Fruit, ongoing industry research and beautiful and talented cherry festival queens!

It may sound like an unusual mix – and it is. But they’re also integral to the orchard and grape growing industry here in the Grand Traverse Bay region of Northwest Michigan.

The recent annual open house at the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Station that Janet and I attended got me thinking about this blend of resources. Growers and processors from throughout the region were on hand for the event, which is designed to keep the industry and farming community in the know about the latest horticultural findings and research.

I have more than a passing interest in all this. As one of the station’s founders 27 years ago and its first president, our family remains supportive of the important advances in agriculture being made by the research station in association with Michigan State University. It’s because of this focus on scientific research and education that we are where we are today. And as on of my favorite sayings goes—“if you’re not the lead sled dog, the view never changes.”

The event is also one of the first attended by the National Cherry Festival queen, the seminal event that annually is held in Traverse City to showcase the industry. This year’s queen is Megan Umulis, and it will be her honor over the next year to represent the cherry industry at special events and trade shows around the country.

We’re fortunate to have a young lady like Megan represent the industry. She’s from nearby Lake Ann and literally grew up in the cherry industry. Her uncle owns cherry orchards and her mother owns her own line of cherry products that Megan has helped market at festivals and events across the Midwest. Now she has the opportunity to use her expertise for the benefit of the Cherry Festival and the industry herself.

“I get to continue promoting the cherry industry like I’ve done for the past five years, so I’m very excited,” Megan told a newspaper reporter.

We’re excited too. For Megan, the wealth of skilled orchardists and processors we have in this area, and for the horticultural research station and their study of new technology and techniques. It’s a top-shelf mix and everyone stands to benefit.

Evening television viewing will definitely change now that the 2008 Summer Olympics have drawn to a close. But what a show it has been!

Watching Michael Phelps win his incredible eight gold medals in a row was a test of true talent, grit and endurance. The same was true watching the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, of Jamaica. A lightening fast performance that seemed effortless, winning the 100m and 200m races in record-breaking times.

Courtney King Dye, the Olympic equestrian with ties to northern Michigan, did not disappoint either. She finished a respectable fourth after her first day of competition in the dressage event. When the Hong Kong events concluded, she finished 14th in sizzling 90 degree heat and 90% humidity.

Hats off to all Olympians and the feats they accomplished during 17 days of global competition. Their accomplishments never fail to delight and ignite our spirits and our patriotic pride.

Our hope is that it brings our peoples and planet closer together through competition, friendship and respect for all humankind.

With the 2008 Olympic Games underway in Beijing, there is no shortage of entertainment morning and night for sports enthusiasts everywhere. The level of commitment, talent, strength and endurance of athletes from around the world in so many different sporting events – whether it’s swimming, cycling, basketball or track – has all been mesmerizing and amazing.

We have our eyes on two particular Olympians with special ties to Michigan.

One is an equestrian medal contender who grew up in Harbor Springs, a small town on the shores of northern Lake Michigan and Little Traverse Bay. Courtney King Dye, 30, fulfilled her life-long dream of competing in the Olympics when she qualified for the US Equestrian Team in June. After years of hard work and dedication, Courtney is competing in the dressage event with her horse, Harmony’s Mythilus. The Olympic equestrian events are taking place in Hong Kong this week, 1,200 miles south of Beijing. Courtney is the youngest rider on the US team and has a long list of awards and medals she’s won.

If you aren’t familiar with dressage, it requires the rider and horse to exhibit incredible control and communication. As I understand it, the rider directs the horse to make set movements, freestyle or to music, as though they were one. The rider’s movements should be barely noticeable which requires years of practice and a real connection between the two.

Just like every sport, competition at this level takes extreme discipline and mental focus, along with talent. According to Courtney’s coach in Harbor Springs where she got her start, she has what it takes – the dream and the passion – to win an Olympic medal and we are cheering her on!

Then there is Michael Phelps, the all-around top medal-winning swimmer who has become a household word with his unbelievable record-breaking performances in Beijing’s Water Cube. Having trained at Club Wolverine in Ann Arbor, Michael’s accomplishments, event-after-event, bring out the best in patriotic pride.

Brownwood Acres/FruitFast congratulates all the athletes worldwide who have reached the pinnacle of their sport — setting the example of determination, hard work and healthy living. It’s the same philosophy we embrace as a leader in our industry.

We have been retailing our dried fruits to consumers for many years. At Brownwood Acres, our policy has always been to offer premium quality, North American grown fruits at reasonable prices. We are a leading seller of premium Montmorency Dried Tart Cherries, Balaton Dried Cherries and Dried Wild Blueberries.

We are now wholesaling both types of our premium Dried Cherries:

Montmorency Dried Tart Cherries – these top quality Tart Cherries are infused with sugar and oil and are 100% natural! Offered in:

• 1 lb bags with our FruitFast label which complements our Cherry Concentrate label
• 25 lb box in bulk (not labeled or packaged)

Balaton Dried Cherries – these contain no added ingredients. They are nice and tart and are loaded with anthocyanins. Since there are no additional ingredients, the Balaton Dried Cherries are lighter in weight – meaning you get about twicethe amount of cherries per pound!

• 10 lb box in bulk (not labeled or packaged)

Brownwood Acres/FruitFast supplies grocery and health food stores around the country with Tart Cherry products including Tart Cherry concentrate, CherryFlex® supplements, liquid supplements and now Dried Cherries.

We are pleased to announce the addition of our Dried Cherries to our wholesale product line, and many of our wholesale accounts are very pleased as well.

For a taste test, try our recipe below featuring our premium Brownwood Acres/FruitFast Dried Cherries in Cherry Salsa!

For pricing and additional information, call 1-877-591-3101, Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 5:00 ET.

CHERRY SALSA
Serve with grilled poultry, roast pork, or tortilla chips. This spicy mixture wows traditional salsa lovers.

1-1/3 cups frozen unsweetened tart cherries
1 /4 cup coarsely chopped Brownwood Acres Dried Cherries
1 /4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 Tbsp chopped jalapeno peppers, or to taste
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp cornstarch

Coarsely chop frozen tart cherries. Let cherries thaw and drain, reserving 1 Tbsp cherry juice.

When cherries are thawed, combine drained cherries, dried cherries, onion, jalapenos, garlic and cilantro in a medium saucepan; mix well. Combine reserved cherry juice and cornstarch in a small bowl; mix until smooth. Stir into cherry mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat until mixture is thick. Let cool.

Serve with tortilla chips and/or cooked chicken or pork.
Yield: One cup

For more fruit recipes, visit Debbie Colaianni’s Recipe blog.

No one around here seems to know what happened to July, as we enter the last full month of summer. It’s harvest time and hay is in its second cutting, berry patches are busy and the farmer’s markets are brimming with fresh fruit and produce. It’s a glorious time to revel in nature’s bounty and share that prosperity with family, friends and neighbors.

In that spirit, Brownwood Acres/FruitFast has some welcome news to share. Despite rising food costs, high fuel expenses and gloomy economic times, we have lowered prices on our popular selling line of CherryFlex, Wild Blueberry IQ and Wonderful Pomegranate Softgels. The new everyday price for a bottle of 60 fruit supplement capsules is only $19.95. When 6 or more bottles are ordered, your price drops to just $18.95 per bottle. And the good news doesn’t stop there! Orders of 12 or more bottles of FruitFast Softgels will carry no shipping charges. When you add other products to your order, you will only be charged shipping on those products and not for the Softgels.

For more information on our new, everyday price of Fruit Softgels, click here.

We are delighted to offer our regular customers this new pricing as well as first time buyers of our line of quality FruitFast products. Great products at great prices has always been our goal.

Enjoy this wonderful season of outdoor activities, the best in homegrown produce and happy, healthy eating.

It felt like old home week visiting with Jeff Send on his farm just north of Traverse City this week, a longtime cherry grower and receiver in Leelanau County. His impressive operation is in full swing now with crews working from dawn to dusk harvesting, receiving and shipping the fresh fruit to processing facilities. All around the countryside, the tart cherry harvest is well underway and will continue for another week to 10 days here in northern lower Michigan.

My visit included a ride on a cherry shaker – a machine I spent countless hours on over the 40 years that I was actively farming in the area. Plus it was a chance to catch up with area fruit growers and old friends. One after another, they delivered their fruit on trucks double-stacked with holding tanks, brimming with bright red fruit. A small army of forklifts wasted no time unloading the tanks onto the cooling pads where the contents were inspected, measured and graded.

Despite a challenging growing season in these parts with a smaller harvest predicted, my farming buddies say it’s still a good crop. Since I am now involved on the buying end and not the farming side anymore, that is excellent news. It means there is a quality crop to produce our FruitFast products and an adequate supply to meet our customers’ demand.

Jeff also commented that all of this year’s harvest will find a market and that the trees are in good shape going into the winter, having received abundant moisture during this growing season.

“Next year looks good for an even better crop,” he said.  And I have to agree.