Michigan
From hop to cranberries to mint: 10 surprising things that grow in Michigan
During your next trip for groceries at the local farmer’s market, stop to read where most of your produce comes from. You’ll find that diet staples like asparagus and mint are native to Michigan.
The Mitten State is a top producer in many of the following crops but some native plants are just being revived through small, local initiatives. Wild rice was once found in abundance along the shores of Lake Michigan and the state’s indigenous tribes are working to conserve and maintain what is left of Michigan’s wild rice fields.
More recently, hop farms grew in popularity in the early 2000s as farmers began to utilize the vines’ buds for flavoring alcohol during the distilling process, and wild purple flowers found in Michigan fields are the perfect addition to salads.
More: Michigan farmers enjoy state’s diverse agriculture
Wild rice
The Native American Anishinaabe Tribe called Michigan home before the Great Migration and sustained itself on the widely popular grain manoomin, or wild rice. The crop grew in abundance along the shores of Lake Superior, land now claimed by the Council of Three Fires, representing the Chippewa, Odawa, and Potawatomi.
In 2017, Michigan’s 12 federally recognized tribes worked with state officials to begin the Wild Rice Initiative — a 30-year plan to conserve the state’s wild rice fields and maintain their historical, and cultural importance.
Wild rice production decreased dramatically since the 1900s after the destruction of thousands of acres of wetlands to support farms, settlements, mining, and lodging.
Michigan apples: The harvest is expected to be a sweet bushel buster
Pawpaws
Filled with a sweet, creamy custard akin to the flavor of a banana or mango, pawpaws are native to Michigan and 25 other Midwestern states.
Michigan’s Village of Paw Paw, located halfway between Detroit and Chicago, according to its website, was named after the nearby river, which was named after the pawpaw fruit by the Indigenous population.
More: Fall is pawpaw season in Michigan: What to know about native fruit
On his farm in Ann Arbor, Marc Boone has an orchard of nearly 300 pawpaw trees.
When in season, and noting the three-day shelf life, Boone’s pawpaws can be found at Argus Farm Stop locations in Ann Arbor and the Agricole Farm Stop in Chelsea.
Michigan also has maple syrup: Haigh’s Maple Syrup farm in Bellevue has been producing for 45 years
Hops
Ever wonder what’s responsible for giving beer its bitterness and strong aroma? The secret is a small budding plant called hop, a plant of which Michigan was once a top producer.
Michigan’s hop production dropped from 720 acres harvested in 2017 to 380 acres in 2022 and 2023, according to the latest report from Hop Growers of America. Today, seven hop farms remain in operation across the state located across central and southern Michigan.
Rewind: Michigan grows to No. 1 in hops production outside Pacific Northwest
Cranberries
If you find yourself indulging in an Ocean Spray cranberry product, you’re likely enjoying the product of South Haven’s DeGrandchamp Farms.
Founded in 1958, DeGrandchamp’s family-owned farm has nearly 40 acres of cranberries and is the feature component in national favorites Ocean Spray and Naturipe. According to the Michigan Ag Council, the state has nearly 280 acres of cranberries in season from September to November.
The Michigan Cranberry Co., founded in 1991, is located in Cheboygan and harvests more than 3 million pounds of cranberries on more than 200 total acres. They account for three-fourths of the state’s cranberry production, making it the largest cranberry farm in the state.
Travel: Take a trip to Wisconsin’s cranberry marshes
Asparagus
During the early summer months, Michigan asparagus farmers produce about 20 million pounds of asparagus, according to the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board, making Michigan the second-largest producer in the country.
The long green vegetable rich in vitamins K and B contains cancer-fighting antioxidants and takes nearly three years to grow. Across the state, there are 10,000 acres dedicated to asparagus.
Asparagus enthusiasts should take a trip to Oceana County’s Hart for the 50th anniversary of the National Asparagus Festival. Celebrated the second week of June since 1974, event activities include the crowing of an Asparagus Queen, parade, arts and crafts show, and 5K run.
Wild flowers and mushrooms
Have you ever seen a plant so beautiful and delicate you just need to taste it? Well, if you’re on a hike in Michigan and looking in the right places, there’s an array of wild edible flowers and mushrooms to be found.
Located in shaded areas with moist soil in early summer, wild violet tastes best when the plant features five petals in a butterfly shape. The leaves taste like lettuce or sweet peas, making them great additions to a salad, with the flowers holding a sweet, floral taste.
Michigan has about nine edible mushrooms, according to the Michigan United Conservation Club, located in nearly every region of the state. On trees throughout the state, one can find Bear’s Head Tooth, which takes after the appearance of furry, white mold; and Hen of the Woods, which looks like a giant acorn.
Other edible mushrooms include the King Bolete and Golden Chanterelle, both found along the shores of northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. For those planning mushroom hunting, review Michigan’s 50 poisonous mushroom species.
Michigan morel mushroom season: Where to pick, what to know
Cactus
Eastern prickly pear, the cactus native to Lake Michigan’s shoreline, is spreading, with ecologists reporting the plant growing across the U.P.
For Subscribers: Michigan Tech student discovers cactus plant in mountains of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
Michigan’s second native cactus, the fragile prickly pear, blooms a large yellow flower and faces extinction across the state, according to reports by Michigan State University.
Mint
Clinton County’s Crosby Mint Farm is the oldest operating mint farm in the country with roots dating to 1912.
By the turn of the century, 90% of the world’s supply of mint oil came from the 90-mile radius around Kalamazoo, according to Michigan State University.
After facing near foreclosure in 2006, the Crosby Mint Farm expanded to 6 acres in Tucson, Arizona, expanding into Arizona’s farmer’s markets. The farm is known for its spearmint and peppermint oils and an array of distilled oil products.
Sugar
More than 1 billion pounds of sugar is produced across Michigan’s nearly 900 sugar beet farms. The sugar beet is a root crop, which is sliced and processed down into sugar cane and molasses.
All of the state’s sugar beet growers send their yield to Michigan Sugar, the state’s only sugar producer and the third largest in the country. Michigan Sugar harvests 160,000 acres of sugar beets each year, amounting to nearly 1.2 billion pounds of processed sugar.
More: Residents upset about odor lose decision against Michigan Sugar
Blueberries
More than 500 family farms across the state of Michigan harvest more than 20,000 acres of blueberry fields each year, making Michigan one of the largest blueberry-producing states.
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While many Michigan blueberry farms are responsible for high-yield production, some maintain the tradition of self-picking during the berry’s ripening season from July to September. U-Pick farms can be found from Grand Haven to Detroit to Ann Arbor, find a full list here.
Dearborn Divine Child’s Marcello Vitti on 10-6 win over Harper Woods
Dearborn Divine Child executed a perfect gameplan and played stellar defense to upset Harper Woods 10-6 in MHSAA D-4 regional finals, Nov. 15, 2025.
After a 10-6 win over Harper Woods in the Division 4 regional finals, Dearborn Divine Child coach Chris Laney delivered an impassioned speech.
He told his players how proud he was of every single player on the roster, how the only belief the team needed was inside the locker room and how the road continues into the state semifinals against an undefeated Goodrich team defending its state title.
At the end of the speech in the south end zone at Westland John Glenn High School, with a crowd of family and fans sitting behind him, Laney finished his message with the three most popular words of the 2025 Michigan high school football season.
“We not done,” Laney said, leading to his players mobbing him in celebration.
Divine Child players were singing “We Not Done” over and over after pulling off the upset of the playoffs. The phrase comes courtesy of Detroit rapper 42 Dugg, who released a hit song called “We Not Done” in May.
John Glenn officials in the press box played the song during the halftime break, causing both sidelines to erupt with energy as Dugg’s signature whistle and the one-of-a-kind voice started bumping through the school’s speaker system.
The night before, Detroit Cass Tech students who bused down I-94 to watch the Technicians beat Saline 42-28 in the Division 1 regional finals chanted “We Not Done” throughout the win as senior C.J. Sadler dazzled with a four-touchdown, two-interception performance.
“Our student section, our student body around Cass is, it’s just we’re not done,” senior linebacker/nickelback Marcus Jennings said Friday. “We’ve got to finish what we started.”
The song has become the anthem of the 2025 football season in metro Detroit for players and students. The song’s title and oft-repeated hook share the same message as what coaches and players preach throughout the summer and fall as they vie for a run in the single-elimination playoffs to reach the state title game at Ford Field.
In the playoffs, players and coaches are fighting against elimination in a 48-minute battle on the gridiron. The victorious team celebrates gets to spend one more week preparing for another battle with its brothers, lining up with the message of “We Not Done” that 42 Dugg says 22 times in the 2-minute, 55-second song.
In the Division 2 district finals between Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Birmingham Brother Rice, the suit-and-tie-wearing Brother Rice student section chanted “We Not Done” throughout the first half of the Catholic League rematch.
By the end of the game, which St. Mary’s won 35-14, the Brother Rice students dispersed and it was St. Mary’s assistant coaches singing the song’s hook to themselves and laughing after dealing out a dose of revenge against their rivals.
For Cass Tech, it has been a subtle reminder from the players, starting in the summer during seven-on-seven competitions all the way up to the state semifinals. The Technicians are the defending Division 1 champions and on a 22-game winning streak, but have loftier goals they are still fighting for.
So if you were wondering where one of the main messages from the 2025 Michigan high school football season originated, it started with one of Detroit’s own.
Nominate a high school athlete for the Detroit Free Press boys and girls athlete of the week.
Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com; Follow Jared on X or Bluesky.
Kim Barnes Arico had plenty of questions about her still-very-young Michigan women’s basketball team heading into last Saturday’s game against then-No 18 Notre Dame, and the Wolverines answered every last one of them.
Michigan was more than ready for Notre Dame, walloping the Fighting Irish, 93-54, at Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit, for arguably the signature regular-season victory of Barnes Arico’s 14-year tenure in Ann Arbor.
Now it’s on to the next test ― and, well, this one makes Notre Dame look like a pop quiz.
No. 6 Michigan (4-0) plays No. 1 Connecticut (4-0), the defending national champion, in the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut at 8 Friday night. The game will air on Fox, the latest taste of national exposure for a Wolverines team whose win over the Fighting Irish was on NBC.
“It’s really exciting. I think it’s a great opportunity for us,” Barnes Arico said earlier this week. “Our kids want to be in this situation and they want to match up against the best.”
This game marks the first meeting between Michigan and Connecticut, the 12-time national champion, in women’s basketball. But it’s not the first meeting between Barnes Arico and Connecticut legendary head coach Geno Auriemma. When she was coaching at St. John’s, her team beat Connecticut on Feb. 18, 2012, to snap the Huskies’ 99-game home winning streak. That was one of just 22 losses for Connecticut in a 13-year span.
This will be the fourth time Michigan ever has played a top-ranked team, and third time in the last two seasons ― after losing to South Carolina and UCLA last regular season. UM also lost to No. 1 Iowa in 1988.
Michigan did beat No. 5 Baylor in the 2021 Hall of Fame Showcase, a win that first helped signal that the program was starting to arrive. A win over Connecticut ― which has four more national championships than the second-best team (Tennessee, with eight; nobody else has more than three) ― would obviously mean even more than that.
“We’ve kind of been working all year for these kinds of games,” sophomore guard Olivia Olson, last season’s co-freshman of the year in the Big Ten, said after the win over Notre Dame, in which she had 20 points.
“We want these games. We want these top matchups.”
Michigan is led by three sophomores, who also led the team last season as freshmen ― Olson (17.8 points per game) and fellow guards Mila Holloway (14.2) and Syla Swords (12.2). But while the Wolverines often played all guards last season, they’ve got more size and inside presence this season, with the additions of forwards Ashley Sofilkanich, a junior transfer from Bucknell, and Te’Yala Delfosse, a freshman. Both also are averaging in double digits scoring.
Michigan is averaging 92.3 points a game, 11th in the nation, fresh off scoring 120 against Binghamton, the second-most points in program history, and most under Barnes Arico.
In Connecticut, Michigan will face a team that has four players on the watch list for the Wooden Award, which goes to the season’s top college basketball player: grad-student Azzi Fudd, senior Serah Williams and sophomores Sarah Strong and Kayleigh Heckel. Michigan has one, Olson.
Connecticut just scored 100 against Ohio State; it also has wins over No. 20 Louisville, Florida State and Loyola-Chicago, the latter which the Huskies held to 31 points.
“Can we handle their pressure?” Barnes Arico said in listing off the keys to the game. “The defensive intensity in the halfcourt is something that I don’t know if our kids have ever faced. I do have a recollection of it. It’s been a minute, but I still can remember how hard it is to even get in your offense because they’re so physical and so aggressive.
“Can we rebound with them? We’re going to have to have this toughness and this grit about us to do that. I know we did against Notre Dame (50-28), but not it’s even going to be dialed up to No. 1.
“I think it will be an unbelievable test for us.”
To be fair, the same might just hold true for Connecticut. Michigan has moved up to No. 6 in the Associated Press poll, its highest ranking since it was No. 6 in February 2022. (Fun fact: With the UM men’s team ranked No. 7, it’s the first week both teams have been in the top 10 at the same time.)
The Huskies have the tradition, with all those national championships, 24 Final Fours and 36 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
The Wolverines are building something in their own right, with seven consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (a program record). They made their first Sweet 16 in 2021, and their first Elite Eight in 2022.
Last season ended up with a second-round loss to Notre Dame, and, well, UM exorcised those demons last weekend.
Now, it’s time for the next test ― and it’s a doozie.
“After seeing what we did today, you know, you want to say, ‘Oh, you know, this is the year,’ but we can’t get comfortable,” Michigan’s Alyssa Crockett, a senior forward, said after the win over Notre Dame. “We know what we want. We’re going to go get it.”
Michigan is one of seven Big Ten teams in the top 25, along with UCLA (3), Maryland (9), Southern Cal (11), Iowa (19), Michigan State (22) and Washington (25).
The Wolverines stay in Connecticut to play Syracuse (4-0) on Sunday (noon; FS1).
They then play next Wednesday against Detroit Mercy at Calihan Hall, the site of Michigan’s WNIT championship win in 2017 ― a major turning point in the program, which hasn’t missed the NCAA Tournament since then. The Wolverines have come so far. Just how far, we might be about to find out.
“They’re really good,” Barnes Arico said of UConn, a little over a year after Michigan narrowly lost to then-No. 1 and defending national champion South Carolina, 68-62. “They will test us in every space, and this early in the season, I think it’s good for us to be tested in that way and for us to see where we need to grow and improve.”
No. 6 Michigan vs. No. 1 Connecticut
➤ Tip-off: 8 Friday, Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Conn.
➤ TV: Fox
➤ Records: Michigan 4-0; Connecticut 4-0
➤ Series: First meeting
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
Michigan
Central Michigan vs. Kent State prediction: Odds, picks, and best bet for Wednesday night ‘MACtion’
Two MAC teams at the end of encouraging seasons will meet on Wednesday night.
Central Michigan can keep its faint hopes of making it to the MAC Championship Game alive with a win over Kent State, but the Golden Flashes also have plenty to play for on Wednesday.
Kent State was left for dead before the season started, but it can still get to a bowl game with wins against Central Michigan and Northern Illinois to close out the campaign.
The Golden Flashes are 9.5-point underdogs in the friendly confines of Dix Stadium in beautiful Kent, Ohio, on Wednesday night.
Central Michigan vs. Kent State odds, prediction
It won’t get much love in the mainstream, but what is happening at Kent State this season is remarkable. Projected to be the worst team in the country after going a combined 1-23 in 2023 and 2024, the Golden Flashes were rocked in April when head coach Kenni Burns was fired with cause for violating his contract.
Mark Carney took over on an interim basis, but it didn’t take long for the school to take away that tag. Carney got the Golden Flashes to believe, winning four of their first 10 games. It may not sound like a big deal, but Kent State’s Over/Under for 2025 was 1.5 wins, so it’s some job that Carney has done with the Flashes.
The numbers are not that impressive, but what the Golden Flashes are doing is just hanging around in games long enough to turn them into coin flips. They were on the right side against Akron, Bowling Green, and Merrimack, and the wrong end against Ball State and Buffalo.
Betting on College Football?
Central Michigan will come into Kent with plenty of betting support. The Chippewas are the better team, they have more on the line, and they are in good form with three wins from their last four games. The problem is that the lopsided action for this game has caused this line to balloon, putting some value on Kent State.
The Golden Flashes should stick around in this one, and it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibilities that Central Michigan falls flat, like it did against Akron not too long ago.
The Play: Kent State +9.5 (-110, DraftKings)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
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