Please email us and ask to be put on our list.  You'll receive a welcome email and subsequently get an announcement of what's in the bag.  If you want to buy the bag, with the contents at the stated price (which varies but hovers in the $30-$35 range), email us back accordingly, in a rather tight time frame (24 hours, usually).  If we don't have your delivery address, we'll ask. If you are late in responding, but hungry for fresh, send us an email.  We will try to accommodate you and Julie hovers over her inbox on delivery days.

We'll drop this teal chill bag complete with fake ice block on your doorstep.  Some folks leave a cooler on the porch and we unload contents and take our packaging back to the farm.   Please leave payment in a somewhat obvious spot, and that's it!

If you discover that this model is not your thing, you can opt out of the list at any time and we will not shame you or feel badly.  We realize there are many options for finding fresh produce--growing your own, shopping at a Farmer's market, or participating in a CSA.  We also know many working folks don't have time to get to the market and they appreciate this delivery option.  Or maybe your yard is too shady. 

Our items also tend to be more manageable quantities than a prolific CSA, and we try not to get too weird (though are are growing Asian Greens right now--they are GOOD FOR YOU).

We want you to be happy.  We have sworn off MEASLY CARROTS for 2011, that should be good news to some of you, and if you are ever unhappy with an item, please let us know.  We will replace it or make it up to you somehow.  On occasion we get a little proud of something new we have grown, and lose track of how weird you might think it is.  Work with us!

The fruit we deliver is exceedingly fresh, and most of the baked goods get delivered that morning just before we get it to you.  New this year, we have a huge flower garden in the works, and hope that fat bouquets will be a regular item. 

Will and Jule courted over canning, and Julie loves making jam and other canned goods.  We use the fruit of our farming friends, and often their farm name is right on the label!  Improvisational Farmer is located with Lakeshore Harvest Country, Inc, a collection of family farms.  So we promote our area's prolific and diverse fruit production by jarring it up for all to enjoy.

This year, jams are available in both 12 ounce and 16 ounce jars.  We are producing two varieties of blueberry jam;  Big Blue Blueberry jam with the warmth of ginger, and a simple Blueberry jam sweetened only with organic agave nectar (similar to honey).

Julie is licensed to cook at McIntosh Orchards & Winery, a fruit-based winery in Casco Township.  We have plans to put in our own commercial kitchen at the farm, so 2012 should bring an even greater array and more steady supply of jams and other value-added goods.

Other jams on deck this summer:  Sweet Summertime, a strawberry marmalade made with Michigan strawberries & real lemon peel; Raspberry jam; True Love Cherry Jam, Golden Peach Jam, and hopefully bagel-ready Blackberry Jam and apricot jam, among others. 

We have also produced some pretty delectable fruit sauces which our customers use for grilling, making improvised salad dressings (we love that idea!), and dropping into yogurt or onto morning oatmeal. 

These fruit sauces include:  Cherry Contrary Cherry Sauce, Grow Blue Michigan Blueberry Sauce, and Riotously Ripe Raspberry Sauce.  We'll see if time & kitchen availability allows us to get these sauces ready for you in 2011.  But if not, 2012 for sure!

One product we developed a year ago was Albert's Applesauce, named in honor of Albert Overhiser, longtime Clerk of Casco Township.  There were 72 years' worth of Overhisers as Clerk before Julie took on the role in 2004.  So as a tribute to the centennial farm operated by Allan & Kim Overhiser and their five kids (including quadruplets), Julie developed Albert's Applesauce, in 16 and 32 ounce jars.

Our jams are also available at Overhiser Orchards, located on 109th Avenue/Pullman Road at 64th Street in Casco Township, just around the corner from our farm.  They offer u-pick throughout the summer (July-September).

One of our best-selling items is our Everything Nice Pecan/Cranberry snack mix.  This healthy and hefty snack features roasted pecans (roasted in real butter), sugared pecans, and dried cranberries from DeGrandchamp's Farm right here in South Haven, cooked up and put together in a handy package by Julie.  Not everyone knows that cranberries--and cherries--are grown right here.  No trip to New Jersey needed!  (nothing against New Jersey, some of my best friends are from NJ!)

We are working on a new nut product for 2011, featuring dried Michigan blueberries.  To be honest, I tried dried blueberries a few years ago and was rather underwhelmed, but, trust me, THEY HAVE GOTTEN BETTER.  These are prepared just like the cranberries, with a bit of sunflower oil. 

When The Blueberry Store folks distributed dried blueberries as a complimentary snack at a Greater South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce event awhile ago, I was inspired to improvise.  This mix will feature dried blueberries and almonds, maybe some pecans too, with some exotic but addicting spices.  These snacks make a great happy hour!

Look for us Thursdays, June through September in 2011, at the YMCA Farmer's Market in Downtown Grand Rapids, 3 to 7 pm, for any of these items.   Or contact us by email and we'll get a delivery to you!  -Julie Cowie, Farmer & Cook, Improvisational Farmer LLC