Leland Farmers Market

Leland Farmers Market is part of the Leelanau Farmers Markets Association, the nonprofit that operates county markets under a mission to provide locally produced farm and food products for the benefit of the Leelanau community. In Leland, that plays out on a Thursday market schedule and a vendor roster tied into the wider Leelanau farm network, with sellers that include produce growers, a lavender farm, berry growers, and permaculture-minded producers. The result is a market that reads less like a one-off stop and more like one piece of a countywide local food system.

Why it matters locally

The Leelanau Farmers Markets Association became an independent nonprofit in 2014 and operates with a board made up of market vendors and community members, with MSU Extension in an advisory role. That structure matters in Leland because the market is part of an organization whose stated mission is to provide locally produced farm and food products for the benefit of the Leelanau community.

The association also frames farmers markets in Leelanau County as a direct way for people to access fresh, quality products while giving farmers an outlet for their goods. Leland’s Thursday market sits within that county schedule alongside markets in Empire, Glen Arbor, Northport, and Suttons Bay, which gives shoppers another weekly point of access and gives vendors multiple places to sell across the peninsula.

What you'll find there

The Leland vendor mix leans heavily toward farm-grown goods and specialty producers rather than a long list of prepared-food stalls. The association’s vendor system also lets shoppers browse vendors by items offered, pointing to a market built around tracking who grows or makes what across the county.

• -Find produce from La Casa Verde Produce.
• -Browse lavender-focused offerings from Full Circle Lavender Farm.
• -Pick up farm goods from Bluebird Farm & Gardens.
• -Look for products from The Lively Farm.
• -Shop the selection from Bay Meadow Farms.
• -Check in with Hallstedt Homestead for its farm offerings.
• -Seek out Homestead Hill CSA / Bardenhagen Berries for CSA- and berry-linked products.
• -Add goods from Jim Kelderhouse Farm to your stop list.
• -Round out your visit with Rooted in Permaculture.

Beyond the weekly market, the same organization also stages a Leelanau Farm-to-Table Dinner at Willowbrook Mill in Northport, a fundraiser scheduled on September 12, 2023. That event brought in guest chefs including Loghan Call of Planted Cuisine, Andy Schudlich of Joy Farm, Eric Allchin and Paul Carlson of The Union in Northport, and Randy Chamberlain of Blu in Glen Arbor, with Leelanau wine pairings from Baia Estate, Bel Lago, Chateau Fontaine, and Verterra, plus non-alcoholic beverages from Audacia Elixirs. The most distinctive thread around Leland Farmers Market is how often the organization ties markets to the rest of Leelanau life beyond a single outdoor selling day. The association has supported K-12 educational programming through special one-day indoor farmers markets inside area schools, including schools in Leland, Glen Lake, Northport, and Suttons Bay. It also extends the market idea into agritourism-style programming through the Leelanau Farm-to-Table Dinner at Willowbrook Mill, where guest chefs and Leelanau beverage partners turn the county’s farm products into a broader food event. That combination gives the Leland market a setting where food access, school outreach, and destination dining all sit under the same association umbrella.

Know before you go

No dogs is the clearest visit rule to plan around. The market runs on Thursdays from 9 AM to 1 PM during a short summer season that starts June 4 and ends September 3, so timing matters if you are building a day around it.

For location, the market is on River Street in Leland, and one listed Leland host site is the Immanuel Luthern Church parking lot at 303 East Pearl Street. Across the larger Leelanau market system, locations are often described by landmarks such as a township hall, marina, North Park, or a spot next to the post office, so it helps to navigate with the named site in mind rather than expecting a large permanent market facility.

Payments & SNAP

SNAP/EBT is accepted at Leland Farmers Market. The market is also part of a Leelanau Farmers Markets system that clearly organizes shopper information around vendors, items offered, and market schedules, which makes it easier to plan purchases before you arrive.