Loring Peaches

August 26, 2010

As the peach season continues, the peaches seem to be getting bigger and bigger. I found some of the biggest peaches I have ever had at the Saline Farmer’s Market, recently. The vendor said the variety was called Lawrence, which is a type of Loring peach. Flaming Fury peaches are similar in that there are over 20 types of Flaming Fury, all tasting pretty much the same. The Loring has been around for quite a while. It was first released to fruit growers in 1946. It was created in Missouri. The Loring is a mid-season variety that typically ripens 22 days after Red Havens.

My Experience with this Peach (Rating Scale 1-10)
Acidity: 7
Peach Flavor: 7
Sweetness: 6
Juiciness: 9

Overall Feeling: I really enjoyed this peach. It had a good peach flavor, with a nice balance of sweetness and acidity and it was quite juicy. These peaches are pretty large in size. They are the biggest I have reviewed this year. That size is good for canning since there is less work to do if you have larger peaches.

Where is the best place to buy a good peach? Click here to read my article on shopping for peaches.

Peach| Saline Farmer's Market

Fruit & Vegetables

Canadian Harmony Peaches

August 19, 2010

by Eric Samuelson 3 comments

We have reached the mid-point of peach season here in Michigan. One of the mid-season varieties is the Canadian Harmony peach. I purchased some from a vendor at the Saline Farmer’s Market. The harmony peach is large freestone peach. As the name would suggest this variety was developed in Canada, in the province of Ontario. It was introduced in 1968. The peach ripens on average 16 days after Red Haven. The peach has a longer shelf life than other peaches, which would make it a good peach for grocery stores, except that it is not one of the pretty peaches. And since most supermarkets are into what’s cheap and pretty, you will have to turn to the farmer’s market for this variety.

My Experience with this Peach (Rating Scale 1-10)
Acidity: 7
Peach Flavor: 9
Sweetness: 6
Juiciness: 10

Overall Feeling: What Canadian Harmony lacks in the way of appearance it certainly makes up for in flavor. It’s a very juicy peach. There was a good amount of juice in the bottom of my bowl after eating this peach. It also has a good amount of acidity to balance out the sweetness. This would make a great peach for canning, because they are large, so there is less work to do and it’s easy to remove their pits.

Where is the best place to buy a good peach? Click here to read my article on shopping for peaches.

Canning| Freestone| Peach| Saline Farmer's Market

Fruit & Vegetables

Moonglow Pears

August 10, 2010

by Eric Samuelson 1 comment

This past week, I got to try my first pear variety of the season – the Moonglow pear. I purchased them from the Saline Farmer’s Market. The vendor said he has to pick these pears earlier than he wanted because they were being blown off the trees. Fortunately with pears they do not need to ripen on the tree to be good. In fact when you let a pear ripen completely the tree, since it ripens from the inside out, the inside is so soft it’s almost rotten at that point. Your best bet is to place them in a paper bag when you buy them and then check on them each day until they are perfect, soft, but without spots starting to rot.

The Moonglow pear was developed in Beltsville, Maryland and introduced in 1960. It is ready for picking about mid-August to mid-September. The pear can develop a red blush if it’s on the tree long enough (mine didn’t have any blush on them). These pears do not have a long shelf life so you probably won’t find them in any supermarket. Farmers still like for local sales as this variety is one of the most resistance to diseases.

My Experience with this Pear (Rating Scale 1-10)
Texture: 7
Pear Flavor: 6
Sweetness: 5
Juiciness: 8

Overall Feeling: This wasn’t a bad pear for the first of the season. It was pretty juicy. My daughter ate one and she had juice running down her face. It has a good texture, not to grainy. My wife doesn’t like most pears because of their grainy texture, she thinks it’s like eating sand. But this particular pear she did not mind. The downfall of this particular pear as that it goes from being perfect to being rotten very quickly.

Farmer's Market| Pears| Saline Farmer's Market

Fruit & Vegetables

Flamin’ Fury Peaches

July 21, 2010

by Eric Samuelson 11 comments

Yesterday afternoon, I visited the Saline Farmer’s Market and was delighted to see Michigan grown peaches there. The peaches I bought are from Kapnick Orchards, one of the vendors I reguarly buy from. These peaches selling for $4 a quart had a sign next to them calling them “Flamin’ Fury”. I thought, wow that’s an exciting name. So I bought those peaches and head for my computer to look up what a flamin’ fury peach was. Here is what I found out about them:

1. Flamin’ Fury is not just one variety. It is a category of 25 different varieties of peaches. The varieties were created by Paul Friday, a Michigan peach breeder. The different varieties mature over a 15 week period, providing a long season for those that grow the different varieties. I do not know the exact variety of Flamin’ Fury peaches that I purchased, but it must be among the early varieties.

2. The names of each variety starts with a PF. Click here for a table with a listing of each variety and the number of days is it is harvested before or after the popular red haven peach is typically harvested. I am guessing I might have purchased a PF 7 or 8 because it is still about 2 weeks or so from red haven peaches being ready.

3. The one I had was a clingstone peach.

4. You can find Flamin’ Fury peaches in all peach growing states as well as Canada and South Africa.

My Experience with this Peach (Rating Scale 1-10)
Acidity: 6
Peach Flavor: 10
Sweetness: 6
Juiciness: 10

Overall Feeling: This was a wonderful peach. One of the strongest genuine peach flavors I have ever had. Sometimes you buy peaches and all they taste like is this the sugar you put on them. Because of the strong flavors this peaches would be excellent to make ice cream or sorbet with. The peach was also incredibility juicy. If you just bit into without cutting it you would end up with juice all over your shirt. Overall, this is the best peach I have had yet this year.

Where is the best place to buy a good peach? Click here to read my article on shopping for peaches.

Farmer's Market| Peach| Saline Farmer's Market

Fruit & Vegetables

Michigan Black Cherries

July 13, 2010

by Eric Samuelson 1 comment

One of the great treats of the early summer are fresh cherries. One of the best varieties is the Michigan Black Cherry. These cherries are black in color without any red hint. If you find a cherry in a store that looks black but has some red tint to it, then you don’t have a Michigan black cherry. These cherries are sweet. As far as I am concerned they are the best cherries for out of hand eating. Now when you do eat them out of hand you better have a napkin or even a bib nearby, as these things are juicy. My fingernails turn dark purple from just eating the cherries, so imagine the number these things could do on your white t-shirt.

So where do you find these cherries? Well your not likely to find them in the supermarket, I never saw them. I got mine from Kapnick Orchards at the Saline Farmer’s Market. Your local farmer’s market is your best choice to pick up these sweet treasures. If you live outside of Michigan, well then good luck to you. There is a reason they are called Michigan black cherries and I don’t think Michigan exports any (but I may be wrong). Sour pie cherries are the pre-dominant type of cherry grown in the state. So if you can find some black ones, grab them up as soon as you can, you will be happy you did.

Black Cherry| Cherry| Farmer's Market| Michigan Farms| Saline Farmer's Market

Fruit & Vegetables

Michigan U-Pick Blueberry News (6/30/2010)

July 1, 2010

by Eric Samuelson 0 comments

I love blueberries! They have a great texture, great flavor, and are packed full of antioxidants. And it’s now time for blueberries to begin ripening across my home state of Michigan. Yesterday I got my first taste of Michigan blueberries at the Saline Farmer’s Market. Kapnick Orchards in Britton, MI just began picking their first blue treats of the season. I also saw several vendors selling blueberries at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market today. So with the first blueberries appearing at the farmer’s market that means u-pick blueberry season is at hand. Here are some updates from some farms in Michigan about the status of their u-pick blueberries.

1. Dexter Blueberry farm (located to the west of downtown Dexter) will begin u-pick bluebrries on July 12th. They sell for $1.60 a pound. I picked their twice last season and it was a great experience and they are plenty of bushes to pick from. Click here to visit their website.

2. Jones Berry Farm in Bridgman, MI will be opening for u-pick on July 8th. They are saying they have a “bountiful blueberry crop”. Click here to visit their website.

3. Rambo Blueberries also located in Bridgman, will be opeing for u-pick on July 5th. They recommend you call ahead before you come in. Their phone number is (269) 426-4074. Click here to visit their website.

Keep coming back to the website for updates as the season progresses.

U-Pick

Michigan Cherry U-Pick News (6/21/2010)

June 21, 2010

by Eric Samuelson 0 comments

Click here for the most recent update. I have been looking into doing some cherry picking this season. Unfortunately the news I have gotten from local farms has not been good. I checked with Kapnick Orchards in Britton, MI and they said they will not be doing U-Pick cherries this season. I also heard from Wasem’s Fruit Farm in Milan, MI and there is some doubt they will be having u-pick cherries this year. They said their crop is small this year, but they will make a final decision in a week (on June 28). The weather this spring was not too kind to a lot of Michigan fruit crops. We had a warm start to the spring, which causes the plants to begin flowering early. But then at the end of April and start of May we had some freezes that did damage to the cherry blossoms. So it may be difficult if you want to pick your own cherries this year in southeast Michigan. However, you can still pick up farm fresh cherries. I got some from both the Ann Arbor and Saline farmer’s market last week.

On the southwest side of Michigan, there are u-pick cherries available at Fruit Acres Farms in Coloma, MI. They have both sweet (started on June 19) & sour varieties available (starting June 26) for u-pick. You can call them for updates at (269) 468-5076. You can also visit their website for more information.

Ann Arbor Farmer's Market| Cherry| Michigan Farms| Saline Farmer's Market| U-Pick

U-Pick

Visit to Saline Farmer’s Market – 5/15/10

May 17, 2010

by Eric Samuelson 2 comments

This is the 3rd week of the Saline Farmer’s market. This week, plants galore! Flowers, veggies, and herb plant could be found aplenty. Here is what I picked up:

3 pepper plants (1 purple bell, 1 yellow bell, and 1 Serrano)
I purchased these from Prochaska Farms. They had a nice selection of tomato and pepper plants, and will be back with more next week.
3 herb plants (1 basil, 1 rosemary, and 1 sage) (3 herb plants for $5)
I purchased these from Devulder’s Farm.
Apple fritter
My wife wanted an apple fritter from Kapnick Orchards. She said they were the best fritter she has had. They had the strongest apple flavor she said.

It was a beautiful day to visit the market. I also found out this past week, they there will be a new Saline farmer’s market, on Tuesdays from 4-8pm at the Saline District Library. Another great opportunity to come and buy fresh produce and plants from area farmers.

Farmer's Market| Saline Farmer's Market

Where I Buy Food

Saline Farmer’s Market

May 3, 2010

by Eric Samuelson 5 comments

If you are looking for a good quality small town farmer’s market, the one in Saline, Michigan is a great choice. Since it’s a smaller market it’s easier to get in and get out of then the larger, very busy Ann Arbor market up the road. It’s also very easy to walk around to each vendor with plenty of moving space. The smaller market also allows a greater opportunity to speak with the vendors and find out more about what you are buying. Among the things you can buy there regularly:

1. Apple cider & apple products
2. Baked goods from Ed’s Bread as well as a couple other vendors
3. Pepperoni rolls
4. Fresh cheese including mozzarella
5. There is a vendor that always has a great selection of herbs and greens.

Of course the vegetables, fruit, and flowers when in season. Also there are master gardeners on site that are awaiting your gardening questions.

The Saline Farmer’s market is located in downtown Saline, every Saturday in May throught October. The time is 8am-noon. You can park in the lot right near the farmer’s market, or if that is full and it often is, you can find street parking on nearby Henry St. or park in the lot across from the market.

Farmer's Market| Saline Farmer's Market

Where I Buy Food