The summer harvest is upon us, and out on a farm in Peshawbestown, good things are growing.
The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians’ Agricultural & Food Sovereignty Department took shape in an effort to produce food and food products for the community. The tribe has roughly 1,000 acres of land once in agriculture spread across its six-county service area—which includes Charlevoix, Antrim, Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Benzie, and Manistee—with the farming focus concentrated on their Peshawbestown gitigaan (garden) and sites in Antrim and Charlevoix.

Will Derouin is the agriculture manager for the department. He’s gearing up for a big week with the GTB’s Kchi Wiikwedong Anishinaabek Maawnjidowin Peshawbestown PowWow this weekend, where he’ll be selling this season’s bounty and offering tours of the farm on Saturday afternoon (Aug. 20).

Learn more in the Northern Express's virtual Ingredients issue, read the story online, or pick up a free copy at newsstand locations in 14 counties across the north.

Photos courtesy William Derouin.