Sweetwater Local Foods News for Saturday March 29th

Sweetwater Local Foods Market
Saturday, March 29th, 2025
10:00am to 11:00am
Mercy Health Lakes Village
6401 Harvey St. at US31/Pontaluna Rd.
Contact info at end of newsletter
Supporting Small Local Organic Food Producers since 2005!

MARKET NEWS

On March 7th, the new secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, canceled two USDA programs supporting many local and organic farms, the Local Food Promotions Assistance (LFPA) and Local Food for Schools (LFS) programs. Launched in 2021, these long-overdue programs that mostly supported small local farms (many of which are farming organically) were in stark contrast to those historically introduced by the USDA to support “get big or get out” chemical agriculture. With local food banks and schools cancelling local contracts and farmers who had planned to sell into those programs already planted for the season – uncertainty is the rule right now.

All that said, it is vitally important that we who appreciate our local farmers do everything we can to support them. Buying locally helps; preordering locally helps even more!  And thank you.

Shady Side Farm returns with specialty flours & beans for preorder! The Woven Farm returns with first of spring greens! Liberty Family Farm & Pine Row Farm join them! Crow’s Nest is back with garlic & onions!

Accepting Preorders for Delivery to Market on March 29th:

Shady Side Farm of Holland

I will be at the market on Saturday the 29th.  Pre-orders arepreferred, but I will have some product along for walk-up sales.
Certified organic heirloom dry beans available in 1lb. bags, $12 each:

  • Amethyst – Creamy texture, slightly fruity flavor
  • Arikara Yellow – Good flavor, hold shape well, baked beans, soups
  • Calypso – Slight potato flavor, crumbly texture, good for soups and salads
  • Dapple Grey – Hold shape well, meaty texture, deep flavor, great for soup
  • Fast Lady Cowpea – Quick cooking, creamy texture, slightly sweet, soul food or southern dishes
  • Fort Portal Jade – Firm, hold up in cooking, pleasant, earthy flavor
  • Hutterite Soup – Comfort food, cook fast, creamy soup, baby food
  • Jacob’s Cattle – Big and meaty, taste like potatoes, traditional baked beans, chili
  • Jacob’s Cattle Gold – Sturdy, soak up other flavors, soups and stews
  • Marrow – Creamy bean with a slight taste of bacon, good in soups and white chili
  • Medley – Random mixture, good in soup
  • Painted Lady – Slightly sweet, smooth, creamy texture, good all-purpose bean
  • Painted Pony – Rich and nutty, keeps coloring during cooking
  • Spanish Tolosana – Rich and creamy, hold shape well, good for chili, bean salads
  • Tiger Eye – Creamy smooth texture, rich flavor, tender skin, all-purpose bean
  • Valentine – Replacement for kidney beans, great for salads, soups and dips
  • Yellow Indian Woman – Mild, creamy tasting, sturdy, salads or chili
  • Zebra – Smooth, creamy texture, full-bodied flavor, good all-purpose bean

I can also bring minibags of the above beans (6oz. each) that are great for those who are cooking for 1 or 2 people. These are $6 each, but if you buy4 or more, the price drops to $5 each.
Beans are also available in bulk with a discount—a 2 lb. bag of any particular bean is $22 and a 5 lb. bag is $50. Please do pre-order bulk or mini bags, otherwise I won’t take them along.
Certified organic non-heirloom dry beans, available in 1 lb. ($8), 2 lb. ($14),5 lb. bags ($30),or 25 lb. bags ($100):

  • Black Turtle – Common black bean, great in Mexican dishes
  • Pinto – Earthy flavor, great in Mexican cooking, fall apart under long cooking

Ground products from our certified organic heritage corn:

  • Corn Flour, great in muffins, pancakes, waffles, and more – 1.5 lb.($5) or 3 lb. bags ($9)
  • Corn Meal, good for johnnycake or cornbread – 2 lb. ($8) or 4 lb. ($15)
  • Coarse Grits, good for grits or polenta- 2 lb. ($8) or 4 lb. bags ($15)

Flour ground locally from our certified organic heritage grain:

  • Einkorn Flour – 1.5 lb. ($11), 3 lb.($20), 8 lb. ($48) or 25 lb. bags ($125)
  • Spelt Flour – 1.5 lb. ($8), 3 lb. ($14),8 lb. ($32) or 25 lb. bags ($75)

Bran from the grinding of the certified organic heritage grain,available in 8 oz. ($3) or 16 oz. bags($5). Great for bran muffins (recipe onthe back of the bag).

  • Einkorn Bran
  • Spelt Bran

Dehulled berries from our certified organic heritage grains:

  • Einkorn Berries, in 1 lb. ($7), 2 lb.($12), 5 lb. ($25), or 25 lb. bags ($100)
  • Spelt Berries, in 1 lb. ($5), 2 lb.($8), 5 lb. ($15), or 25 lb. bags ($50)

Berries can be ground for flour, added to soups like barley, or soakedand cooked like rice for a hearty whole grain pilaf, an addition to salads, oras a  breakfast cereal.
And we have LAMB BRATS! Some of you remember how delicious our brats are. They are $18 per pound, and there are 5 brats to a package. No MSG or sugar of any type in these brats—just spices and our ground lamb.
Lona
Shady Side Farm
info@shadysidefarm.net

Get news, recipes, and alerts from the farm:https://mailchi.mp/ffb92e5e9f09/shadysidefarmsubscribe

The Woven Farm of Whitehall

The Woven Farm of Whitehall
Happy spring everyone! I will be back to market this Saturday with fresh salad greens available for preorder now!
$6/6oz bag
I will also have assorted seed packets available for $1 each
As a reminder, our farm is Certified Natural Grown, chemical free, and in the process of certifying USDA organic..and of course all grown with love!
This will likely be the only time to grab greens from market for a few weeks, so don’t miss out! –
Please email inquire@thewoventrifecta.com (mailto:inquire@thewoventrifecta.com) to preorder
If you would like to support the farm as we enter this next season, our last handful of CSA shares are available to reserve (we are hoping to sell outby April 1st!)
Visit our website for details + to reserve a share:
https://thewoventrifecta.com/shop/csa-shares
Cheers to Good Growing!
Samantha Otto
Farmer; Food+Farm Edu
The Woven Trifecta
231-215-6008

Liberty Family Farm & Bakery of Hart
PASTURED POULTRY
Fresh Eggs- $6.00 per dozen, NON-gmo feed. limited
Whole Chickens- $ 6.50/lb average wt. Is 4-6 lbs.
Breasts- $12.25 /lb
Thighs- $8.00/lb
Wings- $6.00
PASTURED PORK NEW !
NEW ! Nitrate Free Ham Slices $9.00/lb
NEW ! Nitrate Free Hocks $7.00/lb in stock
NEW ! Pork Chops $9.00/lb in stock
NEW! Breakfast Links $12.00
NEW! Maple Breakfast Bulk $10.00/lb in stock
NEW! Garlic Basil Sausage 1 lb/ $10.00 in stock
NEW! Italian Bulk Sausage 1 lb/ $10.00 in stock
NEW! Ground Pork 1 lb/ $8.00 in stock
** New batch of Pork coming the first of May (more Bacon!)
BAKERY ITEMS made fresh for you with Organic ingredients
New! Sourdough Loaf with Organic Spelt $8.00
New! SOURDOUGH COCOA CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS $2.00 EACH
SOURDOUGH Plain Loaf $8.00
SOURDOUGH JALAPENO & CHEDDAR BREAD $12.00
SOURDOUGH BAGELS $6.00 EACH – Plain or Everything
SOURDOUGH CHOCOLATE CHIP SCONES $3.00 each
SOURDOUGH GINGER SCONES $3.00
Spinach & Cheddar Quiche made with Organic ingredients! $17.00
Classic Banana Bread- $8.00/large
Classic Banana Bread with Organic Chocolate Chips- $10.00/large
Organic Pizza Crusts (4pk)- $5.00
Please email orders to- libertyff@gmail.com (mailto:libertyff@gmail.com)
Questions- 231-873-3737
~ Andy & Dennise

Pine Row Farm
Hello :-),
100% grass fed beef:
Prices listed are per pound. Orders are filled in the order we receive them. Preorders are encouraged but I bring a selection for walk ups. The processor has raised some of their prices, and we have increased ours accordingly.
Ground beef $7.25
Ground round, vacuum sealed, $8.50
Ground sirloin, vacuum sealed, $13.25
Short ribs, regular cut, $7
New York strip steak$17.25
Rolled rump, chuck, or English roast $8.50
Shank $5.25
Soup bones $2.25
Suet $1.25
Sale! Save 25cents a pound on 50 pounds or more of ground beef, ground round, or ground sirloin, while supply lasts.
We sell by halves and quarters. Please contact me if you would like beef soon. We have a couple of new processing dates scheduled.
*New: We have Jersey beef bundles for anyone interested in a package that is smaller than a quarter. It would include ground beef, chuck roasts, soup bones, and steaks. I can vary the size of the package to your freezer space.
Poultry
All of our poultry is free range, locked in nightly, and has certified organic feed.
Please return your empty cartons. Thanks!
Chicken eggs are$6/dozen. Sold out
Duck eggs are$10/dozen.
Honey
Plastic squeeze bottle:
1# raw $8
Glass canning jars:
Pint raw $10
Quart raw $16
Beeswax
1# block $10
Maple syrup
Old fashioned boiled maple syrup, powered by wood! Quarts and pints are glass jars. Mother Hubbard’s maple syrup:
Pints $10
Quarts $20
Gallons, plastic containers, $65
We will accept orders until 5pm on Friday. I will get totals emailed out by 5am Saturday morning. If you don’t get a response from me, please contact me. We accept cash or check payable to Pine Row Farm.
See you Saturday!
Sarah
pinerowfarmgirl@gmail.com (mailto:pinerowfarmgirl@gmail.com)
231-861-5215 (tel:231-861-5215)

Crow’s Nest of Muskegon
Red and yellow onions$3/lb
Garlic $10/lb
I’ve been keeping these alliums in vented containers in a cold fridge. If you do the same I expect they’ll easily last another month if not more 🙂
I accept pre-orders. Email me Carolyn.a.harper@gmail.com (mailto:Carolyn.a.harper@gmail.com)
See you soon!

The Pasturage of Montague
Hi folks! We are happy to welcome you to the indoor Muskegon market! We bring pretty much everything we offer albeit not in vast quantities. Pre-ordering is a great way to guarantee that you get what you want. You can pick up at Sweetwater or at Muskegon. We have lamb, pork, turkey and chicken available now and in a month or so, we’ll have another round of rabbit. We thank you for your support of our local, small, food business.
Take a gander at our list: http://www.thepasturage.com/order. We are delighted to serve you.
Tootles!
Julie

Sweetwater Verified Goods in other places

Black Bird Farm of Coopersville
If you or someone you know is eager to do a little gardening this season, keep in mind that we will once again be selling herb and vegetable starts this spring. Our herb and vegetable plant pre-sale has just kicked off and will continue through the first week of May, with order pick-ups happening in Grand Rapids on May 14, here at the farm on May 17, and at the Sweetwater Local Foods Market on May 24.
Please use our online form to order: https://blackbirdfarms.aidaform.com/2025-blackbird-farms-plants-pre-order-form
Newsletter is online here: https://blackbirdfarmsnews.substack.com/
Folks can subscribe to our newsletter here: https://blackbirdfarmsnews.substack.com/about
Thanks!
Greg Dunn
Blackbird Farms LLC
farmer.blackbirdfarms@gmail.com (mailto:farmer.blackbirdfarms@gmail.com)
blackbirdfarms.net (http://blackbirdfarms.net/)
instagram.com/blackbird.farms

LaughingTree Bakery
Inside Muskegon Farmers Market 9-2
Sourdough breads & pastries. We stop serving sandwiches/soups at 1:30

The Mannor Farm of Hesperia
We will be at Muskegon Farmers Market this Saturday from 9-1 with our rabbit, garlic and dried herb and pepper blends. Deadline for preorders is Friday 6pm. To place preorders go to https://mannorfarm.eatfromfarms.com/shop.php

Kaufmans Certified Organic Produce of Fremont
We have the following available at our farm:
New! Fresh spinach $5 a gallon bag. Large thick tasty leaves.
New! Eggs, $4.50 dozen.
Vegetables available by pre-order only! Please email us at kaufmans@emailprint.net (mailto:kaufmans@emailprint.net) & plan to pick up your order at the farm.
Available for preorder:
Winter squash: Butternut
Red beets
Cabbage
Purple Potatoes
New! Pickled Red Beets.
All organic ingredients. $9.00 qt $7.00 pint. Discounts available for quantities.
Our farm store hours are Monday – Saturday 8am to 5 pm. We take cash & checks only, please include phone# on checks. Address is 7547 Croswell Ave, Newaygo, MI 49337. Thanks.
Allen Kaufman

Hidden Creek Farm
1230W River Rd, Muskegon, MI (616)796-5696
Everything here on our farm is raised with love and care until it is ready for harvest. We do this WITHOUT the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s), pesticides, herbicides, chemicals, hormones, steroids, or antibiotics. In addition to all the above our livestock is also corn, soy and wheat free. We focus on raising our livestock with a pasture and produce based diet. Our on Farmacy farm store is open Monday-Saturday from 9am-6pm
https://www.thehiddencreekfarm.com/

Dirty Roots Healing of Muskegon
See my website https://www.dirtyrootshealing.com/shop for details. To keep up to date with all my new products, classes and latest news sign up for the Newsletter at my website.
Thanks all for your support!
DirtyRootsHealing.com
DirtyRootsHealing@yahoo.com
616-834-3233
Thanks!
Cody

STAY IN TOUCH!
Contact the market
Email: sweetwaterlocalfoods@gmail.com
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