Category: Crop Spot

I’m a potato kind of person. Not only is the tuber ingrained in my personal heritage of a Midwestern girl with Irish ancestry, I am one to know…

Each year, I look for the Great Pumpkin at every farm stand, at every grocery store, and in every field. I love to collect different varieties of these…

It’s tomato season and tomatoes are everywhere! There are dozens of varieties of tomatoes, and they come in all shapes, sizes, and colors—even purple! Easy to grow and…

A member of the Umbelliferae family, fennel is a cooler season vegetable crop related to carrots, dill, parsley, and cilantro. It has a mild, sweet licorice (or anise)…

Blueberries, a member of the heather family, are native to Michigan and can be found growing in prairies, woodlands, rocky bluffs, sand dunes and bogs across the state.…

Snap peas are a legume which means they are in the family of incredible plants that can “fix” nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into a usable form in…

Utterly lacking in morels? Don’t despair — it’s also ramp season. Also called wild leek, wild garlic or even spring onion, a ramp is the best of both…

Did you know that there are three main types of mushrooms? Saprophytic (the kind most commonly grown), parasitic, and mycorrhizal. Saprophytic mushrooms eat dead and decomposing matter, parasitic…

Behold the parsnip!  Parsnips, or Pastinaca sativa, are humble root vegetables closely related to carrots and parsley. These pale roots taste just as sweet as carrots with earthier…

An iconic fall staple, the humble pumpkin is much more than holiday decor. It can add comforting fall flavor to many kitchen dishes and is one of Michigan’s…