Localvore Food Sources

Meat, milk, cheese, eggs, flour, pasta, beans, canned goods, jams, honey, maple syrup, oil and more--all grown, raised, and produced within 100 miles of Lansing--are all for sale in Lansing.  Here's our list of places to buy locally grown food, including everything from asparagus to zucchini. If we're missing something, please email us at info@lansingarealocalvores.org.

Farmers' Markets
Grocery Stores
Farms
Community Supported Agriculture
Grow Your Own
Pick Your Own

Where to buy the basics

Milk—Calder Dairy, Mooville and Quality Dairy all sell milk produced within 100 miles of Lansing. Calder Dairy milk is sold at East Lansing Food Coop. Mooville milk is sold at L&L stores. Quality Dairy sells QD milk.
Butter—Calder Dairy butter is sold at the East Lansing Food Coop.
Eggs—Local eggs are available at City Market, Allen Street Market and other farmers’ markets, as well as East Lansing Food Coop.
Flour—Westwind Milling and Jennings Brothers both grow grain and mill their own flour. Westwind flours and breads are available at the Allen Street Market. Jennings Brothers have a stand at City Market one Saturday per month.
Meat—Local meat is available at City Market, East Lansing Food Coop, Allen Street Market and directly from some farmers. We’ll add specific information about this to the web as we receive it.
Oil—Butter and bacon fat are two sources of local cooking fat. Soybean oil is produced by Thumb Oils and is expected to be available at East Lansing Food Coop at some point.
Dry beans—Many varieties of Carlson-Arbogast Farm dry beans are sold at Horrock’s. However, you need to read the label on each package: some are marked “grown and packaged” and others are marked only “packaged” by Carlson-Arbogast Farms.
Sugar—Michigan Sugar is a grower-owned cooperative that sells under the brand names Pioneer, Big Chief, and Peninsula. You can find these at regular grocery stores.
Fruit and vegetables—Farmers’ Markets are a good place to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables. BUT, you still may need to ask if the produce is locally grown. Some vendors buy from faraway places. Also, some grocery stores sell local produce. They may also be very confusing. A sign touting a Michigan farmer’s melons, for example, may be placed directly over melons from afar. So read labels and ask the produce manager when in doubt.
Carbohydrates—Wheat, corn, oats, and potatoes are good local sources of carbohydrates. For flour, see above. Westwind Milling is going to start offering oatmeal soon! Michigan potatoes, which may or may not be grown within 100 miles of Lansing (check label), are readily available in grocery stores as well as farmers’ markets.
Salt and spices--You can get salt from Windsor (which is within 100 miles of Lansing), but it hardly saves energy to drive that far to get salt. We're lumping non-local salt, leavening and seasonings (including vanilla) as one Marco Polo item. See details at www.lansingarealocalvores.org/challenge.

Farmers' Markets
Allen Street Farmers Market (corner of Allen Street and Kalamazoo Ave) – Wednesdays. 2:30 pm – 6:30 pm. EBT and Project FRESH accepted. Contact: Kate Nault 485-7630; www.allenneighborhoodcenter.org

Lansing City Market (333 N. Cedar St.) Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm; Saturday, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm; 517-483-7460, www.lansingcitymarket.com

Old Town Commercial Association's Farmers Market (203 E Grand River Ave, at Turner St in Lansing's Old Town District) – May 6, June 3, July 1, August 5, and September 9, 1:00 pm –5:00 pm. Project FRESH accepted; Held during “First Sunday Gallery Walk” for Old Town, Lansing, and East Lansing. Contact: Ralph D. VanLoton 517-485-4293; www.oldtownmainstreet.org

Student Organic Farmstand (on the MSU campus on Farm Lane in front of the Auditorium) –Thursdays, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

Meridian Township Farmers Market (Corner of Marsh and Central Park Dr. behind Meridian Township Offices) – May-June: Saturdays, 8:00 am - 2:00 pm; July-October: Wednesdays and Saturdays, 8:00 am - 2:00 pm. Project FRESH accepted. Contact: 517-853-4608

Mason Farmers Market (Corner of Maple and Jefferson) – Saturdays, July 14-October 6, 8:00 – noon; Project FRESH accepted. Contact: Elaine Ferris ejferris@toast.net

Willamston Farmers Market (corner of Putnam and High Streets) – Thursdays, 2:00 pm – dusk. Contact: 517-655-1953

DeWitt Farmers Market (Downtown DeWitt) – Saturdays through Oct 13, 9:00 am –1:00 pm. Contact: Kellie Warner 517-669-2441; www.dewittfarmersmarket.com.

St. Johns Farmers Market (100 Maple, west side of Clinton County Courthouse, downtown St. Johns) – Saturdays, June 23-October 27, 8:00 am – noon; Project FRESH and Food Stamps accepted. Contact: Tyler Barlage, 989-227-1717.

[Jackson] Grand River Market (117 Louis Glick Hwy, Jackson) –Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, April-November, 7:00 am–3:00 pm. Contact: Mary Kuhl, 517-782-2038

Fowlerville Farmers' Market (213 S Grand Ave, at the Fowlerville village parking lot) – Wednesdays, May 9–October 31, 2:00 pm–7:00 pm; Project FRESH accepted. Contact: Sandra Warner, 517-712-9134.

Grand Ledge Farmers' Market (213 S. Bridge St. in downtown)--June 16 to Oct. 27.

Grocery Stores
East Lansing Food Coop (ELFCO) – 4960 Northwind Dr, East Lansing, 337-1266, info@elfco.coop. Wide range of organic groceries and some local products like
Quality Dairy Store at Pine & Saginaw Streets– Michigan milk & dairy products & locally baked goods. Fresh MI produce provided weekly by Heritage Acres

Farms
Three Ponds Farm located near Wacousta and Dewitt, raises and sells natural food products including, fresh eggs, lamb, pork, turkey and chicken. 517/669-5698 or 517-242-6336  Johnny Maahs and Edie Hulbert
Clear Creek Farms in Eaton Rapids is a local source of free-range pastured beef (by the 1/4 and 1/2), pork lamb, chicken and turkeys. Ask for Foster at 517-663-6373.

Community Supported Agriculture – Join a farm and get a weekly supply of fruits and vegetables
The CBI Giving Tree Farm – 15433 Turner St, Lansing; 517-482-8885, www.cbirehab.org; susangivingtree@earthlink.net
MSU Student Organic Farm – 3291 College Rd, Holt, 48842; 517-230-7987, www.msuorganicfarm.com; msufarm@msu.edu
Titus Farms – 3765 N Meridian Rd, Leslie, 49251, 517-589-5543, www.titusfarms.com; titusfarms@hotmail.com
Wildflower Eco Farm – 14650 Center Rd., Bath 48808; 517-641-4761 or 517-525-5592; wildflowerorganicfarm@yahoo.com]
Owosso Organics – 3378 Mason Rd., Owosso 48867; 989-725-3151 or 989-494-8247. Farm pickup or an East Lansing pickup. See listing on www.localharvest.org

Grow Your Own
The Garden Project Ingham County – 5303 S Cedar, Lansing; 517- 887-4660, gardenproject@ingham.org. Garden plots to grow your own food in local community gardens or your backyard garden

Pick Your Own
U Pick Farms – http://www.michigan.gov/mda

Other Food Resources – www.localharvest.org

Compiled by Diane Thompson and Laura B. DeLind, 2007