By Walt Gajewski
High summer is here and that means the sawhorse tables at the Farmington Farmers Market will be bursting with the colors and flavors of local farms! Come to downtown Farmington on Saturdays in August to find the very best of farm fresh produce brought to market along with the full abundance of Michigan summer sunshine.
Here in Farmington, located in the heart of the downtown, at the corner of Grand River and Grove Street, you’ll find upwards of 15 growers coming to market weekly with fresh picked dewy wet farm produce. This time of year, our market chalkboard hails Michigan sweet corn and field tomatoes at the top of our farm finds! So many varieties of lettuce can be found here along with tender new sprouts (micro greens), green beans, new potatoes, zucchini, colorful peppers, flavorful onions and sweet summer squash including my favorite, “Patty Pans!”
The farmers market is an uplifting experience that attracts thousands weekly to “…Saturday life in a Michigan small town!” Enjoy a fresh “pour over” coffee or “cold brew”. Stop by our Patisserie, ponder fresh cut flowers while your senses pick up the delightful aroma of a fresh Petey’s donut made from scratch while you wait! From pantry fare to pottery or home accents and garden art, there is a reason why this market is metro Detroit’s #1 rated farmers market, and that is owed to the welcoming spirits and bright smiles that are in great abundance. Come to join the weekly bustle here and you will see vendors fussing over displays or chatting up with locals as musicians tune-up their instruments while children run and tumble in the park.
Featured special upcoming events are another reason to make plans to visit downtown Farmington as we open August with our 3rd annual Polish Festival on Saturday, August 4. On this day, everybody polkas as we host the fabulous Kielbasa Kings, the Wawel Folk Dance Ensemble, fresh pierogies cooked to order, delicious grilled sausage and sauerkraut, and traditional Polish baked goods from Detroit’s Chene Modern Bakery. Savor it all with Piwo, a traditional Polish light beer crafted from smoked wheat by the Farmington Brewing Company.
Looking ahead, August 11th we celebrate National Farmers Market Week and on August 18th, why it’s the 12th Annual Farmers Market Elks Community Corn Roast! Our farmers donate fresh picked Michigan sweet corn while local Elks shuck, coal roast, season and serve, with all proceeds going to charity at only $1 an ear.
Summer is to August as fall is to October. May these words from one of my favorite poet songwriters, Graeme Edge, inspire you…”Be it sight, sound, scent or touch, there is something inside that we need so much…To fly to the sun without burning a wing, or lie in the meadow and hear the grass sing, we keep all of these things in our memories orb and we use them, to help us…to find…”
Come to Market in downtown Farmington, Grand River, and Grove Street. Free parking! 9am-2pm www.farmingtonfarmersmarket.com
