Berry Imperfection: A Summer Essay

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The last jar of last June’s strawberry jam rests empty on my kitchen counter, clotted and sticky. David looks sad. The dog hangs his head as though scolded though he had nothing to do with the quandary we face, writes Anne-Marie Oomen. It was purely luck that last summer’s strawberry jam made it from last solstice to this one. That jam is holy, that jam is winter survival, that jam is antidote to cloud laden days when sunlight is veiled in some stratospheric turbulence the size of Jupiter. That rosy jam spread thick on brown bread reminds us that light does exist. I lick the rim of the jar. Clearly, the succulence that saves us must be replenished.

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Glen Arbor celebrates Thanksgiving weekend with Artisan Market, PJ Party, Bed Parade, Tree Lighting

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Kick off the holiday season in Glen Arbor this Thanksgiving weekend with a warm welcome to the annual Holiday Artisan Market, plus two of Glen Arbor’s favorite quirky traditions, the “PJ Party” and the “Bed Parade,” for a weekend full of local creativity, community, and holiday cheer.

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Leelanau Conservancy unveils new logo

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The Leelanau Conservancy has unveiled its new logo, which offers a peek through trees and toward a grassy hill with sand dunes, open Lake Michigan, and an island or peninsula in the background. The new logo retains its oval—a nod to the shape of the old logo, which served the Conservancy for 36 years. The old logo featured a ship sailing by sand dune cliffs. “The new refreshed logo feels familiar for our audiences, keeping an alignment with the current logo, but removing elements that do not represent our services,” the Conservancy stated in a press release. “The refresh also captures the scenic character of Leelanau—the ‘peek’ through the trees makes you feel like you are here, in Leelanau.”

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9 Bean Rows, an innovative agritourism champion

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Farming is tough, and the margins are small. The same is true for grocery stores and for restaurants. So, of course, Jen and Nic Welty decided to combine all three. They say it’s worth all the work, and judging by the crowds at their farm/café/retail bakery, so too do those enjoying the fruits of their labors. “It’s been pandemonium. We’re taking the winter to regroup,” says Jen. The latest iteration of 9 Bean Rows includes indoor seating as well as the outdoor pizza oven and outdoor seating. Lines for the bread and pastries frequently extend out the door, while diners navigate the ordering process through QR codes at their tables. Part of our series on agritourism and solutions to the farming crisis.

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Kelenske’s August sweet corn

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According to the Farmer’s Almanac, there are three key indicators that sweet corn is ready for harvest: “kernels fill the ear,” “silks turn brown,” and “ears begin to angle.” Driving around the peninsula these past couple of weeks, the farm stands are stacked with freshly picked sweet corn on the cob. Some varieties are golden yellow and others are a bi-colored “peaches and cream,” both are sweet, tender, and delicious. “Requiring a delicate balance of timing and technique,” the sweet corn season lasts only a nanosecond, so it is one to savor and appreciate. As the summer crop season comes to a close, these crops could be thought of as meal courses. The bookends of the summer crop season are strawberries, the appetizer course of summer, and sweet corn, the dessert course. The magic of sweet corn is in the first bite. Aside from burning mouths due to impatience waiting for the sweet corn harvest, the initial bite releases a snap of the corn kernels and the sweetness of the juice. Heavenly. Fourth generation Leelanau Peninsula farmer and sweet corn magician Curtis Kelenske and I walked through the 10-acre sweet corn field located off French Road as he offered his favorite recipe for sweet corn: boiled+salt+butter. Simple is better when eating freshly harvested sweet corn.

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Goats and chickens and elderberries, oh my

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It’s part farm, part café, part farm market, part AirBnB—and all a dream come true for Samantha Fall. Fall, the owner of Elderberry Farms Estate, has a varied background. She is also a long-time agriculture enthusiast. She worked at Michigan State’s campus farms while earning her degree in communication. After graduating, she started her own mini-farm outside East Lansing, complete with dairy goats, chickens, produce, soap- and lotion-making. She was also a long-standing fan of elderberries.

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Bardenhagen’s farm stand worth a stop

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What are the little purple, pink, yellow, and ruby red balls found on the corners of the roads throughout the peninsula this time of year? Spilled cherries. Big trucks and small trucks hauling tanks of freshly harvested cherries are everywhere. It’s July and this means it’s cherry season. For all of us following or waiting behind these trucks carrying tanks with water spilling over the sides, it is a good reminder to be a little more patient while driving in the area. These hardworking farmers are doing their best to harvest and deliver the delicious stone fruit to processors as quickly as possible. Most local farm stands are bursting with colorful displays of all cherry varieties, usually picked the same day they are stocked. One such place in the Leelanau Peninsula that is an essential stop for any farm stand devotee is the Bardenhagen Farms farm stand located at 7881 Pertner Road. Part of our series on local farm stands in Leelanau County.

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TLC Farms—so much more than a tomato shop

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Driving south from St. Wenceslaus Church on Setterbo Road is a hidden gem: TLC Farms. Looking from the road, there is a farm house, barns and outbuildings, and a couple of greenhouses. Writer Rebecca Carlson’s advice, pull into their small parking lot and walk back towards the greenhouses. The visitor will be rewarded by the Tomato Shop, which is so much more than a tomato shop. It is a free-standing, permanent structure farm stand for TLC Farms. Clearly, current owners and caretakers Joe Vanderbosch and his wife Anne Cunningham tend their greenhouses, produce “from seed to end product,” and customers with lots of tender loving care. Part of our series on farm stands in Leelanau County.

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Lively family’s NeighborFood Market opens to public

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Food, folks, farm and fun—plus a festival or two. Those are all part of the plan at the Lively Farm, a.k.a. Backyard Burdickville, f.k.a. the Eagles property on M-72 just east of Empire. Lively NeighborFood Market is set to debut Memorial Day weekend, pending any surprises with the buildout or weather. The brainchild of Jim and Kelly Lively is the latest addition to the property, which has also served as home to the LivelyLands music festival and the Lively Farm, a CSA farm.

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Roadside markets and the Steimel Farm Stand

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Beware this time of year when driving around the Leelanau Peninsula. Cars will suspiciously slow down and then veer off the road seemingly for no reason, almost causing accidents. Why? Spotting an animal? A favorite winery? A picture opportunity? Maybe, but most roadtrippers are stopping for the gorgeously arrayed farm stands throughout the peninsula. This side-business allowed farmers to move product at their discretion, set fair pricing, and cut out a middle-man. The farmers make direct connections to the consumer; the farmers can move smaller batches of crops that would not be large enough for a commercial buyer; the farmers can sell crops that may be too ripe for a grocery store; ultimately, the farmers control the freshness of the final product sold at the farm stand. Every time a consumer purchases something from a farm stand it is a reminder of our symbiotic connection to the earth and the farmers growing the food the public at large consumes. One of the hardest working farm stand owners, Al Steimel, appreciates the important relationship between producer and consumer in the Leelanau Peninsula.

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