The Friendly Faces (and Farms) of Cheboygan

 

In our 2017 Guide to Local Food in Northern Michigan, we profiled Alpena in Northeastern Michigan. Now, it’s Cheboygan’s time to shine. We talked with a few farms/businesses that are driven by making local food more accessible to their community.

Here’s what they had to say:Harvest Thyme Farm

Harvest Thyme Farm & Vineyards

Interview with co-owner Greta Jankoviak

Opened in 2014 and sell through a 100-member CSA, Cheboygan Farmers’ Market, and wholesale to local restaurants

Local Food Mission: “Our goal is to get the community excited about fresh, local foods by making affordable, healthy produce readily accessible.”

What are your biggest hopes for the Michigan regional food system: “We’d love to see local food more mainstream, with more local food options in traditional grocery retailers and restaurants. Of course, we’d love to continue to see growth at the farmers’ market and all of the infrastructure that makes this growth possible.”

Favorite Dish to Make with Local Ingredients: “It’s hard to beat an all-local BLT in the summer!”

nourish

Nourish

Interview with co-owner Emily Eckhart

Opened the MOVE (yoga) portion of the business on December 1st,Nourish Taco Salad_photo by Emily Eckhart2016 and the EATery (café) portion on July 4, 2017. The Market, THRIVE, will open in the Fall 2017.

Local Food Mission: “To provide our community with whole food nutrition. Use as many LOCAL and direct sources as possible tocreate nourishing food & beverage options from scratch. Supporting Michigan made goods and products that we are PROUD to share. We are alsopassionate about educating our community on the multiple advantages to buying and eating LOCAL food.”

What are your biggest hopes for the Michigan regional food system: “In Cheboygan we hope to support more farmers who have high growing standards. It will also be great when Grayling has their USDA processing facility rolling so our meat producers don’t have to travel as far.”

Favorite Dish to Make with Local Ingredients: “Our favorite food item is our taco salad. Our greens and tomatoes are from Harvest Thyme Farm in Cheboygan, chicken is from Resonance Center Farm in Cheboygan, and the cheese is from Farm Country Cheese in Lakeview, MI. We make our own French Dressing to top it off.”

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Resonance Center Farm

Interview with co-owner Deb Kidder

Opened in 2013; they sell off the farm, plus an occasional Farmers’ Market.

Local Food Mission: “Our mission is to create healthy land, healthy animals, healthy people, and a healthy economy. Pure Northern Michigan cool air, healthy soils, clean water, and healthy grass contribute to our unique tender “sweet” flavor. Healthy soils produce more vibrant plants, creating delicious and nutritious meat! We don’t use chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or any other “cides.” We are “Beyond Organic”.”

What are your biggest hopes for the Michigan regional food system: “As a farm, we would like to build a health facility that would only serve food we have grown and raised to give people of older age the nutrition their bodies crave, built around a greenhouse so residents can grow their own food year-round.”

Favorite Dish to Make with Local Ingredients: “Our favorite dish, is nature – clean soil, sunshine and being outdoors.”

Molly Stepanski is the local food coordinator for Northeast Michigan. She also operates Presque Isle Farm with her husband, Dion, and son, Sawyer. Contact her at [email protected]