Continue reading »]]> Two things you don’t see too often in the soft drink world: a blueberry pomegranate soda and a bottle with the picture of a monster from a Montana lake. Ok I have never seen either of these things before, until I had a bottle of Flathead Lake Blueberry Pomegranate soda. Whatever you have some flavor that is a combination of fruits, you wonder which flavor will win out. To balance the flavors out is hard, but when done right is almost a guaranteed 5 star drink.

This drink was a big letdown. There was nothing genuine about the flavor. It was just sweet. It wouldn’t have been easy to pick out the flavor if I was given this in a blind taste test. Afterward I was left with a cough syrup like aftertaste in my mouth. Nice try, but this monster drink needs to go back into hiding (or at least head back to the lab for retooling). The company’s huckleberry soda was much better than this.

Where to Buy
I purchased it at the Pinconning Chesse Company in Pinconning, Michigan. I have also seen Flathead Lake sodas being sold at Holiday Market in Royal Oak, Michigan.

You can also purchase a few select flavors of Flathead Lake soda from the Old 52 General Store. They have carry over 300 varieties of glass bottled soda that you can purchase online or at their store in Sabin, Minnesota.

Continue reading »]]> It’s that time again. Time to pick those precious little blue bundles of joy – blueberries! Farm across the state are beginning to offer u-pick on their berries. The really hot weather as of late will help the berries to ripen quickly, but it may also mean for a shorter season. I will try and update you will info each week on the status of the crops.

1. Dexter Blueberry Farm (located to the west of Ann Arbor & downtown Dexter) is open for the season. They say the picking conditions are GOOD. They sell for $1.60 a pound. I picked there on last year. Click here to read about my experience.

2. Czaika’s Blueberry Farm in Tawas City as of July 17th, the berries were still green. They haven’t announced a start date yet, stay tuned. They are charging $1.00 per pound (that’s cheap!) If you wish to reach them you can call them at (989) 326-4638

3. Croswell Berry Farm in Croswell (6 miles west of Lexington) should be open soon. Call 810-679-3273 for crop conditions before coming.

4. Spicer Orchards in Fenton are now picking blueberries (as well as raspberries) For crop updates call (810) 632-7692.

5. Erie Orchards in Erie has blueberries for u-pick for $2.50 per pound. For more information you can call them at 734-848-4518.

6. Sandy Acres Blueberry Farm in Belleville offers u-pick, but I do not have any further info at this time. You can contact them at 734-657-2828.

7. Buchan’s Blueberry Hill in Traverse City will be opening around the end of July/early August. You can reach them at 231-223-4846.

8. Woodland Berry Farms in Zeeland has u-pick berries available now for $1.35/lb. For more information call them at (616) 875-8853.

9. Jones Berry Farm in Bridgman is open for u-pick. Their hours are 10am-4pm Sunday, closed Mon-Wed, and 9am-6pm on Thurs-Sat. For more info call (269) 465-4745.

10. Rambo Blueberries located in Bridgman is NOW open. Please call ahead to check on the crop, their phone number is (269) 426-4074.

11. Hazen’s Farm in Howell is NOW open for the season. For more information call 517-548-1841.

12. Harvey’s Farm in Tekonsha OPEN for picking. The cost is $1.50/lb. Their phone number is 517-767-3408.

13. DeGrandchamp’s Blueberry Farm in South Haven is OPEN for the season. Click here for their website. Their phone number is (269) 637-3915.

14. Kendall’s Blueberries in Hastings (about 50 miles southwest of Lansing) has u-pick berries, but you need to call ahead as they may be closed for a couple days for ripening. If you wish to contact them, their phone number is 269-945-3735.

15. Kapnick Orchards in Britton (close by to Adrian and Tecumseh) is opening on July 22 for u-pick. The cost will be $2.25/lb. Their phone number is 517-423-7419.

Looking for a way to use up some blueberries. Check out my recipe for homemade blueberry lemonade. It’s delicious!

Continue reading »]]> When eating certain fruits like blueberries, peaches, and strawberries, I like to eat mine with a little bit of sugar. But recently I have tried replacing that sugar with honey. Not only is honey better for us (our bodies absorb it better than sugar), it brings it’s own flavor to the party. So what honey goes well with something like blueberries? Blueberry honey of course! I found a bottle of Billy Bee Blueberry Honey on sale at Hiller’s in Ann Arbor. Billy Bee is a Canadian company that sells many different varieties of honey and honey products. They saw they are Canada’s favorite honey. Their blueberry honey is 100% natural. The bees visited real blueberry blossoms to make this honey.

The honey itself is a medium-dark amber color. The honey has a subtle berry-like taste to it. The flavor just marries so well with fresh blueberries, or peaches. It comes in a mess free bottle, in which the cap is one the bottom. I will probably re-use this bottle for other honey that have in glass jars in order to make it easier to depense.

To learn more about Billy Bee honey, visit their website.

Continue reading »]]> Straight out of Maine, comes Capt’n Eli’s soda. To promote their sodas, they have a comic book based on Capt’n Eli’s. They want to be bring back the old time feeling of buying a comic book and enjoying a root beer with it. I have heard of their drinks before, and recently got a chance to try their blueberry pop. I love blueberries, so whenever I find a blueberry pop, I make sure to sample it. The ingredient list reads like this: Water, Cane Sugar, Blueberry Juice Concentrate, Grape Juice Concentrate, Blueberry and Other Natural Flavors, Yucca/Quillaia, Sodium Benzoate (As A Preservative). It’s always a good sign to see names of fruit listed in a carbonated fruit-flavored beverage.

This is a good blueberry pop. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite blueberry of all-time, that would be another soda from Maine. The amount of carbonation is reasonable. I think the addition of the grape juice concentrate had an effect on the blueberry flavor, I would like to be more pure blueberry. Yet this is still a good, enjoyable drink. I am interested in trying the other Capt’n Eli’s flavors.

Where to Buy
I got mine from the Old 52 General Store. They carry over 300 varieties of glass bottled soda that you can purchase online or at their store in Sabin, Minnesota.

Continue reading »]]> There is nothing like a fresh blueberry picked straight from the bush in the summer time. When it comes to soda pop is hard to find that same experience in carbonated form. There are not a lot of blueberry sodas to choose from. And most of what there is to choose from ends up falling sort. A couple expections are Maine Root Blueberry Soda and Blumers Blueberry Cream. Last month, while on vacation, I found another blueberry soda pop to try. This is one is called Blueberry Breese and is made by the Excel Bottling Company out of Breese, Illinois. I found it at Straub’s Fine Groceries in St. Louis, Missouri. They were selling it for 99 cents a bottle. It is sweetened by pure cane sugar.

A delicious blueberry drink! The flavor was strong enough and the carbonation was nice. It doesn’t quite reach the level of Maine Root, but at a cheaper price it’s a great deal that I wouldn’t mind enjoying again.

Where to Buy
I couldn’t find much about it online, so the store where I bought is the only place where I know you can find it.

Looking for a great selection of glass bottled soda? The Old 52 General Store carries over 300 varieties of glass bottled soda. Their physical store is located in Sabin, Minnesota.

Continue reading »]]> As we get ready to enter the dark days of winter here in Michigan, there isn’t much to do gardening wise. This is why I take this time to research some of the new varieties available on the market. Seed companies are preparing their catalog for the New Year. One of the new things available through Burpee this year is “Pink Lemonade” blueberries. As the name would suggest these blueberries are in fact, not blue, but pink. Now if you have grown or picked your own blueberries you would know that the immature berries are pink. So it appears that someone has found a way to keep the color pink, yet have the berries be ripe for the picking. Why bother in the first place with having a pink blueberry? It’s basically for looks. It looks pretty to have a bowl full of traditional blueberries and these pink lemonade variety. Do they taste any different? My research seems to say there isn’t any significant difference.

A couple places to purchase this plant from Burpee or on Amazon.com.

Continue reading »]]> I love juice! There is nothing like downing great tasting fruit in liquid form. I enjoy the depth of flavors in blended juices. I recently got to try a blended juice drink from Minute Maid. There has been a lot of hype in the lately about superfruits – fruits that are rich in antioxidants and other health benefits. Two of those fruits are the pomegranate and the blueberry. Minute Maid took those two combined those two fruits to make this drink. The bottle boasts that there are 5 nutrients inside that support your brain & body. Here is what it says about these nutrients:

1. DHA is a key building block in the brain
2. Choline and 3. B12 play a role in brain and nervous system signals.
4. Antioxidant vitamin E may help shield the omega-3s in the brain from free radicals.
5. Vitamin C is highly concentrated in brain nerve endings.

I think of alot of this hype is just marketing. They say that vitamin E “may help shield the omega-3s from free radicals”. The key word there is “may”. They aren’t guaranteeing it. I don’t claim to fully understand all the stuff they are talking about, but the word “may” doesn’t offer much assurance. However this website is not about health benefits, so let’s get onto the important question, does it taste good?

Yes, indeed it does. It has a nice rich flavor. The blueberry and pomegranate are perfectly balanced. They do use apple juice as a filler, but it doesn’t water it down or take away from the taste in anyway. So while I can’t promise you this drink is going to make you healthy, I can tell you it will make your taste buds happy.

Where to Buy
Minute Maid products are pretty easy to find in any chain grocery stores. I purchased this particular flavor at a Meijer store in Ann Arbor, Michigan. If are looking for this juice and can’t find it, leave a comment and hopefully my reader or myself can help you.

Continue reading »]]> Blueberries are one of my favorite summer time foods. I look forward every year to eating them by the bowl full. But when the season is over, you have to look for your blueberry fix elsewhere (I am not paying $3 for half a pint of berries shipped from half way around the world.) A blueberry soda pop would be a good place to get my fix. Maine Root (out of Portland, ME) makes a handcrafted blueberry soda. They use Fair Trade certified ingredients in their soda. So any ingredients from outside this country are being made or harvested by someone who is getting paid fairly.

This drink has a pure blueberry flavor, it’s like drinking a bowl of summer. It is not artificial tasting at all. It has the hint of tartness you would expect from eating a blueberry. The carbonation is very nice. There aren’t a lot of pure blueberry sodas on the market, but this one definitely is at the top of that short list. This is the first Maine Root product I have tried and it makes me want to taste test the entire line.

Where to Buy
I got mine through the online business of the Old 52 General Store. They have over 300 other flavors of soda pop. Their physical store is located in Sabin, Minnesota.

I have only seen the blueberry available through Old 52. But I have seen root beer and ginger flavors available at Whole Foods.

Continue reading »]]> A couple weeks ago, I was shopping a local farmer’s store, and was looking for something to drink. I found a bottle of Mistic Bahama Blueberry in the refrigerated section. It has been a long time since I have a Mistic drink. I remember when I was in college, having bought a bunch of Mistic on clearance sale that I really enjoyed and was sad they were no longer producing that flavor. They had a couple flavors at this store, I decided to go with the blueberry. The ingredient lists read like this: Filtered water, high fructose corn syrup, pear juice from concentrate, citric acid, natural and artificial blueberry and raspberry flavors, gum acacia, blue 1, yellow 5.

This drink wasn’t bad, but it certainly wasn’t great. I would have liked the drink to be a little stronger on the flavor and for the texture to be a little thicker. It was an equal balance between blueberry and raspberry flavors. It still hit the spot on a very hot and humid day.

Where to Buy
I purchased my bottle at Alexander’s Farm Market in Whitmore Lake, Michigan
Also Sam’s Club carries a 24 pack of 3 flavors: Grape Strawberry, Kiwi Strawberry, and Tropical Fruit Punch

Continue reading »]]> If you still want to pick blueberries this year, you are going to have to hunt for them. Most farms in the state are now closed but there are a few farms left open. It’s best to call them at this point in the season to make sure they are still picking.

OPEN for U-Pick
1. Dexter Blueberry Farm (located to the west of Ann Arbor & downtown Dexter) STILL has blueberries left, but the picking is slowing down. They will be done by September 7th. They sell for $1.60 a pound. I picked there on Saturday, July 31st. Click here to read about my experience. Click here to visit their website.

2. Czaika’s Blueberry Farm in Tawas City has blueberries left with the majority being at the center of the bushes. They hope to remain open through Labor Day. They are charging $1.00 per pound (that’s cheap!) If you wish to reach them you can call them at (989) 326-4638 or visit their website for updates.

3. Croswell Berry Farm in Croswell, MI (6 miles west of Lexington) may still have blueberries left. Call 810-679-3273 for crop conditions before coming. Click here for their website.

4. Erie Orchards in Erie, MI may still have blueberries through this weekend. They cost $2.50 per pound. For more information you can call them at 734-848-4518 or visit their website.

5. Buchan’s Blueberry Hill in Traverse City still has blueberries for u-pick. The cost is $1.85 per pound. They recommend you call ahead for picking conditions. You can reach them at 231-223-4846 or visit their website.

CLOSED for U-Pick
1. Woodland Berry Farms in Zeeland, MI is CLOSED for u-pick for the season. You can still buy frozen blueberries from them. For more information call them at (616) 875-8853 or visit their website.

2. Jones Berry Farm in Bridgman, MI is CLOSED for the season. Click here to visit their website.

3. Rambo Blueberries also located in Bridgman is CLOSED for the season. Click here to visit their website.

4. Hazen’s Farm in Howell, MI are MOST LIKELY CLOSED for the season. For more information call 517-548-1841. Click here for their website.

5. Harvey’s Farm in Tekonsha, MI is CLOSED for the season. Click here for their website.

6. DeGrandchamp’s Blueberry Farm in South Haven is CLOSED for the season. Click here for their website.

7. Kendall’s Blueberries in Hastings (about 50 miles southwest of Lansing) is CLOSED for the season. If you still wish to contact them, their phone number is 269-945-3735 or click here for their website.

8. Kapnick Orchards in Britton (close by to Adrian and Tecumseh) is CLOSED for the season. Their phone number is 517-423-7419. Click here for their website.

9. Spicer Orchards in Fenton is CLOSED for the season. To confirm call (810) 632-7692 and click here for their website.

Looking for a way to use up some blueberries. Check out my recipe for homemade blueberry lemonade. It’s delicious!