Fresh Vegetables Hit the Stands as Michigan's Produce Season Arrives
Heinz Farm in Hampton Township a Hot Bed of Shopper Activity
July 27, 2003
By: Dave Rogers
Sharon English and Heather Burdick bag Onaway potatoes at busy Heinz vegetable stand in Hampton Township.
Craig Heinz shows fresh "peaches and cream" sweet corn right out of the field.
Ah, the first sweet corn of the season.
Craig Heinz of Heinz Farms, Center and Knight roads, snapped an ear off the plant right in the field. Pulling back the husk, he showed me neat, succulent rows of kernels. "Peaches and cream," he enthused, handing me a sample ear.
The time of year many Michigan people savor most is upon us: fresh vegetable season. Stands are opening up all over, a few offerings at first, such as raspberries, squash and onions.
Cherries are "all done" already, but a few containers are still on the shelves.
Sweet corn is late this year, Heinz explains: "We had a cool spring. Last year we had corn on July 10. This year it's a couple of weeks later." The corn looks short but has nice tassels, indicating a healthy crop.
The 21-year-old part-time farmer is a Delta College student, studying fire science and intending to become a fire fighter as well as take over the family farm when the time comes.
His father, Robert Heinz, was laid offfrom General Motors in the 1970s because he lacked seniority.
Robert Heinz has transformed the 200 acre farm into a livelihood. The Heinz family has been growing crops at the same location since the 1940s.
Each year bright umbrella-type canopies go up at the corner of Center and Knight and the produce stand is open for about a 60-day run of business.
Other stands like Van's Farm Market on Scheurmann Road, Schindler's on West Side Saginaw Road and several on M-13 toward Linwood and Pinconning are getting into full swing with fresh vegetables. The Bay County Farm Market is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays with fresh produce.
At the Heinz Farm Fresh Produce stand, Heather Burdick and Sharon English are bagging small, white Onaway potatoes. Other workers are busy waiting on a horde of customers on a Sunday afternoon, manning cash registers and refilling displays of fast-moving crops.
Tomatoes are still from the hot house right now, but in a week or so the legendary, tasty Michigan tomatoes will hit the stand. Melons, zuchini, blueberries, pickles, beans, red beets and other produce delicacies fill the tables. Shoppers attracted by the crowd continue to drop in, filling plastic bags and smiling as they leave.
The Heinz crops have all been started from seed in the greenhouse last March. Now is the time for sales and they're getting their share. Late corn, canning tomatoes and butternut and acorn squashes will be coming along in a month or so, stretching the produce season into October.
An enthusiastic Craig takes me into the Hampton Township fields, pointing out late corn just popping up in one section, driving down lanes of cherry trees and noting melon fields and even a couple of stands of peppers with their dark green distinctive leaves. It seems the Heinz family grows just about everything any produce shopper could want on a summer's day.
Corn on the Cob . . . Ready For Picking . . .