May 3rd, 2023

Walt Gajewski, Market Manager for The Farmington Farmers & Artisans Market!

If you are a regular listener, you all know I love to share the back story with all of you on how I know and met my podcast guest… and this one is really near & dear to my heart.

I met this guy over a decade ago during my Mennonite days behind my table at the Farmington Farmers & Artisans Market. He was a volunteer with the market and always was so happy & energetic about it. He had real passion is the best way to describe it. Of course that’s why we clicked! Our hearts were both in that happy place!!!

May 10th, 2023

Are you a biking enthusiast? Podcast with Bike Dearborn Founder & Lead Biker, Tracy Besek

Join me today as Founder & Lead Biker for Bike Dearborn, Tracy Besek & I chat it up about biking safety, advocacy, and being a part of this great group!

This month’s focus has been on local food, and healthy life choices. I tend to focus a lot on farmers markets, but obviously there are so many other ways to invest in healthy life choices, exercise being another obvious one!

My guest today and I met almost ten years ago during my tenure in Dearborn with both the DDA and the Chamber of Commerce. We collaborated together with the city’s farmers market I managed… OK, yep I’m going to tie in the farmers market again, LOL.

May 17th, 2023

5 Reasons to Support Your Local Farmers Markets: How they benefit people both health wise & the local community!

If there is one thing I’m passionate about, it’s local food & farmers markets! I was a farmer for almost 15 years, and most of that time a farmers market vendor. I know what it’s like to be on both sides of the table~ as a vendor, and a market manager.

My heart is most at home in the garden & the farmers markets. Today I will talk to you about my heart felt desire to inspire every person to shop at the farmers market. When you do you are supporting local producers, your local economy, help the sustainability of farmland, and so much more!

Maybe you’ve even been contemplating becoming a market vendor! Do you create, bake, grow, or develop something? Well, a farmers market might be your first step to a successful business start up. Farmers markets are great starting points for local entrepreneurs!

I want this podcast to inspire you… please let me know in the comments below if I did!

May 24th, 2023

Let’s talk food advocacy with Michigan Farmers Market Association (M.I.F.M.A.), Executive Director, Amanda Shreve.

Food is Medicine! Join Jean as she chats it up with Amanda Shreve, Executive Director for the Michigan Farmers Market Association.

During the month of May Jean will be focusing on local food and how to source it, along with talking to professionals in the industry who fight the good fight advocating for fair food. Jean couldn’t think of a better organization to include than MIFMA~ Michigan Farmers Market Association and its wonderful Director, Amanda Shreve!

Amanda has been part of the MIFMA team since November 2009. She says, “I am passionate about connecting the public with agriculture and growing awareness of what it takes to produce our food supply in a safe, equitable and environmentally sustainable way. I recognize that farmers markets are a very visible and tangible way to establish, maintain and grow this connection.”