Allen Farmers Market

A big thank you to all who came out to our Conservation Focused Market yesterday! We wanted to recap what we enjoyed:

🌱 Garden Tours in Allen Neighborhood Center's backyard
🌱 Feeding Purple Willow Farmstead's goats a snack
🌱 Free Native Plants, courtesy of Potter Park Zoo
🌱 Learning from our environmentally-friendly community partners on creating a better habitat for Michigan wildlife!

Let's keep the good vibes going into next week, when we will have the Strawberry Festival on Wednesday, June 17th from 3:00 - 6:30pm. There will be tons of fresh, locally grown strawberries, live music, fun strawberry-themed food & drinks, and a real-life Strawberry passing around free stickers, tattoos and more. 🍓

Stay cool, support local food, and join us for a jam-packed Market!

Today is the last day Tomac Pumpkins and Farm Market will be at our Market until later in the season! Stop by their booth for starter plants!

Calling all Conservation Enthusiasts! Join us for our first Conservation Focused Market this Wednesday, June 10! We have so many environmentally-friendly community partners that are doing the work to ensure our native habitats are protected and thriving! We are so excited to all come together in one space, for your convenience, to learn about all the amazing resources, right in your backyard!

Go on an on-site garden tour in Allen Neighborhood Center's backyard at 3:30 & 5:30pm, feed Purple Willow Farmstead's goats a snack (yes! They are bringing goats!), and take home a free native plant, courtesy of Potter Park Zoo.

Visit our conservation friends' booths and learn what they're up to in creating a better habitat for Michigan wildlife:

* Mid-Michigan Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area
* Tri-County Regional Planning Commission
* Greater Lansing Regional Committee for Stormwater Management (GLRC)
* Wild Ones Red Cedar Chapter
* Potter Park Zoo (they are launching Habitat Hero, a new conservation program!)
* Purple Willow Farmstead's Goat on the Go Business, Launching 2027!

Three Lakes Gardens is bringing a new produce item, Bae Moo Chae, which is the perfect marriage of cabbage and radish and were kind enough to share a recipe recommendation.

Fifth String Food Truck is joining us this week with deliciously creative sandwiches and poutine.

Tåno Studio is bringing the nature-inspired jewelry and Brandon McCoy is bringing the tunes.

All this and more to read here:
https://allenneighborhoodcenter.dm.networkforgood.com/emails/this-week-at-the-market-099985e7-ecfa-4f71-a5ec-24fd1b5bfe00

If you’re searching for a place to quench your thirst during these hot summer days, look no further. Our newest vendor, Jake's Lemonade, has the perfect remedy! Jake offers freshly squeezed 32 oz flavored lemonades, and when he says freshly squeezed, he truly means freshly squeezed. Jake makes all lemonades right on the spot, so you can watch your lemonade be made to order. In terms of flavors, Jake offers a wide variety, including blue raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, peach, mango, and watermelon. He recommends the blue raspberry lemonade as a perfect summer drink, along with the watermelon lemonade as a vibrant flavor that customers are sure to enjoy! Jake has had his business for just under a year and has loved being a vendor here at the Allen Farmers Market. He has especially loved getting to meet all of our neighbors and fellow vendors. He continues to look forward to getting to know the community, so be sure to stop at Jake’s Lemonade at the Allen Farmers Market next week!

This upcoming Wednesday, June 10th, the Allen Farmers Market is hosting our first "Conservation-themed" Market where we will hear from our environmentally-friendly community partners on how to restore and protect native habitats, go on an on-site garden tour, feed Purple Willow Farmstead's goats a snack (yes! They are bringing goats!), and take home a free native plant, courtesy of Potter Park Zoo.

Join the Mid-Michigan Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area, Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, the Greater Lansing Regional Committee for Stormwater Management (GLRC), the Wild Ones and Potter Park Zoo (they are launching Habitat Hero, a new conservation program!), to learn and encourage creating a better habitat for Michigan wildlife!

There will be onsite garden tours at Allen Neighborhood Center at 3:30 and 5:30pm, where you can learn what plants were planted in our gardens and why, and talk directly to the gardener! You'll want to stop by each booth to learn about the local organizations, their resources and initiatives to create and uphold a thriving environment and join the GLRC for an activity that showcases the awesome and powerful benefits of native plants, which are critical to protecting our waters and preventing stormwater pollution.

Potter Park Zoo in partnership with John Ball Zoo, will be giving away a variety of native grasses, shrubs, and wildflowers that provide essential food, shelter, and nesting habitat for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. And many of these plants came from our friend, Bendy Stem Farm!

Speaking of friends, Purple Willow Farm is launching a goat grazing business called, Goats on the Go, in 2027! Goats are an alternative to mechanical and chemical land management and invasive species management... and... they're cute! Visit the goats at the Market and feed them a snack!

This Market absolutely called for Tåno Studio to be our craft vendor, with their handmade, nature-inspired jewelry! And Brandon McCoy will be gracing us with live music for the whole 3.5 hours with acoustic percussive fingerstyle/ Folk/Americana/Native American Flute.

Grab a cold beverage and enjoy all this Market has to offer! See you then.

Happy June everyone! This warm, sunny weather has us realizing summer is officially upon us and it's a great week to walk to the Market and enjoy a cold treat...

Cool down with some deliciously chill offerings from our vendors this week. It's Popsicle, Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade, & Sea Moss Smoothie Season!

Also, find 2 craft vendors at the Market as well as live music from Second Time Around from 3 - 5pm. We're excited that The Davies Project is joining us as our community partner and Eastside neighbor!

Read on for more information:
https://allenneighborhoodcenter.dm.networkforgood.com/emails/this-week-at-the-market-f7563ddd-4dd9-49a5-bf9e-1215d51645e8

Don't you love it when you know someone for months or years just to find out they have secret talents or hobbies? That's the story of this week's Allen Farmers Market musical guest and craft vendor.....

Meet Helen and Marilyn. These two have been critical, long-standing volunteers at the Allen Neighborhood Center's Breadbasket Food Pantry program every Monday... and come to find out, Helen plays and sings in a band and Marilyn makes unique hand towels, artsy bottles, and crafts! What is so neat about this week's farmers market is that Helen's band, Second Time Around, will be playing an eclectic mix of bluegrass, classic rock, country, & folk from 3 - 5PM and Marilyn's craft business, Marilyn's Custom Crafts, will be vending. We love seeing our friends share their talents with the community they serve and hope you enjoy it this Wednesday as well!

Finally, it's feeling like summer! Walk on over to your mid-week farmers market getaway every Wednesday, where we'll have:

live music; connection; food samples; local produce; fresh baked breads; highest quality cheeses and meats; gluten-free/dairy-free options; handmade pasta; freeze-dried candy and fruit; fresh squeezed lemonade or peculiarly-flavored coffee, matcha, or lattes; local caramel and cheese popcorn; pasture-raised eggs; fresh fish; honey; maple syrup; sea-moss products; flowers; locally grown mushrooms and more.

Take a peek at who will be here when (while staying up to date with our weekly Market Alert email will give you the most accurate details)!

Join us for our first conservation-themed farmers market on June 10, where we will hear from our environmentally-friendly community partners on how to restore and protect native habitats, go on an on-site garden tour, and take home a free native plant.

Then we have the Strawberry Festival on June 17!!!🍓We'll have fresh, locally-grown strawberries, strawberry-inspired foods and drinks, a strawberry scone cooking demo, and Kat, the Strawberry, giving out strawberry tattoos, stickers, and more.

The Allen Farmers Market is the place to be on Wednesdays! Hope you can make it.

Coleen's Greens will be bringing rhubarb crisp this week! Along with radishes, mustard greens, spinach, eggs, herbal teas, fresh herbs and spices!

This week is your last chance to visit Bendy Stem Farm's booth until August 19th! They will be bringing dozens of healthy, happy and rooted in native perrenial plants that are ready to make their way into your home landscape.

Whispering Valley Farms is proud to invite you to their Family Farm Store Grand Opening on May 30th 9 AM-3 PM at 2340 Dennis Rd. in Williamston! Get a free rib coupon for next time you visit their store!

G3food4All will have their enchilada hot meal this week and Deacon Earl will be playing music for you to enjoy with your food!

Lastly, try out Mycophile's Garden new product: Chaga Chai!

Read more at: https://allenneighborhoodcenter.dm.networkforgood.com/emails/this-week-at-the-market-d4ca9db7-d655-4f8d-b9b2-68590be2976a

Thank you to everyone who sprouted up and enjoyed the Seed Festival with us! From free seeds to terracotta pot painting to the abundance at our vendors booths, we were sow in love with the vibes! Scroll to see some of our favorite moments 🌱☀