This blog was written by Alyssa Steiner, a student at The Greenspire School, as part of a class project called Food for Good. In this project, 11th and 12th grade students explore how food—and how we write about it—plays an incredibly important role in both our personal lives and our communities. Guided by Language Arts teacher Philip Girard, students draw inspiration from writers like Julia Child and Anthony Bourdain to shape their own food stories. Alyssa’s piece captures the seasonal joy of berry picking at Buchan’s Blueberry Hill, a cherished local spot on Old Mission Peninsula.
Buchan’s Blueberry Hill
Written by Alyssa Steiner
My family loves fruit. We always make a point to have frozen fruit stored in the freezer for smoothies all year round. My dad buys bushels of apples on a weekly basis. My sister’s diet is 50% strawberries. I cannot pick a favorite fruit. My taste varies from crunchy apples to slightly overripe mangoes. One of my favorite things about fruit is that it changes with the seasons. We pick strawberries out in the Maple Bay area near the end of June, where the sunflowers are just blooming and the summer air is fresh. We then pick blueberries in August, when the heat’s the strongest but the air becomes crisp at night.
My family picks blueberries at Buchan’s Blueberry Hill on Old Mission Peninsula. It’s a local farm that grows a variety of fruits. We’ve been going there for years and always leave with buckets of blueberries. There is a small reception area where you can buy blueberry-related products and check in to start picking. You then follow a road down to the blueberry bushes which are more like trees because they tower over you. The bushes are gorgeous, with dark green leaves and navy blue jewels scattered among them. Their blueberries are the perfect ratio of sweet and tart; a juicy center with a tingly aftertaste. The berries always stain my hands after picking them.
Blueberries have many uses; my family loves to make muffins and pies, but eating them fresh is delicious too. What makes this fruit unique to me is that it signifies the changing of the seasons. Strawberries are the sign of summer and apples are the promise of a crisp fall. Blueberries are in the middle. They have the sweet taste of strawberries but the snap of an apple. When I’m picking blueberries at Buchan’s, the heat of the summer is upon me but I know that autumn is on its way. It’s a strange temporal reminder, an air of melancholy nostalgia. I have trouble letting go of summer; it’s my favorite season. However, knowing that nothing lasts forever is something that we Michiganders especially have to accept. The changing of the seasons is frequent and unstoppable. It’s better to accept the fact and be ready for the future. My way of being ready is eating a muffin crammed with blueberries.
You can get a blueberry muffin at almost any store, gas station, or bakery. But what makes Buchan’s blueberry muffins special is that they are made with local berries. Local businesses are incredibly important because they grow the community. Building a community creates a better future because we are helping to uphold the farming of local land. I always feel good about giving business to Buchans because I know the blueberries are cultivated a short drive away from me. It makes the baked goods taste even better knowing that they come from my hometown, where vineyards and fruit related products are abundant. We are supporting land that makes such treats possible, one blueberry at a time.
