For 18 years we have nurtured gardens to feed the spirits and bodies of local people. We have focused on learning to produce healthy, lively foods within dynamic systems. Our hope is that you can taste the love in the food you eat from Meadowlark.

Through the support and encouragement of our shareholders we have built season extension structures that allow us to grow food into the winter and in early spring. Meadowlark offers the longest CSA season in Northern Michigan that provides washed salad mix every week. Standard shares receive 1/2 lb/week, premium shares receive 1lb/week. There is an extra salad share option for those who would like more. Many people tell us that the salad is their favorite part of each box each week!

Also included in a share are consistent quantities of "the staples": garlic, potatoes, onions, carrots and broccoli. We also provide some "less usual" foods along with recipes to keep expanding your family's culinary horizons. Recipes are included in the weekly newsletter.

We have always been and always will be organic farmers, though we choose not to be certified organic. We work in harmony with Nature, fully, deeply and with great reverence. We do not use any synthetic chemicals of any kind on the farm. We rely on compost and organic ferlitilizers to increase soil fertility and consistently have half of the farm mulched to encourage soil micro-organisms, decrease water evaporation and reduce weed pressure.  We use winter and summer cover crops to feed our soils and decrease weeds.  We use row cover or reemay to deter insects and in the Spring it looks a bit like a Christo installation around here with white fabric covering acres of gardens.  We like this barrier method rather than spraying.  We make our own compost from neighboring resources(Leonard's horses, the Fierbergs animals, our chicken's bedding) and last year Jon made 50 yards of compost! 

 Jon is the resident "bug guy" and has spent years learning the life cycles, timing and identification of the many insects that are attracted to  delicious vegetables. Using his viewing scope, loupe, library of books and observation he has learned so much about our local bugs that many other local  farmers  turn to Jon for help with the insects on their farms. We host 5 bee hives for increased pollination and we encourage diversity of all species. 

We routinely have flowers and herbs in our gardens to host beneficial insects and the meadowlarks and bobolinks nest in surrounding fields while killdeer nest in the snap dragons, indigo buntings perch on the tomato wires and wrens nest in the raspberries.  We work our gardens using a variety of hand tools and water with drip irrigation from our house well.  We grow our own plant starts in the greenhouse and mix our own organic potting soil.  Our greatest tools are observation and intuition. 

We are committed to delivering the freshest, healthiest most vital vegetables you can imagine.  Quality is what we strive for.  We harvest at the peak of ripeness and your vegetables will be delivered to you within one day of harvest for peak vitamin nutrition.  Compare this to vegetables from the grocery store that have traveled thousands of miles.  We pick, wash and pack into plastic bags any veggies that we feel will suffer transpiration(i.e. wilting). We pack your share into a waxed produce box to keep it cool and dark and the greens fresh.  Your share will have your name on it, be perfectly suited for you and will look like no one elses. You will receive one box/week, but we allot 3 boxes/share and ask that you return a flattened, empty box to your drop off site each time you come to pickup your share.  This way we keep your vegetables flowing!