Acorn Farmers’ Market & Café will stay open all year

Acorn Farmers Market & Cafe is a store inside a store, featuring fresh, local offerings

Submitted by Ruth VanBogelen, Acorn Farmers’ Market & Café

Most of the local farmers markets have closed down by now or will by the end of November. Manchester is very fortunate to have invested in a non-profit farmers market that is indoors, allowing the market to stay open all year around. In fact, Acorn will be open every day all year around except for holidays!

New store hours starting December 1 will be 10 am – 6 pm, seven days per week. These winter hours will continue through April. Acorn is located within the Manchester Market at 455 W. Main St. The Super Perky Pantry, which is a full service grocery store, butchery, deli, and commissary in the same building, will be open 7 am – 9 pm daily.

Acorn Farmers’ Market & Café will continue to offer locally produced food and Michigan-made products. The café offers coffee, tea, hot chocolate, hand scooped gelato (made in-house by Iorio Gelato), bakery items, soups, and sandwiches (made by Grand River Bakery and Lakehouse Bakery), and has seating for about 25 people. Free internet is available.

Many ask, what local food is available during Michigan’s cold and snowy winters? Several local agricultural businesses (farms!) continue to have products all winter long. Fresh produce like lettuces, microgreens, herbs, and much more are grown in heated greenhouses. Many have special temperature-controlled rooms that keep storage crops fresh and crisp, like apples, potatoes, squash, onions, popcorn, etc. The local beef, pork, chicken and turkey sold at Acorn are all frozen, so available all year. And yes, we’ll continue to have Alaskan wild caught salmon that is processed in Alaska, frozen and sent by airplane back to Saline. Milk, yogurt, cheese, and other dairy products are from Calder Bros Dairy and, of course, are still available in winter months.

Have you ever heard of a company called Cherry Capital? This is a Michigan company that specializes in collecting products from smaller Michigan companies and distributing to local groceries and farmers markets. Many of the Michigan made products sold at Acorn come through Cherry Capital.

What will Acorn staff and its non-profit Board of Directors be doing with their ‘extra time’ during the winter months?

1) Plan for next season. Farmers' market managers are busy especially during December, January and February recruiting local farmers to participate in their markets, and Acorn is no different. Because Acorn is open every day rather than one or two days like other local farmers' markets, we will need a line up of over 100 local vendors to keep our shelves full of healthy, delicious, locally-grown produce during Michigan’s harvest season May - October!

2) Start up our programming. Part of the Acorn’s mission is to offer education and social connection. Soon, you’ll see announcements of events for community members. Some Acorn will arrange, but we are excited to partner with other local non-profits like Riverfolk Music and Arts. Acorn welcomes small groups to enjoy our café seating area. If your small group has been looking for a winter location to gather for coffee hour and chats — stop by Acorn. We have one large table that seats about 10 and other tables that seat 4-5 people.

Acorn accepts cash, credit card, checks, SNAP (EBT), Double Up Food Bucks, Senior Market Bucks and CRC Nickels.

Acorn’s Mission and Vision — Mission: To model a rural, community-driven market that provides access to fresh food and supports the economic viability of area farmers by promoting education, collaboration, and entrepreneurship. Vision: Acorn Farmers’ Market and Café offers local farm products and inspiring learning opportunities created by and for the whole community.

Acorn is located at 455 W. Main St within the Manchester Market. Website is www.acornfarmersmarketcafe.org. Phone number is 734-649-0890. We are also on social media, including Facebook and Instagram. Email us at orders@acornfarmersmarketcafe.org

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.