Picked canning tomatoes are now available by the half bushel. $12 per half bushel for the rest of this week.

Many of the crops have begun to come in during the past few days. We now have sweet corn, muskmelons, zucchini, summer squash, jalapeno peppers, onions, pickles, potatoes, and tomatoes. The farm market is closed on Sunday but will be open again on Monday from 10AM until dark.

Again this year the Mellema Farm Market is donating to the Brainy Day 5K and 10K trail race to raise money for brain injury treatment. The race is held annually just across 124th from the farm market and this year's top finishers will be receiving Mellema Farm watermelons and sweet corn along with other prizes. All of the runners can snack on watermelon slices from our farm at the refreshments table. Register for this year's race held on August 19th at https://www.racemine.com/Brainy-Day-5K/events/2017/Brainy-Day-5K-10K-Trail-Run/register

I am going to have some Mellema Farm T-shirts made for this fall so that customers can identify our employees on busy days. I have some idea of what I want on the shirts, but nothing is set in stone. Any suggestions?

The planting that still has to be done is mainly later plantings of crops that are staggered to ensure a steady supply of them throughout the season. This includes things like sweet corn, cucumbers, zucchini, pickles, yellow squash, and broccoli.

The summer crops have been planted and are doing well. Last weekend's rain was a blessing. Without that we would have been laying out irrigation pipes.

The seeds for the 2017 season have been ordered. The Mellema Farm orders from seven or eight different seed companies depending on who has the best prices on the varieties that we grow. We plan to grow over 100 different vegetable varieties this season. This includes 12 different tomato varieties (counting heirlooms), and 16 different varieties of pumpkins and fall decorations.

Any pumpkins left in the pumpkin patch are available for livestock feed or deer bait. $10 per pickup truck load. Many truck loads still out there.

The Mellema Farm Market will be open on a self serve basis for the next few weeks. Squash, cabbage, peppers, potatoes, kale, apples, brussel sprouts, lettuce, and pie pumpkins are still available. If you need any of those items in bushel quantities, please call John at (231)730-3833 to place an order. Thank you to all of our customers for another good season at the Mellema Farm!

We have not had a frost here at the Mellema Farm and that means that we still have lots of peppers. Green peppers are available by the half bushel for $7 or by the bushel for $13. Sweet Hungarian peppers are $10 for a half bushel and $17 for a bushel. Cayenne or Jalapeno peppers are $12 for a half bushel and $20 for a bushel. Enjoy fresh peppers or freeze some this week to have throughout the winter.

SALE on HoneyCrisp apples by the half bushel. Formerly $15 per half bushel, now only $12!

Michigan Mortgage Fall Celebration

The annual Michigan Mortgage (formerly Aspire Lending) pumpkin giveaway is this Saturday from 10AM to noon. Redeem the Michigan Mortgage card that you received in the mail for two free pumpkins per family. Snacks, refreshments, and hayrides to the pumpkin patch will be provided throughout the event.