Every year, American Farmland Trust conducts the only public-voted ranking of the country's top farmers' markets. This year's winner in Michigan: our very own Mount Clemens Farmers' Market.
My family and I visited for the first time to find out what makes MCFM the best farmers' market in the entire state.
What immediately stands out to me is the palpable energy of joy, excitement and fun. Market coordinator John Cody believes "that friendly atmosphere" is why the market won. John also tells me about MCFM's spectacular variety, which quickly becomes evident as we explore.
For starters, my wife Heather, who grew up in the South, adores fried green tomatoes, but finding green tomatoes locally is a challenge. Not at MCFM: Heather snapped up a bunch and cooked them up as soon as we got home (and I can now assure you: fried green tomatoes are indeed delicious).
Here's another example: if you're looking for a carton of eggs, you'll need to be more specific. Duck eggs? Turkey eggs? Goose eggs? Ostrich eggs? Repurposed Paradise Farm offers them all, along with traditional chicken eggs. The animals are all pasture-raised by Jennifer Giles and her family.
"We actually stopped going to other markets," Jennifer says, "because we always sell out here. It doesn't matter how many eggs I bring. If I bring 300 dozen, they're gone by 10:00. We only brought 200 dozen today and they were gone by 8:40."
Repurposed Paradise Farm also sells homemade granola and breads; their sourdough is now our 11-year-old son's all-time favorite.
Clark Farms offers flowers, soaps, and an impressive variety of fruits and vegetables. It's run by fifth-generation farmer John Clark and his wife JoEllen, for whom farming is "what my family has always done." I ask JoEllen what makes Mount Clemens Farmer's Market so special.
"Every city tries to start a farmer's market," she says, "but there aren't enough farmers to fill them, so they turn into a craft show with one or two farmers. We're certified home-grown: everybody has to grow what they sell."
Beth Sanna of mushroom specialists Give & Grow Farms agrees: "They inspect your farms--you have got to be a real farmer to be here."
Lucy Robertson of "R” Bees Honey Farm says, "a lot of our customers come every week." That includes Fran Sampson, who's lived in Mount Clemens for 76 years. "No one can beat this market," Fran says. "I hope you come here and experience what I experience every Saturday."
Mount Clemens Farmers' Market runs from May through mid-November on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
"Every city tries to start a farmer's market, but they turn into a craft show with one or two farmers. We're certified home-grown: everybody has to grow what they sell."