By Carly Simpson
August 6, 2024
In Traverse City, M-72 is a growing agritourism destination, its curving lanes lined by acres of apples, cherries, raspberries, peaches, plums, wine grapes, corn and, more recently, elderberries.
The 14-acre Elderberry Farms Estate is Samantha Fall’s long-time dream—a decade ago at her East Lansing home, she started a “mini-farm” with dairy goats, chickens and produce. She made goat milk soap, butter and lotion, all the while planning how to expand beyond her homestead. She fell in love with elderberries after a relative recommended elderberry syrup to help with a nasty cold. “I was astonished at how well it worked,” Fall says, adding that the U.S. needs approximately 2,500–3,000 additional acres of elderberries per year to keep up with demand.
She started eyeballing a parcel of land along East Traverse Hwy. (M-72) in 2019, and closed on it in February 2020. For the first year, Fall focused on irrigation, greenhouse assembly, soil regeneration and planting. In addition to elderberries (which Fall hopes to offer as U-Pick in the future), the estate has U-Pick blueberries and lavender. A crisp white farmhouse market is stocked with DIY elderberry syrup kits, elderflower and elderberry tea blends, raw honey, herbal remedies, local meats and more. The market is also home to a cafe and deli serving espresso, sandwiches and baked goods, and a weekend brunch (order the elderberry waffle with lavender whipped cream and maple syrup). The building also doubles as a teaching space for a variety of classes from beekeeping to organic gardening, and Fall offers farm stays in a one-bedroom apartment above the market.
“I believe—now, more than ever—there is a need to restore local regenerative farms, and I wanted to create a concept that would benefit the community, environment and hopefully inspire others to get into farming,” Fall says.
“Whether it’s a tomato trellis on an apartment balcony or using a laundry basket for growing potatoes, every little effort counts. If you’ve thought of growing a few herbs in your kitchen window or starting off with a few chickens, do it. The worst thing that could happen is you learn.”
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