It's blueberry picking time again in Michigan

I spoke with a neighbor today and he said that he bought about 30 pounds of already-picked blueberries the other day from Leduc Blueberries up in Paw Paw. This got me to thinking that I had better see if our favorite blueberry patch was open for picking yet. I spoke with a super nice lady (I believe it was Victoria Locke) at Locke's Fruitful Acres in Decatur and she said that the Duke variety of blueberries are on right now and that picking would begin tomorrow at the picker's own discretion. By this she meant that the Duke variety is a smaller somewhat tart blueberry and if folks come ready to pick the big sweet and juicier varieties they'll be disappointed.

The larger and sweeter variety (my favorite) might be ready for u-pick as early as next weekend. I am ready and waiting :).

Is there anything tastier than fresh Michigan blueberries heaped up on your cereal or ice cream? Perhaps only freezing some of those same wonderful berries so the experience can be parceled out all year long ;).

Some of my favorite summer foods from Michigan

I picked up a pound of Michigan Sweet Cherries today and it got me thinking about all of the yummy fruits and veggies that are grown here in Michigan.

We had a good three week season for our strawberry patch this year and no sooner did the strawberry crop wind down when the red raspberries started ripening. I am still working on expanding our meager raspberry patch, but those juicy red berries are worth it. I picked a handful or so a day this week and hoarded them in the fridge.

Last night I cooked up a batch of tapioca pudding and we had it with red raspberries on top. Oh man, that was good.

Michigan blueberries will be coming on in full force in the next week or two. A couple of small local patches are already producing tasty berries. I have made a note to call our favorite blueberry patch and see how the berries are coming along.

My potatoes are doing great in their containers. I'm eagerly anticipating a wonderful crop of Red Garland taters.

We've got tomatoes galore coming on as well. Sweet 100s, Big Boy, and other plants all have green tomatoes on the vine. In another week or so I'll be harvesting my first crop of cucumbers for this season and brewing up a batch of wonderful homemade pickles.

Yes, life is good (and tasty) here in Michigan. By the way, those cherries were delicious. I almost ate the whole pound of them on my own, but managed to practice some restraint ;).

Enjoying the strawberries from our garden

I've got to take a moment to brag on my garden a bit. I planted a 3' x 3' plot of strawberries in a raised bed four years ago and just let them spread to the rest of the raised bed and then let them spill out over the sides. The patch is approximately 10' x 6' now and filling in nicely.

Since June 10th we've been picking a quart of strawberries or better each day. It's been nice to head out there and pick strawberries to make fresh strawberry shortcake or even just to add to the morning cereal.

Quick Strawberry Recipes: Easy Strawberry Freezer Jam Strawberry Butter

In other garden news - our tomatoes, pole beans, cucumbers, and red potatoes are doing quite well. It's been a bit on the dry side the last seven days so I've been watering everything. My next project is to get my rain barrel put together and then wait for rain ;).

I'll post instructions on how to build your own rain barrel whenever I get mine completed.

Happy Gardening!

Bad news for the 2008 Michigan cherry crop

Michigan cherry farmers are looking at what could be as small of a crop as the decimated 2002 cherry crop for their projected 2008 crop. Hail, late frost, weak trees from last year's drought, and poor bee pollination are sited as reasons behind the weak outlook. Growers are looking at a cherry crop that will most likely be less than half of 2007 totals. The 2007 cherry crop was 134 million pounds. The official cherry crop estimate for 2008 is due out today from the Michigan Frozen Food Packers Association.

Read the full article at the Traverse City Record-Eagle

Tomato troubles? Buy local or grow your own

I don't anticipate any tomato shortages or problems with salmonella this summer. My tomatoes are growing great in my raised bed garden. I planted two different varieties - Big Boy and Beefsteak as well as some Sweet 100 grape tomatoes. I can't wait until they are ready. Yum! If you don't have a garden of your own you can always stop at one of the numerous roadside stands and farmer's markets this summer to get your tomato fix. An added bonus is that by purchasing your fruits and veggies locally you are keeping more money in the local economy. Right now, Michigan's economy could use all of the help it can get.

So, until my tomatoes are ready I'll be able to pick up some greenhouse tomatoes (that's all that's ready in Michigan right now) at Hubbard's Corey Lake Orchard or one of the local farmer's markets.

And, just for fun a cute little tomato ditty, "Home Grown Tomatoes."