Since urban farms took hold around 15 years ago, most have focused on growing crops for the health-conscious – sprouts, kale, chard, daikon, fiddleheads, etc. Starting this month, Detroit farmers Moira Jernican and Sheila Sanford are bucking this trend by devoting their entire three acres on the city’s west side to one crop: Doughnut sprinkles.
“While we have enormous respect for people who want to live longer, we also realize there are those who aren’t as concerned,” says Jernican, 37, who recently left her job as a bank identifier to start the farm with high school friend Sanford. “Consumption of doughnuts is growing at twice the rate of sunchoke,” says Jernican. “Consumption of sprinkled doughnuts is growing even more.”
Adds former artifactician Sanford: “The cost of sprinkles has driven dozens of doughnut shops out of business, so our goal is to provide a locally-grown and great-tasting sprinkle at a reasonable price.” The two have vowed not to cut corners, but say they may have to place limits on red sprinkles to keep costs under control. “Research tells us they’re the least popular sprinkle anyhow,” says Sanford,
This will be the city’s first sprinkles farm – though three are growing butterscotch toppings and one grows miniature peanut butter cups – so Jernican and Sanford say they’re counting on local retailers for support.
