Feeling Fruity: Michigan U-Pick Experiences

In the past month, Sean and I have picked fruit at three very different U-Pick operations in Mid-Michigan.

We picked strawberries at a large production farm, blueberries at a popular cider mill and entertainment-focused farm, and currants from a back yard garden in Lansing. At each location the end result was fresh, delicious fruit that costs far less than buying lesser-quality fruit from the grocery store or farmers' market.

Strawberry Picking at Felzke Farms
Some weeks ago, Sean and I had the good fortune of finding ourselves in the best strawberry plot at  Felzke Farms. It was hot out, but I was glad of my long pants while I crawled between the rows. Felzke Farms is Michigan's largest strawberry producer, and has been a local U-Pick favorite for years. Sean and I had done some reconnaissance while buying 20 lbs of asparagus in the spring, so we knew what we were up against.

We arrived relatively early - around 9 a.m. - and were the last people to score a spot in the BEST strawberry field at Felzke (according to the lovely librarian picking a few rows over). I have never tasted a better strawberry. I know this doesn't sound like a big deal, but man, these strawberries can change your perspective on life.

About an hour in the field earned us roughly 40 lbs of the ripest, reddest, juiciest Michigan strawberries on the face of the planet (probably). We dehydrated some to put in granola and oatmeal, made a big batch of strawberry jam and froze the rest. Sucking on a frozen strawberry is one the best ways to combat this outrageously dry, hot summer.

Felzke Farms is a production farm, first and foremost. They offer U-Pick strawberries on the side because they have an abundance of strawberries, and there are crazy people like us who are willing to PAY the farm to pick their berries. It's a good deal for the farm, and a good deal for us! These strawberries are WAY better than those we bought by the quart-full from Kroger 2 years ago, or the farmers' market last year. Cheaper, too.

Blueberry Picking at Uncle John's Cider Mill
 The 6-foot blueberry bushes were drooping from the weight of countless ripe berries when we pulled up to the U-Pick field last Sunday. It was a steamy afternoon - about 90 degrees - and we were the only folks there. We bought a pre-paid 10 pound U-Pick box (about $25). An hour later it was overflowing with the best blueberries I've ever tasted!

We've stocked ourselves with delicious blueberry jam, dried blueberries to snack on, frozen blueberries for my oatmeal and a few cans of berries to bake with over the next year. Last night's blueberry crumble was a beautifully violent purple-blue hue that stained our mouths. Yum!

Of course, you don't HAVE to slave away in the sun to get lots of berries for a good price. At Uncle John's you can buy a pre-filled 10 lbs. box for $25 - way cheaper than the grocery store or farmer's market. We opted to pick our own because we like it, and because the berries taste better if you work a little harder for them. The pre-filled boxes are not as fresh, but still a great deal.

Uncle John's is primarily an entertainment location and cider mill, not a production farm like Felzke. They boast sprawling orchards, a winery, a pie house, delicious donuts and cider, U-Pick pumpkins, a fun corn maze and all sorts of family-friendly attractions. They've recently expanded to offer blueberries, asparagus and strawberries to keep people coming in the mill's "off-season". It's working!

Currant Picking in Old Town, Lansing
Sean and I spent our Independence Day morning in Old Town at our friend Lisa's home, picking eight pounds of currants. I love picking currants. Currant bushes don't grow quite as tall as blueberry bushes, but they provide ample shade as I root around, plucking their fruits. Have you ever seen fresh currants? They're lovely little red gems strung together in a way similar to grape bunches.

Picking currants at Lisa's was a significant moment for the two of us - an anniversary, of sorts. Last summer we experienced our first Picking excursion in this very same same back yard on the Grand River. It was hot and dirty work, and I did not enjoy myself. Still, it held a special charm, and the fruits of our labor (pun-tastic!) were well worth a sweaty hour or two. We juiced our berries with various devices, and they will soon become clear, tasty currant jelly.

Lisa is the opposite of massive operations like Felzke Farms and Uncle John's. She's an regular person with a job and a life... a big, back-yard garden. She planted a row of currant bushes years ago, and each season she allows strangers (like us) to come and pick them for a very low price.  It's easy for her, easy for us, and we both benefit.

Since picking currants last summer, we've harvested apples from Clam Lake Orchard (near Torch Lake), a few bushels of huskcherries from Pregitzer Farm, wild raspberries from the areas surrounding "Barton's Blind", a gorgeous Douglas Fir Christmas tree at Peacock Road Tree Farm, the aforementioned strawberries, blueberries, currants and countless other crops from our own gardens.

It's pretty cool, to say the least.

Think On This: Friday Edition

Buzzfeed has published their list of 40 of the Most Powerful Photographs, and it's a doozy of a list. Some of these photos are so familiar that I am a bit jaded by them - or was, until today. In this era of heightened information sharing, we're constantly bombarded with pictures of all kinds, from all sides. These images have held their value without need of fancy filters and followers on Instagram. I wonder - are they still worth 1000 words each? We've come a long way, folks.

I made it to #10 before I had to grab a towel (not a tissue!) to mop up tears. What a way to start a Friday, eh?

And now, for a bit of societal observation...

I take pleasure in guessing what the next big trends will be in pop culture. I've been right and I've been wrong. Pirates, who all look like Johnny Depp, were quickly overpowered by vampires. ("Vampirates" will always have a special place in my heart).

Fig. 1. What "sexy" has been lately, soon to be replaced!

Fig. 2. Different sort of vampire, obscurely hip in some circles.

I saw the zombie madness from a mile away, as Sean came down with a case of early-onset apocalyptia. People like stories where the characters are so overcome by horror, they lose their way of life (and oftentimes their moral compass). We like The Walking Dead because it pits "normal" people against against other formerly-normal people, and only a few survive. Plus, we're being conditioned to like gore and respond to it in a positive manner - and that's screwed up!

Fig. 3. Zombified Occupants

 Fortunately, the "Next Big Thing" is coming - and it's not Sexy Bankers. (Sorry, Dad.)

Fig. 4. What a "Sexy Banker" might look like.

For months I've been running my mouth, talking about the great Western Americana resurgence. America's identity and belief that it is exceptional largely reflects the romance and independence of The West. With Western Americana comes the idealization of guns, guitars, loose morals, deserts, tribal life, dust, extreme conditions, horses, hard work, ranches, rugged independence and ingenuity, cowboys, fringe, leather, mustaches, big hats, whores, gambling and a determined irreverence for the system. What's not to like? I was certain that the resurgence of the West was nigh.

Fig. 5. American Cowboy

After seeing the Les Miserables trailer I am rooting for a new fad - Revolutionaries! Some historians (and whoever paid close attention in high school) will knock down your door in a frenzy of nerdy excitement for the chance to talk about the intricacies of the French or Russian revolutions. I've heard the suggestion that the American Revolution (which was driven by markets!) has never ended, or at least carried on until the Civil War. History is blanketed in revolutions. That's what history is: one big, revolving power struggle.

Fig. 6. Tank Man, the peaceful protester in Tienanmen Square

The trouble is that Mass Media will NOT be featuring revolutionaries in a good light. That's what they say, right? "The Revolution Will Not Be Broadcast." They don't want you to see that kind of inspirational, fact-based stuff that might confuse you. They don't want you to see gore, real gore, and realize that it's not appropriate to clap and cheer when someone gets brained. They want guns in the hands of Bad Guys and Keepers of the Peace, not normal people. And they certainly don't want you brushing up on your history. Then you might realize that most revolutions are caused by food shortages, and that we're staring down the barrel of Peak Oil and all of the joys that come with it. You might stop wasting your money on their poisonous crap that belittles and imprisons you, and everyone else. Your family, classmates, friends, neighbors, your boss, even all of the strangers on the street you ignore while staring at your phone.

I'm telling you this because I care about you.
Everything runs out, and the rate we're
consuming things it's gonna be sooner, rather than later.

Don't waste time in a panic, all in a tizzy.
Don't be fearful. Just think.

Do yourself the favor of taking 15 minutes
to learn more about Peak Oil and what's to come.

Or, take 15 minutes and figure out how you're going
to cope with increasingly higher gas prices, food prices and debt.

If you think you'd be happy enough living off of MREs, buy a case.

If stocking up on Kraft Mac and Cheese
(why is it that color?!) and hotdogs
is your fall-back, it's time to go to Costco.

If you really want to help yourself out, though,
plant a few seeds in the dirt and see what happens.

You have you lead yourself to happiness.
You have to teach yourself what you need to know,
if you don't want to be one of the Sheeple
waiting blindly for a cataclysm.

I hope I don't sound insane.
I swear, I'm not.
I'm not on a soap box,
I'm just sharing information with
whoever wants to listen, and think.

In the last few years I have experienced
a gradual lifestyle shift, and I truly think
I'm better off now that I'm off the merry-go-round.

Do a few simple things this weekend to help yourself.

Stop watching so much damn television,
 especially those cable news shows!
Drink more water.
Drink less milk.
(It's for babies. Seriously.)

Don't eat at restaurant chains.
Applebee's is no better than Arby's.
If you don't want to cook for yourself,
then go to an independent restaurant that uses
fresh ingredients, not frozen meat patties and "special" sauces.

If you're already doing these things, good on you!
But don't stop there.

Take a look at what you slather all over
yourself and your stuff every day.
Shampoos, lotions, cleaning products.
What's in them?
Who manufactures them?
And who owns those manufacturers?
Proctor and Gamble, probably.

You could go to the farmer's market and try hand-made soap.
You could try making your own laundry detergent, like we did.
It works great and costs about 20 cents a gallon, if that.
There are various recipes with different ingredients, so take a look.

Buying soap isn't some hoity-toity hipster thing.
Soap is soap. It has been for centuries.
The oddly scented, colorful liquid stuff in bottles
is the new and disturbing option for 1st Worlders.

Once again, I recommend reading
The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-sufficient Living.
It disgusts me to link to Amazon, but it's for the greater good. :P

I'll call it a day, here.
If living better interests you, let me know.
I'm thinking about doing a series of posts
showing what we're doing as an example.


"If  the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and the corporations that grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered." - Thomas Jefferson

Step away from the screen, now. 

Stretch.
Go outside, rain be damned.

John K. King's Used and Rare Books of Detroit

So, I finally went to King's.

It was inevitable.

 

Here's a peek into our trip into Detroit's

John K. King's Used and Rare Books,

What began as a 4-story glove factory

is now a sprawling maze of books and other

paper items concerning every topic you could 

possibly imagine, and then some.

King's downtown location is Michigan's largest

book shop. I wonder where it ranks on an international scale...

 

I was overwhelmed, but also underwhelmed by what I found.

I'm not sure what I expected, so I cannot say what it lacked.

Nonetheless, this place is absolutely AMAZING. 

King's was established in 1965, just three years before Curious opened.

I've only been to a handful of shops like Curious and King's.

These places are usually dusty, disorderly and rather whimsical.

They're full of treasures lost and found, as well as a lot of rubbish.

Stores like these are increasingly rare - much rarer than the items they offer.

Finding a place like this can make you feel as though you've 

entered a rift in time, or someone's junk shop. 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

 Did I mention how HUGE this old factory is?

I wish I could properly describe it, as well as where

it sits within Detroit. It's practically invisible, if you don't know 

to look for King's. In the muted landscape that is downtown,

the bookstore's faded facade easily blends into the 

downtrodden haze of Detroit's cityscape.

There were signs in the stairwell to help direct cold winter customers to

one of the few "warming stations" available. The cost of heating this entire building would be

astronomical, and you can rule out space heaters in a four-story pile of paper and dust!

 

 

I wandered further and further into the building with eyes wide and camera ready. 

I refused to look at the books themselves, trying to take in the forest rather than the trees. 

It's too bad that I hadn't brought a list of books to look for, 

as this wasn't the sort of place to just start browsing. 

I was too anxious, flitting from one little "room" to the next, 

weaving between the cases and boxes and trying not to focus on the spines.

 

King's is doing about as well, economically, as the other remaining stores of its ilk. 

Can you imagine how many people it takes to run a sinking ship? 

I admired the bookkeeper aprons worn by the roaming staff members, 

with bulging pockets and what looked like permanent dust stains down the fronts. 

One long-time clerk with whom I spoke for quite some time seemed a bit jaded. 

For once I was grateful for the limited space that is my little Curious Book Shop.

 

Planks and cinder blocks - sometimes you can't wait

for just the right bookcase, even if you're a bookseller

who is offered dozens of bookshelves every year!

King's was astonishing, wonderful, terrifying and utterly unique. 

I can't believe it had taken me so long to get there! 

The Husband couldn't believe that I only bought 2 books, for a grand total of $10.

Next time, we're going back with lists of books to look for, as well as flashlights...

Book Binge, and a Cat

Today being my only day off in the foreseeable future, I spent the morning and early afternoon on a leisurely walk through my neighborhood. Four books, dropped off at the library. One tasty breakfast at Gone Wired, featuring the best-tasting bacon of my life, a little too much coffee for comfort and a quiet hour in which I savored the ending of Ernest Callenbach's Ecotopia.

This book is a treasure. I'm adding it to my Top 10 book list.

I just sauntered on home from Everybody Reads, my wonderful neighborhood book shop, on the eastern side of Lansing. It was a longer walk than usual, what with my bag-o-books weighing me down. Wanna see what I got?!

An ARC of Martha Cooley's The Archivist
Dorothy Allison's Cavedweller (Never heard of it, but am so intrigued!)
Elizabeth Gaskell's Sylvia's Lovers
Witold Rybczynski's Waiting for the Weekend (A study of leisure time and "the freedom to do nothing," from Roman times to modern day. I loved learning about this massive change in society in the 20th century, and can't wait to crack this baby open!)
Ken Kesey's Sometimes a Great Notion
Hunter S. Thompson's The Great Shark Hunt (!)
Beppe Severgnini's Ciao, America! : An Italian Discovers the U.S.
The Awakened Warrior: Living with Courage, Compassion & Discipline (ed. Rick Fields)
In the Company of Others: Making Community in the Mondern World (ed. Claude Whitmyer)

These were all gently used paperbacks, and even though I insisted upon paying double their asking price, I still managed to get out of Everybody Reads without spending more than $10 - and I got a neat bumper sticker, too!

Other books I've acquired in the last few weeks include:
Kwame Anthony Appiah's The Honor Code: How Moral Revolutions Happen
James Redfield's The Celestine Prophecy
Dan Millman's Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior
Alice Miller's Thou Shalt Not be Aware: Society's Betrayl of the Child
J.G. Ballard's The Crystal World
Rick Steves's Travel as a Political Act
Shiva Naipaul's Beyond the Dragon's Mouth
Elinore Pruitt Stewart's Letters of a Woman Homesteader (So good, so far!)
Rebecca Ann Collins's The Pemberley Chronicles (Yeah, I know...)
John Mortimer's The Summer of a Dormouse: Another Part of Life
Krishnalal Shirdharani's My India, My America (Introduction by Louis Bromfield!)

I hope to read them all eventually, but I obviously acquire more books than I can read. I'll have to take a photo of the book shelves sometime soon, to share some of my double-stacking storage techniques. Even still, I have boxes and boxes of books stashed in a closet. Two closets, actually.

All of these books makes it difficult to get more writing done. I'm working on a novel, as always.
What makes it different this time, though, is that soon I will have an actual writing space, a place of my own without the seduction of internet, candy or a stack of books. The goal is to keep this desk clear, save for a mug of pens and a cushy spot for cats to snooze on the sunny windowsill.

It's a damn good thing that Nova, our new little adoptee from the Lansing Area Humane Society, can happily co-habitate with so many books. Footage of the little cat to come soon, as well. I'd upload some now, but she's being so darn affectionate, curled up on my lap.

Giving up the Hard Juice

I'm writing to you today from Command Central, the newest technology hub in East Lansing! Alright, so it's technically a glorified computer desk with a television atop the highest shelf. But, hey, at least it's got internet and cable. It boasts cool, below-ground temperatures... in my basement.

Everyone needs to begin somewhere.

Sean and I are embarking on a new challenge. Taking it a week at a time (my caveat), we'll attempt to stop eating out. No big deal, right? Sean's a thrifty, creative and talented cook, so we'll have plenty of meals and leftovers to carry us through. In that respect, the hard work is already done. Still, we spend a lot of time and money "eating out" around town. Dominos is across the street from us. Quality Dairy (which is considered an eating establishment in this experiment) is a block away. I walk to work on a path which parades me past two coffee shops and a myriad of local restaurants and bars. When we're on the other side of town we like to stop at Culver's (*shudder*) or Cracker Barrel.

I don't know if this will work.

I drink a lot of coffee. I'm fine with giving up restaurant eating, especially fast food. It's the loss of COFFEE that I fear will be my downfall. True, we have a good (semi-broken) coffee pot and a sporadic supply of delicious fair trade coffee beans that my dad imports green and roasts at home, from Sweet Maria's. And yes, there's a free supply of coffee at the bookshop, as well. I can manage to get from our home to the shop without visiting any of East Lansing's fine coffee establishments. I think.

I know Ellen from Grand River Coffee better than I know my neighbors. I met Bob Fish, American hero and co-creator of Beaners (Biggby Coffee), and was starstruck. The average large coffee in this town costs $2.00. Two dollars for a cup of life-sustaining juice from magical beans, imported to Mid-Michigan from afar. Sold! Granted, more often than not I find myself clenching a more expensive drink than I expected to buy, but that's marketing! I'm an important part of the local coffee-buying population, and I'm throwing in the towel.

What we're not giving up are the drinking establishments of East Lansing. To the average 24 year old living in one of America's most alcohol-focused college towns, this is good news! I think I'd rather keep coffee and give up the spirits, though. Ah, well. At least I have Boobs and Beer, a Michigan brew blog, to keep me informed.

I made my own coffee this morning, but I'm going out to lunch with a friend this afternoon. Hey, we haven't started, yet!

Gov. Jennifer Granholm's State of the State Address

Michiganders love to complain about the state's infamously horrible roads. Full of tire-popping, crater-sized pot holes, the ribbons of highways that bisect and connect our state are falling to pieces, quite literally. However, the faulty roads have taken a back-seat in the media spotlight, which now shines blindingly on the newest fault - Michigan's struggling economy. Much like our roads, our economy and infrastructure are full of holes. Huge, gaping ones. Rather than a simple patch job, the rejuvenation of Michigan requires a full reconstruction and reformation. Michiganders also love to complain about construction, but this sort of work is needed. Under the leadership of Gov. Granholm, I think that we'll come out of this year with a good foundation laid. Soon, the Motor City and the state as a whole will be rolling along again.

This brings me to Gov. Granholm's "State of the State" address, which just aired. I have the utmost respect of Gov. Granholm, but I'll resist sounding like a fangirl...

"I will not sugar-coat the severity of the crisis," began the governor. Her hour-long speech overflowed with war-like vocabulary. Battle plans, soldiers, fighting for and protecting the "army of determined citizens" that make up Michigan. Allusions abounded. At first, I feared that her address would in fact be a lecture on nationalism. Fortunately, I was wrong.

The Granholm Administration's plan for reviving Michigan is a combination of job creation and the renewable energy industry. Over the last few years, Michigan's government has saved about $60 million in taxpayers' money by converting to more efficiency and green technologies. Some of these changes were as simple as screwing in better lightbulbs. This 23% cut is only the beginning. In Granholm's "45 by 20" goal, she has challenged the state to reduce their reliance on fossil fuel by 45% by the year 2020. The $2 billion that Michigan annually spends on importing coal from other states can go toward wind and solar power technologies within the state. "Energy entrepreneurs," she called us, as she outlined her plans for individuals to harness the power of sun and wind in their own homes and businesses - and profit by selling extra power back to the the power companies.

The push for a greener Michigan goes farther, and plays into job creation. Granholm proposed the creation of a new sort of CCC, where thousands of Michiganders would weatherize government buildings, research new technologies, and install them across the state. Referring to the impressive decrease in the government's reliance on fossil fuels, Granholm joked, "If government can do this, you can too."

The film industry was another star player in Granholm's address and plans for the future. Wonderstruck Animation, she announced, will be building a new studio in Detroit. Stardock, a gaming company, will set up in Plymouth. Motown Motion Pictures is moving into an old GM factory in Pontiac, bringing 3,600 new jobs to the area. Granholm made a special mention of her hopes to employ more of the "young creative workers" of Michigan through this new entertainment industry. I think she's on to something.

Reform, reform, reform. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for reforming the government and Michigan a whole. It's just that, well, I'm sure that every credible journalist will write an article or four about Granholm's reforms in the next week. I'll save myself the time of writing what everyone else is likely to focus on.

Granholm finished up with five "urgent measures" that she proposed to the state, as a whole.

• Freeze tuition hikes, for the next academic year. (Oh, Gawd, yes. Please!)
• For the legislature to pass the Home Foreclosure Prevention Act, giving homeowners 90 days to secure financing rather than have their own front doors slammed in their faces.
• For public utilities to end shut-offs for the remainder of the winter, in the cases of seniors, the disabled, and homes with low or no income.
• Freeze hikes in auto insurance rates for one year, allowing the current insurance reform to be proposed and passed. And, if a company refuses, Granholm called on her administration to use any and every tool in their possession to combat those heartless money-grubbing executives.
• For the continued support of health care for those who are most in need. Don't strip people of their health care in an attempt to reduce spending!
  

I was thrilled to hear about Granholm's renewable energy plans for individuals to get involved, and possibly profit, from new technologies. Also, I have high hopes for Wonderstruck Animation in Detroit. With so many friends at CCS, how could I not be geeked about the possibilities of my sister, the animation student, finding a job in Michigan? One last point Granholm focused on, which thrilled me, is the "Buy Michigan First" initiative. "Support Michigan. Select Michigan. Buy Michigan," she pleaded. The more attention this cause gets, the better off we'll all be.