The Best of Michigan and 
Beyond at Royal Oak Farmers Market
(Mark H. Stowers, July 28, 2017)
Royal Oak, MI – Much like the farms they tend to during the week, farmers and farm hands begin showing up at the Royal Oak Farmers Market way before the sun comes up. And they bring the best the mitten state has to offer – Michigan Cherries and apples, carrots and beans, breads, pies, cheeses and much more. They come from the tasty parts of Michigan and convene in Royal Oak. Every week farmers, bakers, candlestick makers and more come together at the Royal Oak Farmer’s Market to sell their wares.
The weekly farmers market runs all year long from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. every Saturday and extends that to Friday and Saturday from May through December. Suzanne Shore brought an array of her Sue Sue’s Fresh 
Gourmet Dips. Shore has set up her booth the last seven years. She loves the people who attend and the other farmers.
“The vegetables that come in this time of the year – we have a vegan and vegetarian line,” she said. “It takes us a full week to make today’s production.”
Amongst the fruits and vegetables, attendees can find other fabulous items such as shortbread. But the man behind the table wouldn’t reveal any secrets to his special dish.
“It’s something I picked up on my own,” Gregory’s Scottish Shortbread owner Robert Gregory said. “I had a cookbook a friend of mine gave me. There were four shortbread recipes in it and I picked the one that was the most basic.”
Goodland Ag was set up early (as all the vendors were) and had plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables to entice everyone.
“We’ve been coming for 34 years. It’s the only one we come to. We set up at 4:00 a.m. and 
were ready to go at 7:00 a.m.,” Rena VanDenVerg said. “We have lettuce, carrots, beets and celery and spinach.”
Another Imlay City area farmer, Ken Penzien, had been coming since 1988 but makes the rounds to other farmer’s markets as well.
“We go to Rochester and go to another one around Imlay City,” Penzien said.
A new business, Radical Plants SuperDip, has been at the Royal Oak location for 10 weeks. Owner Melissa Heath got the idea to sell vegan dips due to her own diet.
“I’m vegan and got tired of not finding flavorful dips and sauces so I started creating my own and people like them,” Heath said. “So, I thought other vegans might be in the same predicament.”
The Royal Oak Farmers Market is located at 316 East 11 Mile Road
in Royal Oak next to the District Court and across from the library. To learn more, check out their website, www.romi.gov/389/Farmers-Market or their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/Royal-Oak-Farmers-Market-61634046945.
The market also featured live entertainment, beef jerky, cheese stands and a knife sharpening booth. Farmers and more – the Royal Oak Farmers Market.
