I shot this beautiful old barn during a spring tour; in the fall, Peggy & Asa invite all their customers to come and pick pumpkins for Halloween.

Asa and Peggy Grey at Boxelder Farms offer^[1] fresh vegetables grown using organic methods, roughly from mid-July through mid-October, depending on soil conditions. The season begins with quick-growing leafy greens, including a wonderful variety of green and burgundy red lettuces; as the season progresses, cucumbers, green onions, broccoli, spinach and yellow summer squash fill the bags; little red new potatoes switch to bigger yukon golds, and other root vegetables such as carrots, beets, and white onions join the mix; acorn squash replace the summer squash. In addition to perennial favorites like tomatoes, basil, and parsley, this year we were introduced to brussels sprouts, garlic, and a new kind of chinese cabbage in addition to a traditional type.

Unlike many co-operative farms, customers pay for their produce each week—with the option to purchase any extra harvested on a first come-first serve basis—instead of a flat fee up front, and with adequate notice are allowed to cancell free of charge for one week (e.g. for vacation). Boxelder isn't comfortable with the policy of charging money before the produce is ready. Asa's big sunflowers and bouquets of fresh flowers are a big favorite, and customers can choose to purchase these as well—or just enjoy them decorating the sale table.

Produce is generally picked the same day (or the day before) and stored cold until pickup at the farm; quanities are geared for a family of four. Boxelder Farms only grows vegetables, and one that he doesn't is corn, though he's happy to tell you where to go down the road to get good corn.

I took this picture of my weekly goodies toward the end of the season. The produce listed above is by no means exhaustive—notice two types of peppers, radishes, and green beans.

I've been buying Boxelder Farm produce for two years now, and enjoying it very much. I've learned that I like eggplant, which my mom would never serve, because she didn't. (Boxelder quite often provides recipes to try, too.) Given that publications such as Science News have documented lower pesticide concentrations in people who eat organic foods, I feel more comfortable eating this stuff, because although Boxelder is no longer willing to undergo the paperwork required to be ‘certified organic’ the farm uses exactly the same methods they did while certified. The food stays fresh longer, too. And yes, though I'm no foodie, even I can attest that the spinach we got was so sweet I was happily eating it out of hand.

They have both Ann Arbor and Ypsi pickups. New members are required to put down a $50 dollar deposit credited at the end of the season (and assure Asa you like veges—he doesn't want unhappy customers!) If you would be interested in signing up to buy their vegetables, you can email or call 734-483-7752 for more info.

(—They don't have a website: I offered to make a page, and this is it, albeit without the pattern of sunflowers or whatever for the border—so we have rejiquari...oh well:)

Unless otherwise noted, text, image and objects depicted therein copyright 1996--present sylvus tarn.