HOW SWEET IT IS
Sweet corn season is in full swing, and farm stands throughout Leelanau County and surrounding areas are finally open and stocked again.
Buzzy’s corn stand located just off M-72 in Maple City opened July 29, and people were flocking to park their cars alongside the busy road on the first and second day to get their long awaited sweet corn fix, an exciting time for many people that love the prized yellow vegetable.
Beth Noonan, mother of Ryan Noonan who operates Buzzy’s corn stand, said their sweet corn harvest looks good this season, which partially could be because of the fact that they utilize irrigation, which has proven to be especially helpful in the recent warm and dry weather conditions Michigan has experienced this summer. The family of farmers has been growing and harvesting sweet corn for over 50 years now, Noonan said, but they also grow field corn for cattle.
“Especially this first corn, everybody’s waiting for it, it’s like everybody is excited,” Noonan said.
There’s a mix of both new and returning customers every year, which Noonan said is always nice to see. She said she likes to put an announcement out on social media when the sweet corn stand is open again, and loves seeing comments like one she read recently that said “this is my favorite day of the year.”
“Whatever was on there (on opening day) was gone and there was nothing left,” Noonan recalled. “They start picking (sweet corn) at about 6:30 a.m. and then they bring it right here, so its super fresh.”
Noonan anticipates that Buzzy’s sweet corn will be available through August. Usually corn is available through Labor Day, but the holiday falls on September 7 this year, so time will tell if the corn lasts until then.
“The corn gets better as the season goes on, they get bigger ears — the longer it goes the sweeter it is,” Noonan said.
“I’ve been coming here for years, and he (Ryan) always has the best corn, and its close to home, it’s a win-win,” said Leelanau resident Scott Schweikart, who said that he’s been making a point to stop at the stand to pick up corn for as long as the Noonan’s have been selling it. Schweikart said he’s already visited the stand “probably more than he should,” at least once or twice, since the stand opened.
“Its just a good farm stand, easy on easy off here on 72 and its worth it,” Schweikart said.
Down the highway towards Empire at 12161 S Coleman Road, the Shimek family’s farm market stand also opened on July 29 and has been another popular stop for sweet corn fans.
Liz Shimek reports that their sweet corn harvest this season also has been really nice, noting the nine different varieties steadily growing and waiting to mature. When the other varieties are ready to pick depend on a number of factors including weather conditions like heat and rain, but all should be maturing at some point in the weeks ahead.
“Each of those varieties have a different date of maturity, so the corn thats ready earlier typically has a little bit smaller ears because its a shorter growing season. So those earlier ears, sometimes the kernels aren’t as big or the ears aren’t as big, but they still taste really good. Then as the season goes along, you can get a little bigger or longer ears, or a bigger round ear, but for a lot of people, its just a personal preference,” Shimek explained. “Every single day the corn also changes in taste just because it matures a little bit differently.”
Not only does the Shimek family ensure that their roadside farm stand is stocked with sweet corn, but they also supply the beloved vegetable to local stores like Bunting’s Cedar Market, Anderson’s Market, Gallagher’s on M-72, as well as a few other vendors.
And like other farm stands in the county, the Shimek farm market sees a combination of locals and visitors that stop by every summer to pick up sweet corn. Shimek said they try not to harvest too much at a time so there’s just enough on the stand and its the freshest it can be. If anything doesn’t sell, they do have a cooler to ensure that it all stays fresh later in the day.
The Shimek family has been growing and selling sweet corn for around 40 years, but not at the scale like they do today. Shimek said her sister, Amie, remembers selling sweet corn out of a bushel basket in front of their parents current house on the farm when she was a young girl.
Shimek also recalls corn prices being cheaper when she was in middle school, with a dozen going for the price of about $3. When Shimek’s parents built the farm market, sweet corn would be sold out of a wheelbarrow.
As harvest expanded over the years, they would begin providing local stores with their produce, whether it was to Tom’s Food Market, Gallagher’s, or other produce sellers in the area, growing their business into what it is today.
