By Staff
If you are out and about in Niles today, please stop by the French Market, located near the Riverfront Amphitheater downtown.
In talking with Lisa Croteau, director of Niles Main Street Initiative, earlier this week, the French Market is at its seasonal peak. However, Lisa never knows from date to date how many vendors will actually show up to sell their goods. These entrepreneurs choose from a variety of festivals and farmers' markets and go where they determine their products will best sell. You can't blame them for that.
On Thursday, 17 vendors showed up at the French Market and it was one of the best of the season.
If you haven't tried any of the baked goods from the group of nuns from Chicago, you're truly missing out.
I didn't need it, but I couldn't resist buying a little pear tart, which was one of the best freaking things in the world.
I also loaded up on red raspberries, pickling cucumbers, little new potatoes – the smaller the better in my opinion, and some of the reddest Michigan tomatoes I've ever seen, all sold by Froelich Farms out of Berrien Center.
The French Market also had a vendor who was making crepes – I did resist that but probably won't today if he's back – as well as gifts and crafts and natural and homeopathic products.
Our produce is coming in now in abundance in the next several French Markets, which are open on Thursday and Saturdays, and are likely to be some of the very best.
Check it out!
Speaking of produce, a hearty thanks to Mike Shelton of Shelton's Farm Market for some of the best Michigan sweet cherries ever. Shelton's was, of course, the first place anywhere in the area to sell Michigan sweet cherries.
Last Thursday, I bought about 10 pounds of them, including two pounds of the reddish yellow sweet cherries, and shipped them to my mother in Mississippi.
She's 71 years old this year and doesn't ask me for much, but she did ask me to send her some Michigan sweet cherries. I was going to make certain she got them.
After picking up the cherries at Shelton's, I went to Martin's and bought one of their insulated bags and four, one-pound bags of frozen broccoli, which they had on sale 4 for $3. I used the frozen broccoli to help keep the cherries cool in the insulated bag.
Then, I took it all to Jim at the UPS Store and overnighted them to Mississippi. They arrived last Friday and Mama says they were ice cold and sweet and wonderful.
Isn't it a great time to be living in Michigan? Our wonderful spring and summer seasons kind of make our winters seem worth the hassle.