DOOR COUNTY - Six days a week in eight different communities. That's how often and where to find a farmers market in Door County.
With the month of May reaching its halfway point, farmers markets are gearing up over the next month to open for their summer and early fall seasons all across the Peninsula, from Sturgeon Bay to Washington Island. Every day except Thursday, including one late afternoon/early evening, shoppers will be able to seek and find fresh food products grown and made locally, health and body care products, and arts and crafts.
Two of the markets on the Lake Michigan side of the Peninsula open in the next week, with three others starting their seasons around the Memorial Day weekend and three more opening in June. As with any farmers market, remember that some produce items and plants may not be available or in peak condition throughout the entire season, depending on the prime growing season for those items.
To get you ready to shop, here's what's happening at the eight markets taking place in Door County.
Mondays
Ephraim: 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., June 17 through Aug. 26, The Red Putter Mini Golf, 10404 Water St. (State 42)
Now entering its second year, the Ephraim Business Council's Bondemarked (Norwegian for "farmers market"), taking place in the green spaces around one of Door County's best-known miniature golf courses, is the only late afternoon/evening market on the Peninsula. It's scheduled to run in conjunction with the village's Evenings in Ephraim concert series from 6 to 8 p.m. Mondays at Harborside Park.
Kelsey Stone, marketing and events coordinator for the business council, said last year's debut year for the market went quite well, with the number of vendors increasing from six at the start to 16 by season's end and the number of shoppers increasing as well.
Bondemarked's vendors will lean more toward being artisans than food producers, Stone said, with crafts, jewelry and birdhouses among the artsy items expected to be available along with food. For those who get an appetite, Poppa B's Food Truck will bring up its sandwiches, wraps and tacos from Sturgeon Bay.
And, the Ephraim Village Board approved sales of canned beer at the market during its May meeting, so shoppers can quench their thirsts as well.
For more information, visit ephraim-doorcounty.com or facebook.com/EphraimDoorCounty.
Tuesdays
Jacksonport: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., May 21 through Oct. 15, Lakeside Park, off State 57
More than 30 vendors plan to be on hand each Tuesday for the 16th year of the Jacksonport Farmers Market, held rain or shine next to the Lake Michigan shoreline in Lakeside Park.
A variety of fresh and prepared food items from local producers will be available. On the produce and plant side, expect to find locally grown fruits and vegetables, flowers, bedding, garden plants, microgreens and native perennials, with the exact types varying with their growing seasons.
Other foods that will be for sale include meats and sandwiches from Door County Custom Meats, fresh Door County whitefish, fresh baked goods, smoked fish, cheeses, eggs, and a variety of jams and jellies.
Area craftspeople will showcase a variety of handcrafted Door County gifts, accessories, purses, pillows, jewelry, clothing, and wood art and products. Among the home and body goods will be handmade soaps, trivets, coasters and candles, and DoCo Pit Pacs, therapeutic hot or cold packs made from dried cherry pits. Alpaca products and children’s books also will be available.
Entertainment during the markets will be provided by local musicians Tom Faella and Scott Riedasch, who will perform on alternate weeks. The Birch Creek Jazz Ambassadors, a small-combo outreach group from Birch Creek Music Performance Center in Egg Harbor, also will play during the July 16 and July 30 markets, and artists taking part in the Door County Plein Air Festival will return July 23 for their annual appearance at the market.
For more information, call Sue Jarosh of the Jacksonport Area Business Association at 920-839-5253 or email info@jacksonport.net.
Wednesdays
Fish Creek: 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., May 29 through Oct. 16 (weather permitting), on the grounds of Settlement Shops, 9106 State 42, Fish Creek
About 15 vendors will be on hand at Settlement Shops each week, roughly the same as in past years, with their supplies of plants, produce, other foods and handmade items, all farmed or created locally. Also, the shops surrounding the marketplace will be open.
Among the new vendors are Farmhouse Leather, a local maker of jewelry and accessories made from reclaimed leather; DoCo Pit Pacs, which makes hot or cold therapeutic packs filled with dried Door County cherry pits; and Brilliant Stranger, a handmade clothing artisan.
The market will have live music scheduled for most weeks, with violinist Beth Chafey-Hon and accordionist Dale Graf taking turns as performers.
To help kick off the market, Settlement Shops also hosts its annual plant sale the Saturday before the season opens, May 25, with plant vendors from across the Peninsula.
For more information, call 920-421-2115 or visit settlementshopsfishcreek.com/farmers-market.
Fridays
Egg Harbor: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., May 24 through Sept. 13 (weather and road work permitting), Hatch Distilling Co., 7740 State 42
This is the second year the Egg Harbor Business Association's farmers market is being held in the parking lot at Hatch Distilling Co. following its move from Harbor View Park to improve access, logistical issues and visibility (with its location right on State 42) for vendors and visitors.
"Vendors were happy that they could pull right in, making loading and unloading much easier," said Alyssa Rasmusson, marketing and welcome center manager for the business association. "Customers were happy that parking was a bit easier."
That said, being on State 42 in Egg Harbor this year does come with the temporary downside that the highway currently is closed for road work starting 12 miles south and stretching into the village, along with the village's own simultaneous sidewalk construction project.
However, all that work is scheduled to wrap up by June 28, and Rasmusson noted the road is open to local traffic and the sidewalk work is nearing completion, plus the detour in the village will come down for weekends starting with the Memorial Day weekend, so she doesn't think the construction should have too great an impact on the market. She said those interested in visiting can check the village's Facebook page for traffic updates or possible closures.
Thirteen to 15 vendors are signed up to be on hand as of mid-May, more than the market has seen in recent years. Vegetables, plants, baked goods, art, jewelry, candles and woodworking projects are among the items available. The business association isn't charging vendors for space this year, which Rasmusson said is because of the construction and also in the hope it draws more of them to help grow the market.
For more information, call 920-868-3717 or visit eggharbordoorcounty.org or facebook.com/EggHarborDoorCounty.
Saturdays
Sturgeon Bay: 8 a.m. to noon, June 1 through Oct. 12, South Third Avenue and Nebraska Street
Door County's largest community puts on Door County's largest weekly farmers market, with about 80 vendors signed up to be downtown each Saturday morning.
Sponsored by Destination Sturgeon Bay, the Sturgeon Bay Farmers Market takes place on South Third Avenue between Michigan and Nebraska streets and on Nebraska for about half a block on either side of South Third. Parking is available in the lot behind the buildings on the east side of South Third, and there are several municipal lots and street parking within reasonable walking distance.
The market offers a wide variety of goods grown or made locally or in the region: plants and flowers, produce, baked goods, meats, specialty foods, clothing and accessories, home accessories and yard art. Several vendors accept FoodShare tokens.
Among the more notable vendors are Emerald Acres Farms, which provides produce, flowers and goat milk soaps; Door County Custom Meats; and, returning by popular demand, a man who makes Amish doughnuts and handmade pies.
For more information, including a list of vendors, visit sturgeonbayfarmersmarket.net.
Sister Bay: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 15 through Oct. 5, Corner of the Past Museum, 10310 Fieldcrest Road
Sponsored by the Sister Bay Historical Society at its museum, this market has local farmers and vendors provide fresh produce, sauces, honey, meats, eggs, flowers and bakery, as well as jewelry, wood products and photography. The market also expects to have several local organizations have an informational stand on hand each week, among them the Door Community Compost Initiative run by the Climate Change Coalition of Door County. As of mid-May, about a dozen vendors and exhibitors are signed up but the market can host 20 or more.
Also, a selected artist will give a demonstration of, and display, their work in the Koessl Barn on the grounds each week during the market as part of the historical society's Heritage Program series. Musicians also will perform for the program, including local concertina player Dale Graf.
For more information, call 920-854-9242 or visit sisterbayhistory.org/event/farmers-market-opens.
Washington Island: 9 a.m. to noon, May 25 through Oct. 13, just south of KK Fiske, 1177 Main Road (look for signs and tents)
It's the eighth summer for this famers market sponsored by Gathering Ground, an Island-based nonprofit organization that focuses on sustainable agriculture education and connecting the community to farmers with programs at its 30-acre farm. As in recent years, the market will be located in the green space next to KK Fiske Restaurant.
Gathering Ground executive director Alessandra Rolffs said she expects the market to have more vendors than the five to 10 it had last year, with most of them from the Island and all having some connection to it. Along with farm produce, shoppers can find arts and crafts and more, the Hotel Washington will offer coffees and baked goods, and Rolffs said the market is working with the Island's Fair Isle Books & Gifts to hold several book author signings during the season. KK Fiske will be open during the market, too.
For more information, visit gatheringgroundwi.org/farmers-market.
Sundays
Baileys Harbor: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., May 19 through Oct. 6, Town Hall, 2392 County F
Those looking to do their Sunday shopping outdoors, rain or shine, can visit this annual market sponsored by the Baileys Harbor Community Association on the lawn outside Town Hall.
The Baileys Harbor Farmers Market expects about 40 vendors to offer produce, plants, baked goods, sauces and condiments, jewelry, art and clothing. Live alpacas will be on hand most weeks along with clothing and other items made from alpaca fur. Food to eat on site will be available from the Cindy's Fresh Egg Rolls food truck, along with lemonade and baked goods. Live music will be performed each week.
For more information, call 920-839-2366 or visit baileysharbor.com/events or facebook.com/BaileysHarbor.
Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.
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