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Monday, December 31, 2012

Herbs for Hangovers

DTL Herb Hint Logo

We really want  to focus on the internet, social media, and electronic communications this year as a way to share hints tips and ideas about herbs, how to grow them and how to use them.

What could be more appropriate for the first tip of the year, on New Years Day, than some ideas on how we can use herbs to combat hangovers.

Now, for those of you who like myself, aren’t drinkers, it is important to note that we aren’t really treating a hangover per se, but the symptoms, so these same remedies can be used to treat any hangover type symptoms.

** Disclaimer.  I am not a doctor.  I have no medical training.  Please do not rely on Tips, Hints, or Ideas you find on this blog as a replacement for medical care.  If you are pregnant, nursing, or have serious health issues, you should consult a doctor before using any herbs medicinally.  All medical treatment should occur under the guidance and direction of a medical professional.

OK, now that we have that out of the way, for those of you who were making merry last night, and are feeling a bit out of sorts today, lets explore some possible options that may help you feel better.

Peppermint
Peppermint is a natural stomach soother,  taken as a tea it can calm nerves and improve digestion.   Tea drinkers can add a teaspoon of dried peppermint or a Tablespoon of fresh peppermint leaves to their regular  cup of tea. 

Non tea drinkers can make an herbal tisane  by adding a cup of boiling water to 2 teaspoons of dried peppermint, allowing it to stand for about five minutes and sweetening to taste.  When I do this I like to add a tablespoon of lemon Juice and 2 Teaspoons of Honey.

As an added benefit, inhaling the steam produced while brewing peppermint tea can help to relieve headaches

** Note, do not attempt to treat a hangover with Peppermint Schnapps.

Fennel
1/2 teaspoons of  fennel seeds in a hot cup of tea can help improve liver function. Fennel is a restorative herb, and can help bring your liver back into working order.

Ginger
Ginger is a stomach soother; Ginger snaps, gingerbread cookies, can often provide partial relief for minor stomach upset.  Candied or pickled Ginger root may be as effective, provided the sugar or vinegar are not overpowering. 

** Note, Vernor’s Ginger Ale is actually made with real ginger and can be used to settle an upset stomach.  Other brands may not be as effective.

Thyme
Thyme leaves  brewed into a tisane  with a spoonful  of honey can help soothe tense and tired muscles, and can help with any stomach troubles too.

Lemon Verbena
A tisane made from adding 2 t dried Lemon Verbena leaves to a cup of boiling water can help to calm the nervous system and relax jittery nerves as well as help relieve anxiety. Lemon Verbena Tisane is so effective that people are actually cautioned not to drive or operate machinery after drinking this as it may affect alertness. 

Wintergreen/Teaberry
Also known as 'nature's aspirin,' Teaberry leaves were brewed into a tisane by the Native Americans to treat headaches.   If you can’t find the leaves, wintergreen oil, and gum or candy made with natural wintergreen oil and not artificial flavoring can also be effective.

** Important Note**Teaberry actually contains salicylic acid which is the active ingredient synthesized to produce aspirin.  because of this, teaberry or Wintergreen oil should not be used by anyone with an allergy to aspirin, as the same reaction may result.

Hopefully in just a few hours you will be feeling as good as new and ready to help us enjoy the fact that a new year has dawned. 2012 is no more.  Lets have a fun 2013.

 

Watch this space for regular Herb Hints, Tips, and Ideas.

 

Note, this post was written by Troy, but I used Diann’s computer so it says it was written by her.  Any errors in it are my fault, not hers.

Friday, December 21, 2012




First of all, I want to thank all of you once again for your support, your prayers, your words of encouragement, your positive thoughts, and for all of you who took the time to write a letter to the judge for and on our behalf.

Friendship like this is priceless, and I am amazed on a regular basis at the amount that has been shown, by people who we have never met face to face.

As any of you who read Diann's blog http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-cowardly-judge-susan-hubbard.html may know. Two days ago, we got a phone call from the judge's chambers. She was dismissing oral argument and she will issue a written opinion.

What does this mean?

It's anyone's guess.

We discussed it at length with our attorney, and we concluded that what it boils down to is that she is a coward and does not want to face us in open court and look us in the eye.

It could mean that she is embarrassed to actually admit that she was wrong publicly, and prefers to do it on paper, or it could mean that she knows that denying our motion is wrong, and she prefers to do it in private.

It could also be a knee jerk reaction to the fact that Channel 7 had requested permission to have their cameras in her courtroom today, and she balked at the idea.

So whatever the case, she has up to 21 days from today to render her decision.

Popular theory is that she will do so sooner.

My guess is that the sooner it happens the more likely it is to be favorable to us, and the longer it drags out the less likely.

But that is just me predicting the unpredictable.

We will keep everyone posted,and again, thank you so much.

It is friends like you who have carried us through these very difficult times.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Christmas Craft Show While at the Cabin

Hi friends!

I love living in a small town. I grew up and have lived my entire life in a small community. Although my hometown is small, it takes less than a half hour to get to either Detroit or Toledo. So, there is plenty of city life all around us.

At the cabin, first it takes almost a half an hour just to get “into town”. And the town itself is a very small town. And up north, the towns are at least 25-30 miles away from each other. So, when you have an event in town, the entire town shows up for it. Not to mention the so called neighboring towns make a day of it and head over.

IMG_4835Oh how we love these kinds of shows! You basically have a captive audience. We quite literally are “the only show in town”. This Christmas craft show is the last event that will happen here until Spring. So, everyone wants to check it out and spend their day shopping. And the folks that have driven 30+ miles to attend have money ready to spend. They want to do their Christmas shopping. And because of this, you have a lot of crafters/vendors there. The high school was packed with fun and different things throughout all the halls and gym.

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Generally it is very rare for us to have any type of similar product competition. DTL Herbs is quite unique. Occasionally we will see a vendor selling spices. We don’t sell spices, we sell herbs. Big difference. People don’t realize that. We spend a lot of our time at shows educating people about herbs. And once in awhile we will see vendors selling dip mixes or dry rubs similar to ours. The big factor with them is they are generally vendors of the products. This means that there is a large company that makes these items and then you sell them for the company. Kind of like selling Avon or Tupperware.

IMG_4837Our company is not a big company. It is just us. We go from the soil to the table. We plant our herbs, we grow our herbs, we harvest our herbs, we dry our herbs and we create our end product. All of our recipes have been created by us and tested, what sometimes feels like a million times until they are just right in our opinion. We know exactly what goes into our growing herbs and our end product. We use no chemicals and we don’t use any artificial additives. Okay, that was just a small lie. LOL I have added food coloring to my sugars to make them pink, green or yellow. But, that is the only thing that has anything unnatural added to it. And it really stressed us out about doing the food colorings in the sugars. We test marketed it several times to see if people would be okay with it. Our customers are very loyal to us and believe in our company and products so, they give us their honest opinion. We love that!

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That’s what it looks like sitting behind the table as a vendor. LOL Okay, back to the show.

Here is where you can find us this coming week….

Thursday 12/6 Redford Olde Fashioned Holiday http://www.redfordtwp.com/docs/2012/homepage/2012OldefashionHolidays8.5x11colorposter.jpg

Friday Dec 7, 1:00 pm,  Troy will be giving a fun presentation class on Holiday gifts with herbs, http://www.macombcountymi.gov/msuextension/documents/Fallherbregistration.pdf

Saturday Dec 8 River of Living Waters Ministries Annual Holiday Craft Show, 9:00-4:00 http://events.detroitnews.com/taylor_mi/events/show/295721825-annual-winter-holiday-craft-show

We don’t have a show scheduled for Sunday so, if any of you know of a local one, please let us know about it.

 

Sunday, November 18, 2012

New Products ~ Limited

Hi everyone!

We have a few new products available for sale in our upcoming shows. These new items are in very limited quantities.

Pints of New Pickled treats!

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Dill Giardiniera

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Fiesta Medley

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Dilly Beans

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All 3 of these are labeled “Don’t Open Until Christmas” because that is when they will be at their Maximum Yummy Best!

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1/2 Pint of Fiesta Medley

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Look at how gorgeous these peppers are! I can’t wait to get into these!

We will be at the Lincoln Park, MI outdoor market Sunday November 11/18. Hope to see you there!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

We are so Proud of Her!

Hi everyone!

What good is having a blog if you can’t brag a little …right? Well, I’m doing just that today!

Our little princess (she will be 5 in a couple of months…can you believe that!) spent every Tuesday last summer at the Farmer’s Market in Brownstown MI. Right next to our booth was the Brownstown Animal shelter folks. They would set up a tent, bring some animals and inform folks about the shelter. Well of course, this was the princess’s favorite vendor at the market! She spent a lot of time getting to know the people that work at the shelter, some of the animal control officers and some critters.

IMG_3787Now that we are doing craft shows, the princess always wants to make her own product to sell. In a couple for weeks she will be selling “Reindeer Food”. She knows that this products is her “Christmas Shopping Money”. She did it last year. A manager from one of the shows she did has already called and asked if SHE will be back this year to sell her reindeer food! She was so proud to be able to buy all “her people” Christmas gifts with money she earned. You can read the post I did about this last year HERE.

She loves animals. It doesn’t matter what kind, she loves them all. She decided to make a cat toy and give 50% of her profits to the Brownstown animal shelter. She wants to make sure the animals have enough food to keep them healthy throughout the winter (her concern).

So, she worked hard and made “Catnip Puffs”,

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She took $1.00 from her “spending purse” (the money she earned helping at the Farmer’s Markets) and went to the dollar store and bought a bag of pompoms. We had dried catnip and gave her the plastic bags. She put together the bags by herself. We created labels for her and she finished packaging them herself as well.

She took them to the craft show this past weekend and set them out.

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She even tried to sell Santa some!

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Apparently Santa didn’t have cats. LOL But, she did inform him that she will be making some food for his reindeer very soon!

Teaching her about giving back has been a very important thing for us. For her, it is only natural because it is the way she has been taught from the get go of her life. To know that her heart is generous and giving is so amazingly special and beautiful.

I cannot even begin to tell you how much we love and respect this little girl! We are just so proud of her!

She sold 75% of her product this day! You go Sweetheart!!

Tonight we will be at the Orchard Clubhouse in Carleton, MI

It will be a fun craft show from 5:00 – 9:00 pm.

New Product ~ Packaged Teas

Hi everyone!

Wow, we have been busy lately. You can tell by the lack of post here at DTL Herbs!

I am thrilled to finally announce that we have packaged our herb infused tea and they are now available for purchase so you can take them home and enjoy them! We had so many requests this past summer after introducing the iced teas for this to be packaged for home use.

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We are offering two sizes. The above is a picture of the the “Brew an entire pot of hot tea or a pitcher of iced tea” size. The flavors are all the ones we introduced this summer: Peppermint, Spearmint and Lemon Verbena.

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And in the same flavors as above, we now have packaged individual tea bags for a single serving.

I hope you stop by and give them a try!

I am working on putting together a schedule of the different events that we will be at throughout the winter months. So check back so and see where we are!

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Today (Nov 4) we are at Airport High School for a large craft show (Carleton, MI)

Thursday, October 4, 2012

We Support…

Hi everyone!

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It has been crazy busy around here the past week. October marks Breast Cancer Awareness month. This is a cause that touches us. We lost an Aunt to breast cancer not too long ago. And we have a sister in law who is a 5 year survivor.

We decided that we want our business DTL Herbs LTD to take an active part in this cause. We know we are just a tiny business but, we thought that there must be something we could do.

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Click the above banner to find out more about this program!

After some research we discovered that a local hospital along with some local sponsors have set up a program for uninsured woman to get a free mammogram. After speaking with the people in charge of the program, we found out how much the cost of one mammogram is. And that is our goal amount to raise. We want to cover the cost of at least one woman to have a mammogram.

th1 So, this week we are rolling out a couple of new products. Although we are completely 100% natural with our herb products, I made a small exception and added some pink food coloring to our new Peppermint Sugar. This product was exclusively made for Breast Cancer Awareness month. A large portion of the profits will be donated.

IMG_4531IMG_4532I have been working on creating an herbed cornbread line of products. So, to launch this new line I am going to bake up some cornbread and have them available. There will be no price on them. It will be all donation and every penny will go to the mammogram.

We will be at the Wyandotte Market today. I hope you stop by!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday, August 30, 2012

It's Garlic time!

Well, here it is, practically September, and at this time of year , all of our thoughts naturally turn to one thing.



That’s right.

Garlic.



Why Garlic, you ask.

Is September National Garlic Month?

No, of course not, silly, that’s April.

National Vampire Month?

Nope, that one is July.

September is even Better. National Cholesterol Month.

Now, let’s get one things straight right now. I am not a doctor, and will not ever pretend to give medical advice, and will in fact hem and haw and stammer my way out of any situation where someone asks me which herb will cure their lumbago, or which is good for their libido.

It is widely rumored, however, among those who like to spread rumors about such things, that garlic will help to lower your cholesterol.

It seems that the more garlic you eat, the lower your cholesterol will go. It also appears as if the most effective method of taking garlic is to eat it raw. This coupled with the fact that the effects are largely temporary, means that you will have to eat a whole lot of raw garlic every day, if you intend to replace your cholesterol medicine with garlic.

Since consuming large amounts of raw garlic daily will make you somewhat undesirable to be around, it is best that you grow your own garlic, to avoid offending those who you would come into contact with when buying it in large quantities.

So, I wanted to share some tips and ideas for how to grow garlic.

*Disclaimer, I am NOT advocating that anyone replace their cholesterol medicine with garlic, nor any other medicine with an herbal alternative, without fully discussing such a move with their doctor.
In the last little while, I have been fact checking my material for the fall/winter series I will be teaching this year and I have discovered that there is an awful lot of incorrect, or partially incorrect information out there on the internet about herbs.
I guess all you need is a keyboard and a few hours, with no real knowledge and you can write an authoritative sounding article about herbs. So please, check with your doctor, before you make any dramatic changes in your life based on anything you read on the internet.


But now, lets get back to garlic.

Garlic is one of the oldest known cultivated crops. Possibly because it is easy to grow, and easy to store. When people have told me this summer me they can’t grow garlic, I have to point out to them that last year our four year old and her preschool class grew garlic. Enough that I actually took the extras to market and sold them for them.

So, if a group of four year olds can grow garlic, then I'd bet you can too!

The first step is to decide which garlic to grow.

There are over 600 varieties of Garlic, but they all fall into two main subspecies. Hardneck and Softneck. Softneck garlic generally matures a little earlier, and Hardneck will keep longer once it is harvested.

I recommend planting some of each if you can find it, but if you can only do one, then I suggest a hardneck. If you do it right, you will have garlic for most of the winter.

Garlic requires a cold spell and a long growing season. Experts suggest a cold spell of no warmer than 40-45 degrees for 2-3 weeks, so, if you live in an area where you don’t have that kind of temperatures, putting it in the refrigerator for a month before you plant it will help encourage sprouting. For those of us in the colder temperate zones, planting in the fall ensures a nice cold spell.

Ancient folklore said that garlic should be planted at midnight, on the longest night of the year. But since most of us aren’t ancient folk, we can get away with a modified schedule.

Plant your garlic 4-6 weeks before you expect your ground to freeze. For me that means around the first to middle of October. You can click here for an easy site that will tell you when your frost and freeze dates are.

Planting the Garlic is one of the last things I do before I put the garden to bed for the winter.

Generally, you don't have to do too much to get the soil ready, because you have already harvested your garden, and pulled out all the tomato vines and pepper plants, and when you did that it loosened your soil up, so you have it all ready to plant.

I like to plant Garlic around the edges of my garden. It is rumored to help deter deer, rabbits and other animals from the garden. I cant prove it, but since I have no reason to disbelieve it, and the garlic has to go somewhere, I figure, the border is as good a place as any other.

You can buy seed garlic, or you can plant the little bulbils from last years crop that you carefully saved, but the easiest thing to do is just get a head of garlic and separate it gently into cloves.

Each clove will grow into a head of garlic. The larger the clove, the larger the head it will produce, so I take the big ones around the edges from several heads and save the smaller ones in the middle to cook with.

Look carefully at the clove.

There will be a flat end and a pointy end.

The flat end is the basal plate, where the roots will grow. Make sure that end goes down in the soil, and the pointy end goes up. Otherwise, you will get a situation where the plant grows down from the tip, and has to turn around before it can start growing up.

The fancy word for that, for those who care, is gravitropism.

This leads to a weaker anchor in the ground and the head will not be as attractive.

The plant will grow up from the basal plate, so however deep you plant it, that is how deep it will grow,. The clove does not travel down, so plant your garlic deep enough to give it room to grow. A rule of thumb with most bulbs is to plant to a depth twice as deep as the bulb is tall. I usually just figure a clove of garlic is about to my first knuckle, so I plant it two knuckles deep. I poke my index finger in the soil, up to the second knuckle, pull it out, and drop in a garlic clove. Then a little soil over it and it is good to go.

Your garlic may, or may not, start growing this fall. It's OK if it does, and OK if it doesn't. But either way, once the ground freezes, it will stop growing. It is important that it not freeze and thaw repeatedly, or it will start to grow when it thaws, then get killed when it refreezes. So, once the ground is frozen, cover the garlic with 4-6 inches of mulch. All the leaves you raked out of your yard this time of year work great for this. This helps to keep the ground from thawing and will protect your garlic.

Now is the hard part. Waiting until spring.

In the spring, you will see your garlic emerging as soon as the ground thaws. If you want, after the last chance of frost has passed, pull the mulch away. If you used leaves, you shouldn't have to do this unless they packed tightly during the winter and became matted. More likely, they will have broken down enough that they do not need to be moved. But you want your emerging plants to be exposed to sunlight.

Let them grow, and keep being patient.

In late spring, early summer, you should see the plants forming a flower, (note this only happens on hardneck garlic.) This flower, often called a scape, should be cut off, to allow for the energy of the plant to go into producing a head and not a flower.

The head on the left had the scapes cut off. The one on the right no cutting was done

Garlic scapes are edible and have a wonderful garlic flavor. Saute some in butter and serve them as a side dish.

When the tops turn yellow and start to die, it is time to harvest your garlic. If you wait too long, not only will the garlic be dry and starting to crack through the outer skin, but the plants will be gone and you will have a herd time finding them. So, don't wait too long. Loosen the soil with a fork, or shovel, and lift the garlic out by the leaves.

It is suggested that you allow it to cure for 10-14 days in a dry place after harvesting. Uncured garlic can be eaten, but the curing process helps it to keep longer.












Sunday, August 26, 2012

Insalata Caprese

Hi everyone!

Are you taking advantage of all the wonderful fresh produce this summer? If you don’t grow your own garden, the next best thing is to hit the local Farmer’s Markets in your area! You will find the most amazing and fresh garden goodness!

Here is a simple and delicious summer salad to enjoy from the bounty that is available at the markets.

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In fresh Caprese cuisine, the past and present live together, in proper proportions. To honor a culinary culture that has made simplicity its forte with that "simplicity that is hard to get", of course. Source

What better treat than an Insalata Caprese

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A Caprese Salad is one of the most simple salads with wonderful clean flavors. When making one of these beautiful salads, using gorgeous heirloom tomatoes makes it all the more stunning. I was blessed with these fabulous heirloom tomatoes from my friend Katie. She specializes in growing these beauties. I will be doing a post about Katie and her husband Christian and their business soon. I know none of us want to think about next Spring yet but, you are going to want to keep them in mind when you start planting next year because she sells seeds (online) for these stunning and amazing tasting tomatoes!

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Making a Caprese Salad is very simple.

  1. Slice tomatoes and mozzarella cheese and layer between the two.
  2. Add fresh leaves of Basil
  3. Drizzle with olive oil
  4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper
  5. Drizzle with vinegar (optional)

Most people seem to like balsamic vinegar, I do too. But, we just finished a batch of Basil vinegar and I used that. Oh you would not believe the amazing smell of Basil in our kitchen when I made this salad! Divine!

 

Thursday, August 2, 2012

“Kids Day” at the Market

Hi everyone!

This past Tuesday was “Kids Day” at the Brownstown Farmer’s Market. And all the kids had a great time!

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Free Balloon animals, hats, flowers etc. for the kids.

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Home Depot had a place for kids to make different projects.

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The Girl Scouts were there and had fun things for the kids to do.

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Beading….

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Painting…..

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Coloring….

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The Animal Shelter was there.

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This little cutie posed for me!

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Okay, actually he stuck his tongue out at me!

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Face Painting…..

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And all our great weekly vendors (plus a few extras for this event).

It was a really fun day for the kids and families.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Where We Will Be this Weekend!

Hi everyone!

Wow, we are having way too much fun with all the local festivals!

Last weekend we were at the Redford I Art fair and had a GREAT time!

Starting today, we will be at the Southgate Heritage Days!

The festival starts tonight at 5:30. Here is a sampling of what will be going on today and tomorrow!

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HERITAGE DAYS WEEKEND

JULY 27TH & 28TH, 2012

Annual Heritage Days Parade featuring an exciting line up

Arts and Crafts Fair

Live musical entertainment –

Friday Night from 7:00pm – 11:00pm - Fifty Amp Fuse

Saturday afternoon from 12:30 pm to 3:30pm – Little Davey & the Diplomats

Saturday from 6:00pm to 9:00pm – Boogie Dynomite

BoogiedynomiteI just might have to go and Shake My Groove Thing! LOL

Saturday Night from 9pm to Midnight –The Mega 80’s

"KID-O-LYMPICS” group games with Olympic style medal presentations

Inflatable Playscapes

"Taste of the Town” - delectable delights of local restaurants and caterers – immediately following parade

Saturday night FIREWORKS

Car Show – immediately following parade

Poker Tent

This special outdoor event to be held on the grounds of the Southgate Municipal Complex –14400 Dix-Toledo Road.

Look for us and stop and say Hi!