|
“It’s an old style farm market and it’s easily operated. Maria’s the brains and I’m the brawn,” laughs Sid Lammers, co-owner of Gallagher’s. His wife Maria grew up working at the market alongside her family, since then she and Sid have taken over and kept business booming.
“We brought in the bakery, a little bit of local products, more fruits and vegetables and we started making our own jams and jellies to promote the cherries this area is known for,” she said.
The bakery is a hot spot for those with a sweet tooth. The fresh baked pumpkin donuts are to die for and don’t be shy to take home a dozen. I dare you to see if they survive the car ride home.
The donuts have a delicious slightly crispy crust and melt in your mouth centers. The mellow sweet pumpkin flavor will have your taste buds begging for more and for a chilled glass of apple cider.
The bakery cases are packed with fresh cherry turnovers, hand-dipped caramel apples, and the popular pies.
You may be surprised to know that one of their signature bakery items is actually pizza bread, and Maria says they only serve it Thursday through Sunday. “It’s a long loaf of homemade dough and the bottom is sprinkled with kosher salt and poppy seeds. Then comes ‘the blessing’ on top: olive oil and a mix of herbs like oregano and basil.”
The bread can be ordered piping hot and fresh from the oven and the owners say it’s a must try. The wide variety of homestyle snacks should be just what you need to get your energy up to explore the farm.
You can actually test your skills in the four-acre corn maze. Sid plans the twists and turns himself and makes sure not to disappoint. This year, because of the lack of rain, he wasn’t able to plow out the path early in the season; instead he had to get creative.
“This year in August I had to buy a machete, well actually two and we cut the darn thing out,” he laughed. “It was a pain and it took a long time but the kids enjoy it.”
During the season the gang at Gallagher's give 60 to 70 school tours. The kids get a chance to experience the petting zoo with the lamb and goats or play by the barnyard and see the pigs and chickens.
“A lot of people who come up to Traverse City out of a big city have never seen a real pig or a lamb or been able to touch one. We get a lot of comments like: ‘my kids thought eggs only came from the supermarket,’” Sid said.
Families can also go on the hunt for the perfect pumpkin to carve for Halloween and pick it themselves. Sid and Maria say pumpkins are a popular purchase and actually have extras brought in from other area farms to keep up with demand.
They say they sell at least 50,000 pounds of pumpkins a season (about 3,333 pumpkins!). The outdoor area of the market is also overflowing with the bounty of the harvest from across Northern Michigan. There are apples galore and a colorful array of dried corn, onions, potatoes, gourds and just about every veggie you can imagine.
The kids can even get a first hand taste of fall by helping the friendly folks at Gallagher’s use the old fashion technique of a cider press.
As the kids stand by chanting, “squish it, squish it, squish it,” they drop a fresh apple into the press and it grinds their fruit into fresh cider! It doesn’t get more authentic of an experience than that!
|
Carly, Maria, and Brandon (from left to right) from Gallagher's
Maria and Carly serve up delicious treats.
mmm...pies and pumpkin donuts.
Picking apples can be tough work, even if they're already bagged.
Gallagher's is a fully-functioning farm.
Brandon helps the kids with the vintage style cider press
|
