FIVE FAVES ENCORE
Five Faves
Spots to wander among a sea of sunflowers
Marisa Iceberg
BY ENCORE STAFF
B
right, salad-plate-sized harbingers of summer, sunflowers have long been a staple of farmers-market bouquets. But in more recent years, people have sought to commune with these towering petalled beauties by visiting the fields where they grow during peak blooming season, which happens to be this month. The popularity of these flowers has attracted photo seekers, families and others who love a good bloom, perhaps because, as author Corina Abdulahm-Negura has said, “A sunflower field is like a sky with a thousand suns.” Here are five spots in in our region to walk among the golden cheeriness: 10 | ENCORE AUGUST 2022
Bremer Produce
5845 48th Ave., Hudsonville
If you've ever wondered what hundreds
of thousands of sunflowers look like, then a visit to Bremer Produce will show you. The farm regularly plants more than 30,000 seeds of 12 types of sunflowers, and the result is an acre-and-a-half sea of sunshine. The farm is U-pick; flowers are $1 each, and the season runs until mid-September. Farm hours are 7 a.m.–10 p.m. daily. Visit bremerproduce.com for updates and more information.
Gull Meadow Farms 8544 Gull Road, Richland
Richland's
Gull Meadow Farms, which grows more than two dozen sunflower varieties on five acres, is a convenient jaunt from Kalamazoo. During Sunflower Days, held on weekends in August, the fields are open to visitors. Tickets are $14.99, or free for children under 36 inches tall, and include admission to the sunflower fields, one flower to take home, and family activities. Visit gullmeadowfarms.com for updates on peak blooming times.
