Plentiful Provisions At Providence Farm Market

Just above the tip of Torch Lake there’s a farm that sits on top of a hill. A hill where livestock roam pastures and the wind quietly whistles through the trees. There is a market building near the road and the grass tickles your ankles as you approach its doors.

Entering, you are greeted with warm smiling faces of customers and workers, bright colors and good smells. The vegetable and fruit shelves are full and you notice certified organic labels all over. One of the workers asks if there’s anything you’d like to know about their farm or something they could help you find. There are customers picking up their weekly farm subscription boxes, some stopping for conversation and a cup of coffee on the patio overlooking the flower garden and fields beyond.

This is Providence Farm & CSA in Central Lake, located right on M-88 just east of Eastport, owned and operated by Andrea and Ryan Romeyn and their children. The Romeyns have been farming since 1998, selling at farmers’ markets and grocery stores and on a subscription basis to their community-supported agriculture (CSA) program customers. Along the way the farm has grown to include fruits, vegetables and pastured livestock. Last summer they took the plunge of opening their own farm market and, in response to the need for access to natural foods in their community, have been expanding their offerings to include a variety of other grocery goods from both near (salsas, teas, soaps) and far (olive oil, ramens, crackers).

It’s a rare experience to walk into an atmosphere that imparts a sense of what the land provides, but that is what I get from Providence Farm Market. Clean air, open space, fresh foods with natural taste—more than what the typical grocery stores have to offer, and all from the vision of the Romeyn family. Says Andrea, “Ryan and I wanted to create a place that we would love to find in our own travels. A picturesque farm where we could find delicious yet healthy local food for the road (or for camping) and get excellent espresso, or kombucha on tap, and hang out, too, if possible. A true farm-to-table experience where your meal is 99 percent sourced from the actual farm you’re visiting or their neighbors’ farms.”

Ryan Romeyn is a farmer through and through, and the passion he has for gardening is undeniable. When I hear him speak of his work it is clear he is striving for a meaningful purpose. Andrea Romeyn is the organizer of the market and host of their events. She is a lover of flavor and healthy living, not just for her family but for her community as well, and she shares this through the educational materials she creates. She and Ryan are parents to Winter, Isaiah, Maia and Jacob, who have worked alongside them on the farm— and now the store—as they’ve grown up.

I spoke to a few CSA members while spending my day at Providence and learned that Andrea writes her own recipes and passes them out in a weekly newsletter with all their CSA shares; so not only do members get a tasty variety of fresh produce items but also information on how to make the most of them. Their veggie boxes are customizable with proteins, honey and other items, and members have the option of donating a veggie share to a family in need. I spoke with a long-term CSA member named Tarah who gave me a look into how organic eating has changed her family’s dynamic.

“We wonder, ‘How did we ever live without this?’ Overall, we have more energy, and we look forward to clean eating and learning more about all the different vegetables and ways to cook them.” She also spoke about how CSA has been convenient and educational for her, and how the team at Providence Farm is quick to answer questions and give help.

As I stood in the doorway to the patio, I caught a soft breeze and the sweet aromas from the flower garden. I could also spot the cattle slowly making their way across the terrain and mooing loudly for all to hear. There seemed to be a balance of tranquility and functionality to the farm. The cows and sheep have open pasture and can wander wherever they like with and around each other. The pigs have what Andrea calls their “piggy paradise.” They have a shady forest area where you can see them racing their buddies beyond the trees and kicking up the dust along with them. The pigs also have lots of mud to slump around in and even have a little apple tree to feast from when the fruit falls. As Andrea and I approached them calmly they were quite friendly, lying and snuggling on top of each other.

Inside the market there is an upright freezer case featuring the farm-raised meats: grass- and hay-fed beef, grass-fed pork and grassfed lamb. For now, this is the only place where the Providence Farm meats are sold. The market also sells chicken and eggs from local Cook Family Farm and fresh fish from the Massey Fish Company in Saint Ignace. A few other grocery goods like butter, yogurt, cheese and meat alternatives round out the selection of proteins in the store.

For the fall market, it sounds like there will be lots of variety and color. “I think we have up to 50 to 60 items,” Andrea says. “We’ll still have greens through October as well as a sweet crop of carrots, pumpkins and winter squash.” The beauty of the season and the crisp, cool air can be taken in during a scheduled farm tour or hayride or one of the fall events.

IF YOU GO:
Providence Farm Market
5691 N. M-88, Central Lake
231-599-2020
Open Monday–Saturday