Find Fresh Michigan Strawberries at a Farm Near You

I performed a quick search at the Michigan Farm Market and U-Pick Directory section of the Michigan Department of Agriculture website for strawberry farms and it turned up 34 results across the state. The search function allows you to refine your search by county, region, city, and even the farm name (if you know it). I narrowed down my search from statewide to our region of southwest Michigan and it turned up 13 results. It did not turn up a few places that I know have u-pick strawberries so apparently the places I was thinking of are not registered to be included in the Michigan U-pick Directory. My suggestion would be to use this as a guide, but if you are traveling I think you are bound to find a roadside stand or u-pick farm that is not included.

The strawberry season in Michigan is short so don't hesitate to stop by your local strawberry farm and grab some sweet Michigan strawberries before it is too late. I think I will be posting a different strawberry-themed recipe each day this week so stay tuned.

Strawberry Cream French Toast

This reminds me of the stuffed french toast you can get at IHOP. My wife has made something similar to this and it was waaaay better than anything at IHOP. I'm not just saying that because she reads this blog either. :) Anyway, our strawberry patch is producing berries every day and I think I will be trying this delicious recipe for breakfast tomorrow.

What you need:

• 8-ounce package cream cheese
• 1 cup strawberry yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 12 slices white bread
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup cream or milk
• butter for frying
• 2 cups freshly sliced Michigan strawberries

The night before serving:

Mix cream cheese (warm a little in microwave for easier mixing) with strawberry yogurt and refrigerate overnight. Slice 2 cups fresh strawberries and let sweeten overnight.

To prepare:

Spread half of cream cheese mixture on 6 slices of white bread and top to form a sandwich. Beat eggs, milk, and vanilla. Melt butter on the griddle or skillet. Dip sandwiches in egg mixture and cook until brown. To serve, top each sandwich with the remaining cheese mixture and fresh strawberries.

Courtesy of Hess Manor Bed and Breakfast; Romeo, Michigan, via Michigan.gov

Shipwrecks in Michigan

The Glen Arbor Sun has an intriguing article on shipwrecks in the Sleeping Bear Dunes area that have been shifting with the sands over time. You won't need a boat or to perform any dives to see a couple of these wrecks. One of them is at Empire beach just west of the village of Empire. I myself have walked along the wooden skeleton that lies on the beach where water meets sand. It is pretty neat to think you are seeing a piece of a boat that sailed on Lake Michigan in the 1800s. Steve Harold, Director of the Manistee County Historical Museum, has studied the shipwrecks in the Sleeping Bear Dunes area and notes that this particular wreck has "moved a mile" in the 25 years he has studied shipwrecks in the area.

If you enjoy Michigan's maritime history you should read the full article here.

Michigan Gas Prices Week of 6/12/06

Well, gas prices are holding steady at $2.88 which is about where they were last week. A year ago at this time gas prices had crept up to $2.159. To think that we were concerned about those prices. Hah! If we only knew. Matt Helms has an interesting Question and Answer column today in the Detroit Free Press. One of the questions is about the necessity of the third digit in gas prices (i.e. $2.887 per gallon). Apparently, back in the days when a penny was worth something (besides the penny pony at Meijer) gas stations used that third digit to be "cheaper" than other stations around them to earn your business.

Gas prices courtesy of AAA's Fuel Gauge Report.

Constantine Art Festival is This Weekend

This weekend, June 9-11, the Constantine Community Arts Association is once again trying to bring culture to Constantine with their annual art festival. Hopefully they bring in more artists and visitors than they did last year. I drove through town during the art festival last year and it didn't look any different than any other weekend. Empty. Empty streets and empty storefronts save for a few works of art scattered here or there.

A week or so ago some local joker vandalized the banner advertising the upcoming art festival. They painted an "F" in front of the "A" in Art. So the banner read "Constantine FArt Festival." I'll tell you what, if the crowds don't show up again this year maybe they should switch it to a Fart Festival.

You know Constantine would gain regional and possibly national notoriety just for the thought of having a flatulence festival. There is no such thing as bad publicity. They could even have an advertising sponsorship from Bush's Baked Beans. Again, if this art festival flops again this year I say put the "F" back in art and watch the curious crowds roll in to town.

Just remember where you got the idea and give credit where credit is due :).

Oh yeah, the Constantine Art Festival details -

• Friday from 6-8 pm
• Saturday 9 am to 9 pm
• Sunday 10 am to 4 pm

Call (269) 435-6610 for more information.

Have a great weekend!

We Have Updated Our Shipping Rates

We have recently made some changes in our shipping rates. You can still ship your gift basket for a flat rate that is as low as $6.95. Due to the steadily increasing gas prices and the increase in the USPS rates back in January we have been facing increased shipping charges while still only charging $6.95 to you, our customer. We still wanted our customers to be able to ship for a flat rate because it makes it easier for you to calculate the total cost of your gifts. So, to keep the simplicity and at the same time keep providing a fast shipping option we have instituted graduated shipping rates as follows:

Flat-Rate Shipping

Order Total	Shipping Rate
Under $30.00	$6.95
$30.00 - $50.00	$7.95
$50.00 - $75.00	$9.95
$75.00 - $100.00	$11.95
Over $100.00	$14.95
Express/Overnight	Please call