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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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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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