Business & Tech
Kuzdzal Gardens Sprouted from a Backyard Hobby
Wyandotte couple grows produce in Romulus to sell at the Lincoln Park Farmers Market.
For 28 years of marriage, John and Shirley Kuzdzal of Wyandotte have had a garden. This year, Kuzdzal Gardens has taken on a different piece of real estate and is now part of the Lincoln Park Farmers Market.
John Kuzdzal began the hobby with his cousin several years ago and participated in the Livonia market at that time. However, with work, children and raising a family, the activity ceased until this season, which is the first growing season for the Kuzdzals.
Shirley Kuzdzal said friends of the family allow them to use property in Romulus to grow a bulk of their produce, but all of their tomatoes are grown in Wyandotte, along with a variety of peppers.
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“We’ve always had a garden at home,” she said. “My husband works outside for his job and always gets laid off during the winter months, and this not only helps during that time, but we really enjoy doing it.”
Produce grown closer to home is better to eat, she said.
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“We would rather have the homegrown tomatoes rather than the cardboard ones from the store,” she said, laughing.
The Kuzdzals sell a large variety of produce at the Lincoln Park market–including tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cabbage, potatoes, squash, pumpkins, gourds, apples, corn, raspberries and much more.
“We have been really fortunate because in Romulus, we have drainage tiles and we had adequate watering with all of our crops,” she said of the recent wet weather in Michigan. “Everything we sell, I’ve cooked or had at one time or another. I can give customers some ideas on how to make things."
It’s also helpful since her mother was a caterer and she learned a lot from her. The couple enjoyed the Lincoln Park market so much this year that they've already decided to return next year.
The Lincoln Park market, which is sponsored by the Fort Visger Community Development Corporation and the Lincoln Park Downtown Development Authority, runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays, from May to October. This week is the last regularly scheduled market. A special Holiday Market is planned for Nov. 20.
The markets are held in the city parking lot at Fort Park and Philomene, next to the Lincoln Park Fire Department.
