Fresh Michigan Produce from the Eastern Market

For the past few weeks, Jack and I have been going down to the wholesale Eastern Market in Detroit which runs from midnight to 6a.m. We have been selling apricots, peaches, and nectarines to grocery stores and farm markets in the Detroit area like Hiller’s, Ruhlig Farms and Gardens, The Produce Station, and Westborn. The market is filled with amazing Michigan fruit and vegetable growers. Since we unload our truck there, we refill it with Michigan produce from all these great farms. We have been getting spectacular tomatoes from Katrina Iott who we have dubbed “The Tomato Queen” of Iott Ranch and Orchards. Rob Ruhlig of Ruhlig Farms and Gardens always has a huge variety of peppers and we always try to get a little bit of each, or whatever he suggests to us. Van Dyke Farms specializes in lettuces and we have been getting crisp Romaine and Red Leaf Lettuce from them. We also have onions and potatoes from our Bay City farmer, Mike Mulder.

We have focused our own vegetable pursuits on cucumbers this summer. We have lots of pickling cucumbers and slicing cucumbers this year. If canning pickles is your thing, this is the time to get the cucumbers! We also have fresh dill available in our markets. We have pickling cucumbers available by the half bushel for $15.00. Our own sweet corn is in and is absolutely delicious! We have our own zucchini and summer squash in our markets as well.