We have scaled back the market to a self serve setup for the next week or two. We still have broccoli, potatoes, acorn squash, kale, beets, lettuce, spinach, brussel sprouts, apples, and cabbage. Thank you to all of our customers for another good year at the market.
Our new pup Lacey wants to remind everyone that it is not too late to find your perfect pumpkin in our pumpkin patch. We will be giving wagon rides out to the pumpkin patch again this Saturday and the weather forecast is calling for a beautiful fall day.
You can show your love for the Mellema Farm Market with one of our stylish 100% cotton T-shirts. These shirts were designed by the good people at Allthread Ink in Allendale and are available in the market in sizes from small to extra large. And if you see someone at the farm wearing one of the neon yellow Mellema Farm Market STAFF edition T-Shirts don't hesitate to ask them for help.
Our pick your own pumpkin patch is now open. The prices for pumpkins from the patch are $7 for large pumpkins, $5 for medium sized pumpkins, and $3 for small pumpkins. We give wagon rides to the patch and back every Saturday starting at 10am. And there are a lot of pumpkins in the patch to choose from.
Hot peppers like hot weather and this recent stretch of summer like temperatures has given us a lot of jalapeno and cayenne peppers. We have them ready now by the peck for $10, by the half bushel for $18, or a full bushel for $32.
We have a nice crop of beets this year. We sell them in quart boxes for $2.50 and we also sell beets in bulk for pickling and canning. $9 for a peck, $16 for a half bushel, and $30 for a bushel.
Here at the Mellema Farm we believe in reusing plastic bags and we go through a lot of gently used grocery bags in our market. If you have a pile of paper or plastic bags taking up space in your closet and you don't know what to do with them, you can drop them off at our market and they will get used again to carry vegetables home for one of our customers. Thank you in advance.
Our market will be open on Labor Day from 10am to 7pm and we have lots of tomatoes, peppers, hot peppers, onions, and cilantro. This would be a great time of year to make some delicious salsa with fresh ingredients.
We are having problems with deer eating some of our crops like the bean plants in this picture. Because of that we currently do not have as many beans, pickles, cucumbers, sweet corn, and lettuce as we planned to have. We will continue to pick what we can for the market but we do not have enough to sell bushels of these items at this time. We will have other plantings of these crops yet this year and hopefully they will be more productive.
Our U-pick tomato patch is now open. There are lots of tomatoes in the patch and you can also pick Roma tomatoes and heirloom tomatoes. The cost is $20 per bushel or $10 per half bushel. We will provide half bushel baskets to pick into but it is a good idea to bring your own containers to take the tomatoes home in. The tomato patch is open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 7pm. If you would rather have us pick your tomatoes for you the cost is $20 per half bushel or $22 per half bushel for Roma tomatoes.
We are growing some new varieties of heirloom tomatoes this year and they are starting to give us a colorful selection of delicious tomatoes. We have pink, yellow, orange, red, green, and purple tomatoes all for $2.50 per pound. Our canning tomato varieties are also ripening and our tomato patch will be open for pick your own tomatoes starting on August 19th.
We have been busy getting the market set up and making some new signs. When the paint dries on this sign it will be on Leonard Road pointing the way to our market. In the meantime you can still stop out for ripe tomatoes, eggplant, seeded and seedless watermelon, cantaloupe, onions, lettuce, jalapeno peppers, zucchini, summer squash, pickles, cucumbers, potatoes, herbs and flowers. Our sweet corn needs a few more days to grow but we will have sweet corn in the market by Monday.
Our tomatoes are growing really well this year. The plants are big and healthy and we have tomatoes that are bigger than a baseball right now but they are still green. We should have tomatoes and sweet corn for sale by the end of July. Right now we are picking some pickles, zucchini, and summer squash and we have them for sale on a table by the garage.
Our strawberries ripened early this year and it looks like they will be done earlier than last year. We still have strawberries for sale for $6 per quart or two quarts for $11 but we are no longer taking orders for flats of strawberries. Pick your own strawberries will still be available this week and next week for $2 per pound. This spring we planted a second patch of strawberries that we are not picking this year but we will be picking next year. So next year we will have twice as many plants to pick from.
Our strawberry patch is open now for pick your own strawberries. There are a lot of berries out there and the price is $2 per pound if you pick your own. The strawberry patch is open from 10AM to 7PM Monday through Saturday. Please bring containers if you pick your own. If you would rather have us pick them for you the price is $6 per quart, two quarts for $11, or eight quarts (one flat) for $40. We try to keep the cooler by the garage stocked with berries but it is a good idea to order ahead by calling (231)730-3833 if you want a flat or more.
We are bringing back the email list for Mellema Farm Market updates regarding when the market will be open, when pick your own tomatoes will be ready, etc. Years ago we had a sign up sheet in the market for customers who wanted to receive these types of emails from us. If you were on that list then check your inbox for an email about pick your own strawberries being open right now. If you were not on that list and you would like to get emails from us send an email to john@mellemafarmmarket.com saying that you want to be added to list and we will add your email address.
Our strawberries have ripened earlier than last year and we now have strawberries for sale for $6 per quart. The berries are in a cooler by the market and there is a self serve jug to put money in if we are not around. So far we are only picking the early varieties but we may have pick your own strawberries sometime next week if some of the other varieties get ready. Call John at (231)730-3833 for more information.
We have more types of vegetable and herb plants for sale now. We still have all of the plants that we had last week and now we have butter head lettuce, romaine lettuce, cauliflower, celery, thyme, oregano, catnip, acorn squash, red cabbage, green cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale, cherry tomatoes, and different types of heirloom tomatoes. Stop by any time. You can get your plants and put money in the self serve jug if we are not around.
We have vegetable and herb plants for sale now. The types of plants that we have so far are tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, cantaloupe, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, cayenne peppers, serrano peppers, onions, asparagus, green beans, yellow beans, peas, zucchini, yellow squash, pickles, cucumbers, cilantro, basil, eggplant, and watermelon. We will have additional types of plants next week when they get bigger. Call John at (231)730-3833 for more information.
We will be selling vegetable and herb plants again this year. These green pepper plants are off to a good start but we will let them get bigger before they go out for sale. Expect to see our shelves full of plant trays by the garage sometime in the second week of May.
After the cold and cloudy weather last week it is nice to see the greenhouse warm up enough for some of the seeds we planted to germinate. These flats have red and yellow seedless watermelon plants growing in them. Anyone who can tell the varieties apart at this stage of their development gets a free watermelon in August.
This is the time of year that we cut the rest of the cabbage from the field and bring it into the barn to store it for the winter. We are selling forty pound boxes of Napa cabbage for $16 and fifty pound bags of kraut cabbage for $14. Call or text John at (231)730-3833 to order.
Despite the drought earlier this year (and with the help of our under plastic drip irrigation) we had a good crop of our red and yellow sweet onions. To try to sell them all we have lowered the price of onions in the market to $1 per pound and we have lowered the bulk prices to $15 for a half bushel or $25 for a bushel. Call or text (231)730-3833 to order and you can choose red onions, yellow onions, or a mix of the two.
We have big pumpkins, small pumpkins, pie pumpkins, white pumpkins, flat pumpkins, mini pumpkins, corn stalks, straw bales, and more to help you decorate for the fall season. This Saturday is the opening of our pick your own pumpkin patch and also the first day for pumpkin wagon rides to and from the patch.
Our pick your own tomato patch is loaded with tomatoes right now and the picking is very easy. If you still need tomatoes for canning or you just want a good price on tomatoes to eat and share stop out this week. $10 per half bushel and we will provide the basket to pick into.
Our pick your own tomato patch will be open Monday, August 28. The price for pick your own tomatoes is $20 per bushel or $10 per half bushel. You can pick Roma tomatoes for the same price. It is a good idea to bring boxes or baskets to bring your tomatoes home with. We also have tomatoes in half bushels already picked for sale at the market.
We have a new display cooler in the market this year. That is a good thing because we have a variety of fresh lettuce picked every day to display in it. You can choose from red and green leaf lettuce, red and green butter head lettuce, and romaine lettuce. Our new cooler also comes in handy for displaying halves of the new yellow fleshed seedless watermelon that we are growing this year.
Our farm market is now open with sweet corn, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, pickles, zucchini, yellow squash, green and yellow beans, onions, kale, and blueberries. Our cantaloupe and watermelon are not quite ready yet. We are just starting to pick sweet corn and tomatoes. We will have a limited supply of both for this weekend so don't be surprised if we sell out.
We have had to do a lot of irrigating this summer to keep our plants from drying up, but they are growing. We are beginning to pick some yellow summer squash, zucchini, and cucumbers. We will have those for sale by this weekend on a self serve basis. It will be around the first of August before our first sweet corn or tomatoes are ready and there will be another post here when we are getting ready to open our farm market.
Our strawberries are ready to pick. We have some already picked by the garage for $5 per quart and we are also offering pick your own strawberries for $2 per pound. We have a scale to weigh them but if you pick your own please bring your own containers. You-Pick hours are 10AM to 7PM Monday through Saturday. Call (231)730-3833 for more information.
The strawberry plants that we put in last year have lots of blossoms on them and they are starting to get small fruit. Our plan is to offer pick your own and already picked strawberries some time in June. Check back here for updates as we get closer to having ripe strawberries.
Plants for sale - We have garden starter plants ready to go in the ground! $2 for a four pack of vegetable or herb plants. $2 for a ten pack of red or yellow onions. $4 for a salad mix tray. Call or text John at (231)730-3833 if you want us to get your order ready for you. Otherwise stop by and pick your own plants from off of the shelves. Currently we have tomatoes, roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers, pickles, cabbage, asparagus, eggplant, cilantro, spinach, cantaloupe, honeydew melons, green beans, yellow beans, pinto beans, sugar snap peas, and more!
We will be selling vegetable and herb plants again this year starting the weekend before Mother's day. Stay tuned for a list of what we will have available.
Watermelons like hot weather and these seedless watermelons are growing fast with greenhouse temperatures near 90 degrees this week.
Expect to see some new types of vegetables in the market this year. We plan to have garlic for sale in the fall and we will be growing more types of lettuces, including red and green leaf lettuce. And by customer request we are going to grow some seedless watermelons that are yellow inside. This package of Tropical Sunshine watermelon seeds should be producing tasty yellow seedless watermelons by August.
We have a good crop of napa cabbage this year. $2.50 per head or $18 for 40 pounds. Our market will be open for at least the rest of this week so stop by for fall vegetables or good deals on fall decorations.
This Saturday is the last day to get a wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch, but we will have plenty of pumpkins to choose from when you get there. We also have mini pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks, white pumpkins, and straw bales to complete your fall decorations. See you on the pumpkin wagon!
It is squash season and we have lots of acorn squash, butternut, buttercup, carnival (the yellow, white and green one shaped like acorn), delicata, and even blue hubbard. Squash is 80 cents per pound in the market, $16 for a half bushel, or $30 for a bushel of whatever type you want or any mix of types.
Our pick your own pumpkin patch is opening this weekend! We have thousands of pumpkins to choose from and we give wagon rides to the patch on Saturdays. Pumpkins from the patch are $7 for large pumpkins, $5 for medium, and $3 for small.
Fall weather is here and we have been putting out some fall decorations. We have pumpkins on the yard for sale, corn stalks, and a variety of small pumpkins and gourds. And this will be the last weekend for sweet corn, so stop out and enjoy another taste of summer!
We have lots of fresh cabbage in the market now. Small heads are $2 each and big heads like the one that A.J. is holding here are $3.50 each. We also have 50 pound bags of cabbage available for $15.
We had a good crop of red and yellow sweet onions this year and we have them available now in bushel quantities. The price is $36 for a bushel, $19 for a half bushel, or $12 for a peck. You can choose all yellow onions, all red, or a mixture of the two.
You pick tomatoes will be open next Monday, August 29. The cost is $18 per bushel. Roma tomatoes are also available. We can provide half bushel baskets to pick into but it is a good idea to bring your own baskets or boxes to take the tomatoes home in. See you in the tomato field!
Not only does Wesley help to pick watermelons here at the Mellema Farm, but he is also our best watermelon customer. Be like Wesley and eat lots of Mellema Farm watermelon for good health. We have seeded and seedless watermelons priced as low as $1.50 for a personal size that you can take home on your bike.
Our sweet corn is ready, our signs are out, and the market is open for business! We are starting to get a few tomatoes but they have been slow to ripen this year due to a lack of warm nights. We have lots of pickles, cucumbers, green beans, zucchini, and lettuce. We even have some early cabbage. Stop by from 10AM to 7PM Monday through Saturday for farm fresh vegetables.
We are picking more vegetables every day this time of the year but we won't have sweet corn or slicing tomatoes until next week. We do have cherry tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, pickles, zucchini, summer squash, okra, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, kale, and butterhead lettuce for sale if you want some fresh vegetables this weekend.
We have cucumbers, pickles, zucchini, and summer squash for sale now on a self serve basis. Sweet corn and tomatoes should be ready around the first of August and we will have the market open then with other fruits and vegetables also.
This spring we planted 1000 strawberry plants and 100 raspberry plants. They are growing well and we hope to offer both already picked and pick your own strawberries and raspberries starting in 2023.
Our pick your own tomatoes will all be on plastic mulch this year to keep the tomatoes from getting bad spots on them and to make picking faster for everyone. Pick your own tomatoes usually opens in late August.
It is not too late to get plants for your garden. We still have most of the varieties left that we had in May and we now have broccoli, parsley, and romaine lettuce. We also have these $5 trays that are packed with different types of lettuce that you can cut off for a salad, plant in your garden, or do some of both!
In addition to the vegetable plants that we had for sale last week we now have roma tomatoes, sweet Hungarian peppers, pickling cucumbers, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, butterhead lettuce, red cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, sage, cilantro, and basil. Stop out and get some plants for your garden or planter boxes today!
Vegetable Plants For Sale - The cold spring weather got the greenhouse off to a slow start this year, but the hot weather that we have had recently has helped to catch things up. We now have the following vegetable plants for sale at 75 cents each or 4 for $2.50: Tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, Brandywine heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, eggplant, zucchini, yellow summer squash, cucumbers, cantaloupe, Danish Ballhead cabbage, green beans, yellow beans, long pole beans, great northern beans, dark red kidney beans, sugar snap peas, butternut squash, buttercup squash, dill, asparagus, catnip, and spinach. We also have red and yellow onions 10 for $2 and we have trays of salad blend lettuce or mesclun mix for $5 each. If you know what you want you can call or text John at (231)730-3833 to order ahead and we will set it out for you. If you don't know what you want you can stop by and we will help you find what you need.
The colder than normal weather this April has slowed down the growth in our greenhouse but we will be selling vegetable and herb plants again this spring, hopefully by the second week of May. Stay tuned for a list of what kinds of plants we will have available and when.
The weather is warming up and our first tomato plants are up in the greenhouse. This year all of our tomatoes are going to be planted on plastic mulch to keep the fruit from making contact with the soil. We hope that this will mean less tomatoes with bad spots on them and easier picking for both us and our pick your own tomato customers.
Things slow down on the farm this time of year but there is always something to fix. Our trusty Honda Recon four wheeler needed a new tire.
Mellema Farm pie pumpkins make the best pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving or any time. We still have lots of them for only $1 each.
Thank you to all of our customers who made this another successful season at the Mellema Farm Market. We are scaling the market back to a self serve setup for when we are not around but we still have lots of sweet peppers, hot peppers, squash, cabbage, kale, broccoli, beets, carrots, and brussel sprouts. We are also selling any pumpkins still in the patch for $15 per pickup truck load.
It is not too late to get your first pumpkin for the year or your 50th. We still have thousands of pumpkins in the patch and we will be giving wagon rides to the pumpkin patch again this Saturday starting at 10am.
Now is the time to stock up on your winter supply of honey. We sell raw local honey in 12 ounce plastic bears for $6, pints for $10, and quarts for $18.
