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Community Corner

It's Going To Be a Berry Good Summer

Michigan offers plenty to pick from, and markets are stocking up on homegrown produce.

Some people call this time of year barbecue season. I call it berry season.

I already see the deals popping up at grocery stores for strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. And whether you are cooking a gluten-free blueberry buckle or topping a stack of pancakes, nothing quite says summer to me like a bowl of fresh berries.

In Michigan, we are blessed with strawberries and blackberries in June, cherries later in June and July, and raspberries and blueberries in July and August. Mother Nature sure knows how to keep a variety of the sweet, juicy treats coming just in time for summer salads. The little packages pack a healthy punch of vitamin C, fiber and colorful flavanoids, which act as antioxidants, during our summer months. Check out this Michigan crop harvest calendar and U-pick sites around the state for information about where to find fresh fruit.

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I am growing strawberries this year, my first attempt. I bought the already growing plant at Western Market in Ferndale on Mother’s Day weekend, so I had a little help. So far, we have plucked a handful of the delicious berries, and they are sweet and flavorful. We also are munching on lettuce from our garden. If you have never tried fresh lettuce from your garden, I would recommend that you find a way. There’s nothing quite like the taste of lettuce snipped right out of the garden.

Last week at the Royal Oak Farmers Market, there were lettuce plants available from the Royal Oak Community Garden and plenty of other garden plants already started, such as sweet peas, eggplants, zucchinis, squash, tomatoes and cucumbers. The bulk of the growing season is in late June through August, so it won’t be long before tables are full of farm-fresh produce. I’ve got my cloth bag ready.

Find out what's happening in Ferndalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For now, here are my favorite places to shop for local produce (besides my garden):

  • : Westborn works with local farmers and marks which produce comes from Michigan farms. Also, I find the market's produce to be fresh and the Berkley store to be friendly and open. It doesn’t hurt that you can grab a little cup of coffee and that the site has a lot of gluten-free selections, including Udi’s bagels, Applegate chicken nuggets and Kinnickinnick doughnuts. I find this store goes out of its way to stock local produce and special diet-friendly grocery items, and I appreciate that.
  • : Pack your patience if you head to this market on the weekend. It seems I’m not alone when it comes to enjoying the produce and products available at this Ferndale gem. If you can get to Western during the week, you can really delight in all this market has to offer. Brothers Steve and Tony Selvaggio own and manage the store, and family members may be seen around daily.

If you can’t make it to the farmers market, Western is your best bet and here’s why: Members of the Selvaggio family get up at 3 a.m. and head over to Eastern Market or the Detroit Produce Terminal to pick out the best local produce farmers have to offer.

Steven Selvaggio talks to all the farm owners, according to Western Market's website, and tries to spread out his purchases in an effort to support everyone. 

“It makes sense because we want local farmers all to succeed,” he said. “Plus if there is ever a shortage, the farmers tend to sell the product they have to the people they normally do business with.” 

Check out the market’s blog posts for all the latest shipments and local inventory.

  • To your door: Want fresh produce delivered to your door? I’ve got two options for you: Door to Door Organics and Dobrasevic Food Co. Door to Door will deliver organic fruits and vegetables to your door once every week, or once every other week. The national company offers tips, recipes and other organic products to purchase. Dobrasevic is a Troy-based business that works with local farms to deliver fresh seasonal fruits and veggies to your door. Both these companies are convenient and provide a way to support local farms and businesses, as well as feed your family the healthiest foods in season.

It’s nice to be able to fire up the barbecue, no doubt. But I’m looking forward to a long summer of eating fresh produce. Here’s a salad I concocted today:

Berry Chicken Salad

  • About 3 cups washed lettuce, ripped into bite-size pieces*
  • ½ cup cooked chicken, cubed
  • About ½ cup fresh berries of your choice (I used strawberries and blackberries)
  • 6-8 whole blanched almonds

Toss ingredients with Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing.

*To thoroughly wash lettuce, first rinse under tap water and set aside. Plug up your sink and fill with about 2 inches cold water or enough to make lettuce float. Add lettuce to water bath and shake around with your hand. Let sit about 5 minutes then pull out lettuce and place on clean towel. Dirt should sink to the bottom. You may have to repeat if the lettuce is really full of soil (Romaine is known to hold on to a lot of dirt), so I like to wash a lot of lettuce at once to conserve some of that water!

Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing

This recipe is versatile. I have made this dressing with walnuts instead of  poppy seeds, as well as without poppy seeds. I have also used raspberries and blackberries instead of strawberries, although the blackberries made quite a mess!

  • ½ cup strawberries
  • 2 tablespoons. red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar or honey
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons whole poppy seeds

Wash and slice strawberries and place in food processor or blender. Add all other ingredients except oil. Puree dressing while drizzling in oil.

Gluten-free deals: If you like sites such as Groupon and Living Social, check out Gluten Free Deals! The site sends deals every few weeks on gluten-free products.

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