- 315 Detroit St.
- Ann Arbor, MI 48104
- (734) 994-3276
- Website
The Ann Arbor's Farmer's Market on Detroit Street in Kerrytown
Farmer’s Market’s are something that is relatively new to me. The last place I lived had only one and it was at a time that wasn’t very convienent. Since moving to Michigan, I’ve done a lot more shopping this way and love it. We were in Ann Arbor to do some shopping, but first, we hit up Zingerman’s Deli (review HERE) for lunch. As we were driving around looking for parking, we passed the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market and realized it was close to the Deli. After a delicious lunch, we walked down the street to see what the local Ann Arbor farmers had to offer.
The first thing I noticed was the abundance of peppers. It must be that time of year because every table had a lot of peppers ranging all over the scoville scale. I looked at some habanero’s and some red peppers, but ultimately passed because I didn’t know how long we were going to be in town or how hot it would get in the car.
Another big thing for me is fresh herbs. It’s so hard to find good quality herbs and I’m a terrible gardener. I killed everything I tried to grow this year after having really good luck with basil last year. There was one table that had just about every type of herb I could have wanted. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen spearmint and there was more than one table that had it.
Meat was well represented too. There was buffalo and grass fed beef for sale as well as antibiotic free chicken. J offered to run to Walgreens and get a cooler, but I passed. The prices were good, but not so good that I would chance it.
Even for the crappy day that it was, there were a lot of vendors and a lot of unique produce. I’ve only been to a couple in Lansing and they don’t quite compare. I love the idea that the Farmer’s Market is connected to the Kerrytown Shops. Lansing should really look at this idea when building the new City Market. The Ann Arbor market is outdoors, but it is far, far superior to the City Market. I could do 3/4 of my shopping there if I lived in town. They’re open just as much as City Market and even stay open for one day a week through the winter months. We didn’t buy anything, but the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market was another good find.
Mid-Michigan Dining 
You can get plenty of fresh herbs (including spearmint) at the Meridian Farmers’ Market in Okemos on Saturdays from 8 to 2. Also at the Wed Allen Street market in Lansing.
The point I was trying to make, but probably wasn’t clear was the variety of fresh herbs. I can usually find fresh basil, oregano, and most of the time, rosemary, but what I found in Ann Arbor was four different kinds of basil, Mexican and Greek oregano, and multiple “flavors” of mint as well. That kind of thing I have a hard time finding around here.
[…] was another incredible find in Ann Arbor. After walking around the Farmer’s Market (review HERE), we headed inside the Kerrytown Shops to see what that was all about. We didn’t find much […]
Yes, I mean 4 different kinds of basil and several flavors of mint as well, yesterday they had flowering taragon! Maybe not quite as well stocked as Ann Arbor, but definitely worth a look. (and I have no connection to these farmers except being a grateful customer for the last 8 years).
If that’s the case, I’ll try to check them out in the next couple of weeks. Maybe it’s just that time of year when a lot of this stuff is coming in. Thanks for the info!
I’m glad to help. I too get frustrated by the fact that the Lansing area doesn’t seem to support great food! We used to have a great gourmet food store and a great fish market.
P.S. I enjoy your blog! I check it every day!
Thanks for reading, but more importantly, thanks for commenting. More than anything, I just wanted a place where people could talk about food in the Lansing area. I just try to get the ball rolling.
Really, the only two things I’ve been disappointed in is the City Market and the lack of butcher shops. I love Merindorf’s, but both shops are a little drive. I don’t eat fish so I haven’t run into that problem though that is one of the complaints I hear the most about Lansing. As long as I can find a good bakery (and I’ve found at least once) and some stores where I can get good Italian ingredients and Mexican peppers and spices, I’m pretty happy. I’m still working on a good Mexican store, but I haven’t looked too much.
The herb selection is much better right now than earlier in the season. I have been getting several different herbs each week through Titus Farms. I have a CSA membership, but they also sell at the Okemos Farmer’s Market. For Mexican spices…there isn’t a lot…but there is a Mexican Grocery Store on MLK called Frontera. I go there for cotija cheese and some dried chilis. I shopped there for the chili cook off. I am not sure about fresh peppers there. Horrock’s has been having more Mexican products, both fresh produce and canned food. If you are going to Detroit in the near future email me and I will tell you some places to go in Mexican Village. We haven’t been to the Eastern Market in Detroit since spring so we will definitely be planning a Saturday sometime before the snow flies.
I do my fair share of complaining about Lansing food shopping, but honestly it is SO much better than it used to be. This is coming from the person who drives regularly to get to a Costco, a Whole Foods and Trader Joes. In fact, I was in the metro area today and stopped at the Trader Joe’s in Farmington Hills.
I heard the Ann Arbor farmer’s market is overpriced, but I am really bad at knowing things like that… They do have a great variety though–including prepared stuff. Pilar’s tamales are the best!
Most farmer’s markets are a little more expensive than the local mega mart. I didn’t think the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market was that out of line with any place else I’ve gone
I not too long ago set up a steam shower unit, the best item we have invested in for some time,
kids and friends and family like it so much, can’t see me going back to traditional showers again
Never ever heard of a steam shower enclosure until finally I ran into this website, so thrilled I did want to have one now and
funds letting will probably be going to get one before
long