’ Market, 700 Yuba St. May-Dec. Tues., Thurs. and Sat. 7 am-1 pm. 231-722-3251
Bread and Butter / Holland, Mich.
Look for hearty loaves, fruit-and-cheese strudels, and melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon bread under The Great Bread Company canopy. Here the staff of life takes on flavors and shapes for every table and palate. Owner Kim Meyers and husband Jeff continue the family tradition of creating baked goods so popular that 13 farmers’ markets welcome them.
Choose from four sourdough breads, the low-carb ciabatta breads or the focaccia. Baked in a stone hearth oven for a chewier texture, most breads are a hearty 1½ pounds, including the assorted ryes, spinach and feta.
If it sounds healthful, it is. Most of the breads have no sugar or animal fats and very little salt. “People are concerned with how long products sit on the grocery store shelves, and where the food comes from,” Kim says. “Ours is fresh and local.” Her recipes use no preservatives or additives.
Half the fun of browsing the booth is hankering for the cinnamon bread (great for French toast), and you’ll want to grab a bag of cracker bread – thin, flat, seasoned, and great with cheese spreads. – Julie Kessler
Where to find them: Holland Farmers’ Market, 150 W. 8th St. May-Nov. Wed. and Sat. (Nov.-Dec., Sat. only) 8 am-5 pm. 616-355-1138
Family Herbs / Shelby, Mich.
If you’ve stopped by Cherry Point Farm and Market on the way to the Silver Lake sand dunes, you know about the Bull family’s asparagus, cherry pies and other seasonal produce. But venture out past the parking lot toward the arbor and discover the organic herb garden and lavender labyrinth.
Surrounded by glacial boulders unearthed at the farm, the labyrinth was designed in 2001 in the 12-point vesica pattern of sacred geometry by Michigan architect Conrad Heiderer. There are two distinct plantings: those inside the 150-foot-diameter stone circle, with 50 types of herbs including basil, several kinds of thyme and sage, rosemary, parsley, St. John’s Wort, artemisia and calendula; and those in the 300-foot-square labyrinth. The weeks of the year are represented by the arbor’s 52 posts, from which the rows of lavender radiate like sunbeams and rounds of earth create a ripple effect of concentric circles.
“There’s a wonderful energy there,” says owner Barb Bull. “People feel it when they drive by, so they stop in.” The Bulls offer herbs and herb products, along with (in order of the season) asparagus, cherries, raspberries, blueberries, apricots, peaches, plums, pears and apples.
– Patty LaNoue Stearns
Where to find her: Cherry Point Market, 9600 W. Buchanan Rd. 7 am to sunset daily. 231-861-2029
Natural Nutriment / Grand Rapids
Each Saturday at the Fulton Street Market in Grand Rapids, regulars line up to purchase garlic kielbasa, chorizo or pork chops, and perhaps a few duck and goose eggs from Crane Dance Farm.
The incomparable taste they crave, according
to Jill Johnson and Mary Wills of Crane Dance, is because the livestock on the Middleville, Mich., organic farm live a life free of confinement and without the use of pesticides, herbicides, chemicals and fertilizers.
Named for the sandhill cranes that make their home on the property, the essence of Crane Dance is one of peace and tranquility.
“It’s important to both of us to produce good, healthy animals,” says Wills. “I think we can be pretty sure a lot of society’s illnesses are related to chemicals and hormones found in factory farming. When animals are stressed, they don’t provide a good, healthy product.”
The hours which go into running the farm sometimes seem endless, but are ultimately worthwhile, Johnson says. “It’s an awesome responsibility, feeding people.”– P.E.
Where to find them: Fulton Street Farmers’ Market, 1145 E. Fulton St. May-Dec., Sat. 8 am-4 pm. 616-454-4118
Sugar Shack / Holland, Mich.
The Schroeders really do have a sugar shack on their 40 acres in Sodus, Mich., dotted with maple trees that yield sap for syrup – and candy. It’s all collected and cooked down by Marilynne and Gene Schroeder themselves.
“We’re supposed to be retired,” laughs Marilynne. “It can get to be practically a 24-hour operation at times. But when the sap runs good … it kind of gets in your blood, and you want to make more and more.”
What started as a hobby is now, 10 years later, a staple at the Holland Farmers’ Market. Not all maple syrup is the same: Early in the season, freezing nights and warmer days make the sap purer, with a high sugar level, and the Grade A syrup is a light amber color. As the weather warms, more cooking is needed for the proper sugar level.
Look for the Schroeders’ all-natural maple sugar candy, poured into leaf-shaped molds. You’ll find other items, too, from local producers: honey (including those handy little honey sticks, in all sorts of flavors), fruit salsa, jam and jellies, granola, and specialty mustards. – J.K.
Where to find them: 8th St. between Pine and Maple avenues. May-Nov. Wed. and Sat. (Nov.-Dec., Sat. only) 8 am-5 pm. 616-355-1138
Berry Brood / Three Oaks, Mich.
Abundance seems to like the Weber family of the Five Sisters Farm near New Carlisle, Ind. The Webers have five daughters – Adele, Anita, Emily, Mary Rose and Esther – and a prolific farm that produces the succulent berries that are so popular at the market: strawberries in June, raspberries in July, and blueberries in August.
Both Webers come from farming families: Bob is a third-generation Midwest farmer, and Mary Ann’s father is a dairy farmer from New York. “We have always believed in farming organically, even when it wasn’t so popular,” says Bob. Educating the public about organic farming is a big part of the Five Sisters mission, apparent as Weber and daughter Adele answer questions about their produce, plants and growing techniques. It’s no surprise that their bushels of berries are a big sell at the Three Oaks Market.
“We like that they have rules so that you have only locally-grown produce and not crops shipped in from huge farms out of state. We like the homey, friendly atmosphere.”– L.K.S.
Where to find them: Three Oaks Farmers’ Market, Elm and Central streets. May-Oct. Sat. 9:30 am-2 pm
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