Allegan Food Alliance

09/22/2026

Well, this happened this morning! 😊

While I am never keen to see myself on video, I am super delighted to have had the opportunity to be on WZZM 13 to talk about Allegan County’s direct-to-consumer food-producing farms and our We’re All Seedfolks event this Friday.

One of the things I loved most about the interview was getting to talk about some of the incredible farmers and food producers we have right here in Allegan County—and to showcase our map of where to find them.

JE Farms, Gold Coast Farms, Inc., Evergreen Lane Creamery, Brookside Farms Fritz's Blueberries, and Babbitt's Farm were some of the farms I couldn't help but name-drop. 😊

I didn't have a chance to mention all the farms and food producers we're showcasing on Friday. You'll have to come out and see - and taste - for yourself what amazing food Allegan County has to offer!

This is what Allegan Food Alliance is about - connecting the people who grow our food with the people who eat it, gathering around the same table, sharing what we have, and imagining together what our local food system can become.

And there is still room at the table. ❤️

🌱 Friday, September 25 — Griswold Auditorium, Allegan

6 PM — Taste of Allegan County
7 PM — Seedfolks: A Live Play
8 PM — Farm-to-Table Dinner & Community Conversation

The Taste and play are open to everyone with no registration required. Advance registration is needed for the dinner, and thanks to some wonderfully generous community sponsors, sponsored dinner seats are available. Cost does not have to be a barrier.

Come sit at the table with us. ❤️

Dinner registration: Register for the Farm-to-Table Dinner - https://forms.gle/2KG8QMx8Z6aRREqe9

And here's this morning's interview: Watch the WZZM 13 interview -

The Allegan Food Alliance launched the map to highlight farmers and...

09/20/2026

There’s a Place for You at the Table - https://mailchi.mp/alleganfoodalliance.org/there-is-a-place-for-you-at-the-table

Join us Friday, September 25, for an evening of local food, live theatre, and community.

6 PM — Taste of Allegan County
7 PM — Seedfolks: A Live Play
No registration needed—just come!

8 PM — Farm-to-Table Dinner & Community Conversation
Advance registration required. Suggested contribution: $25, with community-sponsored seats available.

Register for dinner:
https://forms.gle/2KG8QMx8Z6aRREqe9

09/14/2026

Allegan County is setting the table!

Something pretty wonderful is happening as we prepare for We’re All Seedfolks on September 25.

We've been traveling around Allegan County, meeting farmers, discovering what is growing here, and gathering some of the food that will become our Taste of Allegan County and farm-to-table dinner.

And look what's beginning to come together:

🍓 Strawberries from Beard's Produce (strawberry/rhubarb pie anyone?)

🫐 Blueberries from Forstner Blueberry Farm (blueberry crisp!!!)

🍑 Loring peaches from Crane Orchards U-Pick and Corn Maze, along with Contender and Bounty peaches that Plainwell Ice Cream Co. turned into peach ice cream! Yum!!

❤️ Beautiful fall Polka raspberries from Brookside Farms

🌽 Corn from VerHage's Sweet Corn

🥔 Potatoes from 4-L Farm

🐖 And today we're talking with Forest Ridge Farms about locally pasture-raised pork.

And an amazing apple sauce with hints of apple c***r to go along with the pork from c***r from Square Nail Farm

We're also talking with Evergreen Lane Creamery about featuring their cheeses, because we LOVE their cheeses.

And we're not finished!

Allegan County farmers and food producers, there is room at the table for your farm, too.

We're still looking for locally grown foods that will be available around September 25, particularly late-season vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, winter squash and Brussels sprouts. And if you're growing or producing something wonderful that we haven't thought of, tell us what you've got!

Comment below or send Allegan Food Alliance a message. We'd love to hear from you.

🌱 We’re All Seedfolks: A Farm-to-Table Community Experience
Friday, September 25
Griswold Auditorium, Allegan

6 PM Taste of Allegan County
7 PM Seedfolks live performance
8 PM Farm-to-Table Dinner & Community Conversation

Dinner registration:
https://forms.gle/2KG8QMx8Z6aRREqe9

Everyone is welcome at the table.

09/08/2026

YOU ASKED. WE LISTENED. YOU SPOKE. WE HEARD.

Over the past year, Allegan Food Alliance has been listening - through community listening sessions, surveys, conversations with farmers, restaurant owners, and consumers, meetings with community leaders, presentations, and countless informal conversations throughout Allegan County.

One thing we've heard again and again is surprisingly simple:

People want to know where they can find fresh, locally grown food. And farmers want to know how to reach the people who value the hard work that goes into growing and raising that food.

Where can I buy vegetables grown here? Local fruit? Eggs? Meat raised by an Allegan County farmer? What farms sell directly to the public and how do I find them?

We've listened. We've paid attention. And we've been doing the work.

Now we're getting ready to share one of the results:

Who’s Filling Our Tables?
Allegan County Direct-to-Consumer Food Farms - https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=11hYxNSTEP3LNM-x_jF2O8F26ysKJMfY&usp=sharing

We've been identifying and verifying food-producing farms throughout Allegan County and mapping where they are and what they offer.

But before we call the map finished, we need you.

Take a look. Who are we missing? Is there an Allegan County farm producing food and selling directly to consumers that should be included? Is there information that needs to be corrected?

Tell us in the comments below or send Allegan Food Alliance a private message. If you know the farm's name, location, what they grow or raise, or how people can purchase from them, share whatever you know. We'll follow up and verify the information before adding it to the map.

And farmers—we'd especially like to hear from you.

We're looking for Allegan County farmers willing to be interviewed about your experiences - what's working, what's challenging, and what would help strengthen our local food system. Interested? Comment “I'm interested” below or send us a message, and we'll contact you.

This isn't simply a list of farms. It's one way we're responding to what you've told us you need: better connections between the people who grow food here and the people who want to buy it.
Connect. Gather. Share. Transform.

08/31/2026

🍑 What happens when Crane’s Bounty and Contender peaches meet Plainwell Ice Cream?

Something pretty wonderful!

These gorgeous Allegan County peaches have been peeled, cooked, and preserved—and today we delivered five pounds of them to Plainwell Ice Cream.

Tomorrow, Monday, they’ll be transformed into a specialty peach ice cream created for We’re All Seedfolks: A Farm-to-Table Community Experience.

This is what we mean by a Taste of Allegan County.

We're gathering the flavors of our county—peaches, strawberries, blueberries, sweet corn, and more—and bringing them together for one extraordinary evening celebrating the people who grow our food and the community we're growing together.

🍑 We're All Seedfolks

Friday, September 25
6 pm to 9:15 pm
Griswold Auditorium & Banquet Room

Want to help us set the table? A $25 Sprout sponsorship makes one place at the table possible.

https://givebutter.com/were-all-seedfolks-2026

🍓🌽🍎 And tell us—what’s a “Taste of Allegan County” you think belongs at the table?

Is there a farm, food, flavor, or locally grown favorite you think we simply shouldn’t miss? Tell us in the comments!

And a very special thank you to Plainwell Ice Cream Co. for helping turn summer into dessert. ❤️

08/27/2026

🍑 Do You Have a Seat at the Table? - https://mailchi.mp/alleganfoodalliance.org/do-you-have-a-seat-at-the-table We’re gathering the tastes, stories, and people of Allegan County for We’re All Seedfolks: A Farm-to-Table Community Experience. Come taste what our county has to offer—and claim your seat at the table.

07/26/2026

Allegan County Parks, Recreation and Tourism put out this amazing list of Farmers Markets and Farm Stands.

Much gratitude to their team.

07/26/2026

Happening today! 🌱

Join us for the Seedfolks Casting Call from 1–5 p.m. at the Black Arts & Cultural Center in Kalamazoo.

No previous acting experience needed! We're looking for people of all ages and backgrounds to help bring this beautiful story of community, gardens, and connection to life.

We'd love to see you there!