Erie Orchards & Cider Mill, Erie, Michigan
Posted on 22 July 2007 under Food Destinations, Ingredients, Michigan Cuisine, Shopping | No Comments
Who knew that this kind of great stuff was so close?? I should have, but I’d yet to take the time to find out! This half-gallon of ice cold apple cider was already gone shortly after buying it. And if this Vidalia Onion & Picante Salsa is any indication, with its rich tomatoey flavor and picante “kick”, the Key Lime Margarita Hot Sauce with Fresh Cilantro is going to be something worth savoring when I open it later today.
When I was growing up in Grand Blanc, Michigan, one of our regular, almost-weekly trips was the short drive to Porter’s Orchard & Cider Mill in nearby Goodrich. I know Porter’s is still in operation over 40 years later as I’ve taken my own kids there. I’d heard of Erie Orchards & Cider Mill over in Erie, Michigan, and made it one of the first links in the sidebar to the right based solely on what folks have told me. Yesterday, I finally got over there … but only by chance, as the kids and I were actually just on our way back to Luna Pier from the petting zoo when I spotted the sign. I’m glad we stopped in, though, as Erie Orchards & Cider Mill brought back a lot of great memories about Porter’s Orchard & Cider Mill from when I was a kid.
The front of the barn gives very little indication of what’s inside:
If I had taken photos of every area of each of the four rooms inside the barn, this would be a very long entry! (Oh, right, there’s a window into the pressing room as well, which makes five, but the press wasn’t running so there’s no photo this time.) This is part of the shelf area in the first room you walk into:
There’s also a candy room, a pantry room with dressings, sauces, honey and such, and a gift/knick-knack room containing some wonderful items. As Erie Orchards has been in business 30 years now, they’ve had plenty of time to assemble a nice store with some great products, including a large number of their own label products.
I did have one rather pleasant surprise there, and though I didn’t act on it, I definitely plan to. Erie Orchards carries one rather obscure brand that I used to have a connection to: Paisley Farms pickled products, out of Willoughby, Ohio. My kids have a great aunt who recently retired from Paisley Farms. I used to get gift boxes of Paisley Farms products from her, and every last item, from the relishes, to the marinated mushrooms, to the four bean salad, are exceptional. This wonderful woman knew how much I loved Paisley Farms’ pickled baby corn. If, at work, they were packing it on a day I was visiting her house, and if she could get the batch overrun, I’d end up with almost a full gallon jar of the stuff!
[Ok, alright, I’ll try the Key Lime Margarita Hot Sauce with Fresh Cilantro … sheesh …]
As soon as the bottle is opened, there’s this beautiful aroma of fresh limes. I poured a puddle of the sauce onto a sesame water cracker to try it. The flavor is nice and fruity, and a medium jalapeño “kick” hits later … but not too hard. This hot sauce would be great on chicken, grilled salmon, eggs, etc. Anyone who knows me knows my affinity for Joe Perry’s hot sauces. I would say Erie Orchard’s Key Lime Margarita Hot Sauce with Fresh Cilantro compliments Joe’s own sauces nicely (particularly the axe-man’s Mango Peach Tango Hot Sauce), filling in in those few instances where neither of his would work well.
Be sure to check out Erie Orchards & Cider Mill’s web site, particularly their calendar of events. You may find us at some of those events … umm, except for that Country Music Extravaganza on September 15th and 16th … oh, wait, there’s antique cars that weekend, too … maybe I can tolerate the music … hmmm … [yes, dear, there’s a Country Music Extrava … what’s that? … ok, sure, we’ll go …] 
Amazing Cheeses at the Boulevard Market in Tecumseh
Posted on 21 July 2007 under Food Destinations, Shopping | 3 Comments
No, that’s not a plate of fried egg whites with fruit (although that also sounds good!) This is fried Halloumi cheese, which is a traditional goat and sheep’s milk cheese from Cyprus. The Boulevard Market over in Tecumseh, Michigan, is now carrying the G. & I. Keses brand of this incredibly delicious Halloumi cheese. This particular cheese fries-up beautifully all on its own. Right there in the store, co-owner Erica Aylward sliced some Halloumi straight out of the package, heated a little oil in an electric skillet, fried the cheese till it looked fantastic, and served samples with dried apricots to Adam and I. We didn’t want to stop eating it! (I think I owe Erica for about $5 worth of “samples” though …) It even looks great in the pan:
Alden Mill House, Alden, Michigan
Posted on 11 July 2007 under Food Destinations, Ingredients, Shopping | No Comments
Two summers ago on our honeymoon, Mary and I rented a house near the northeast corner of the amazingly-clear Torch Lake, located between Traverse City and Charlevoix. As the lake is almost 20 miles long but very narrow, we decided one day we were going to simply drive around it and see all the sights. After passing the southeast corner and turning north in Elk Rapids, we ended up coming into a slew of traffic of both vehicles and pedestrians. Passing through a 90-degree-turn eastward, we found ourselves in the extremely busy little town of Alden. It was Thursday, at lunch-time, what the hey were all those people doing there?? It turns out that Alden, Michigan, is simply the little town every other little town hopes to become. They pack so much into a distance of about a half-mile, the whole place is a destination all its own.
Having lunch at a place called the Kountry Kitchen (now The Sweet Onion or something like that) I found some nice spices on the table. The address on the label indicated they were made right there in town. I’d ordered an omelet, and when it was brought to me, I followed my sister’s lead with her Lawry’s Seasoned Salt and sprinkled some Alden Mill House’s Farm Market Salad Seasoning on the omelet. Oh yeah, that was nice! The server said the mill house wasn’t far away, but I didn’t feeling like touring what I thought was an industrial facility. So, we went shopping instead.
In the tiny grocery in town, I picked up a couple Alden Mill House jars and took them to the counter. I was stunned when the girl at the register said they were cheaper at the mill house itself. Wait … you’re suggesting I get them elsewhere for less?? Wow …
Walking the rest of the way east to the next 90-degree-turn in the road, we finally saw the Alden Mill House. Good Sister Mary Margarita, I’m seeing Pippi Longstocking’s Villavillakula here!
These photos are from this past Friday, during our 4th or 5th visit to the Alden Mill House. As unkempt as the yard west of the house appears, it’s actually groomed this way by Chef Geno, a retired Chef, and owner of the Mill House and developer of the wonderful spices made there. The rest of that side of the yard is just as odd, but in a strangely-beautiful way:
Cottage Food on the 4th of July
Posted on 10 July 2007 under Eat This Blog, Ingredients, Kitchen Gear, Shopping | No Comments
I admit it: Mary and I weren’t on American soil on the 4th of July. Well, yes, we were in the morning, but by noon last Wednesday we were in Canada. Not just any Canada either. The Canadian First Nation unceded reservation of Walpole Island, located in the northern part of Lake St. Clair. We love it there! Mary’s brother owns a cottage right there on the St. Clair River (leasing the land from the First Nation people). There’s no phone, no internet connection of any kind, and only halfway-decent TV reception. Just Mary, the dog, and myself.
Before taking the ferry over, we stopped at a Kroger in New Baltimore, Michigan, for groceries for those next few days. Back in the meat case, we found these beautiful “gourmet” Angus burgers:
Fresh Washed Cherries!
Posted on 9 July 2007 under Food Destinations, Food Festivals, Shopping | 2 Comments
The National Cherry Festival is taking place up in Traverse City this week, and as always, there’s plenty else going on near the festival itself including roadside stands with signs advertising “Fresh Washed Cherries”. This past weekend, the folks at Penrod Sales parked this truck in an old driveway off M-72 east of 131 just south of Kalkaska (about 25 miles east of the festival) to sell cherries to anyone who would stop by. Along with the darker tart cherries, they were also offering these beautiful Queen Anne cherries:
Even more unique was this box of Napolean cherries that was tucked behind the table. Mary and I accepted a few as samples … they were wonderfully sweet and very juicy!
We went with the “ol’ standby” though and drove away with a couple pints of the Tart cherries, which are still our favorites. However, two days later, after we had both thought the other had finished them, some were still in the bag! Of course, they were still very good indeed!
Errr … no, I didn’t save any to cook anything with. What, are you kidding? That there’s finger food!
U-Pick … Beef? and Where Your Food Comes From
Posted on 13 June 2007 under Food In The News, Ingredients, Shopping | 5 Comments
Yesterday, the CBC reported on the U-pick concept moving to ranchers of live cattle:
In as little as 40 days, [rancher Ivan Allin] says, he could have [an] animal packaged and in your freezer … The secret to a good cut of beef is animal health and there is no better way to tell the health of an animal than to see it for yourself … Last year he sold six animals to customers directly, and this year he has set aside 20 head to be sold through the you-pick operation … A customer who wants a side of beef can stop by the farm … Once an animal is chosen, depending on its development, Allin will finish fattening it up and then send it to a local butcher where it is cut and wrapped … A side of beef will yield between 126 and 135 kilograms [278 to 298 lbs] of steaks, roasts and hamburger and run between $800 and $900 [Canadian dollars].
Actually, that’s a pretty good price for such a bundle of meat, being about $3 a pound. Not bad at all. Lee William’s House of Meats in Point Place offers a Mini Side of Beef, with a take-home weight of 50.5 lbs, for $219.99.
But there’s a problem with Ivan Allin’s U-Pick Steak Farm. Simply look at the picture of two calves on the front page of the farm’s web site. You did it, didn’t you? You took one look at that picture and went, “Awwwwww, how cute“, right? Yeah, I thought that was you. Honestly, I did the same thing …
There’s a serious disconnect between where food actually comes from and how people see that food in the marketplace or in a restaurant. For the longest time, I could not for the life of me understand why King Crab is as costly as it is. But once the job of fishing in the Bering Sea was named one of the world’s most dangerous jobs, and I became a regular viewer of the resulting non-fiction show, “Deadliest Catch“, well, I now humbly understand.
Raising cattle used to be a way of life for a large majority of Americans. Cuteness of the animal aside, most people used to know where their dinner came from as they or a neighbor would raise it. My own kids continue to raise rabbits at their home near Tecumseh, participating in the butchering when it’s called for. They, at least, know where some of their food comes from.
There’s a rule, sometimes spoken, sometimes not, that you never name your dinner. When my mom was little, she had a pet rabbit she had, of course, named. One day, the rabbit disappeared … and the next day, when she looked closely at what was on her dinner plate, her dad said, “Oh, that’s just chicken, go ahead and eat it.”
Yeah, that made for some problems.
The rabbit breeders my kids deal with have names. The babies are never named, unless something happens where they’ll end up as a breeder. But the kids never name their dinner. And yes, they love eating rabbit, even ones they’ve played with as babies.
When you see a piece of meat in the meat case, or even if you happen to catch a glimpse of a full side of beef through the butcher shop window, do you have any inkling of where it came from? Do you consciously recall this steak was once alive, that the animal could physically look you in the eye?
No, I’m not trying to turn you into a non-meat-eater. I won’t even do that with myself.
What I want you to realize, dear reader, is that every cut of meat you deal with in your own kitchen or get at a restaurant deserves your utmost respect for giving its life for your sustenance.
Go pick out your dinner at least once. Not lobster or fish, as that’s a normal, everyday occurrence. Be daring at some point and find out where your food really comes from.
I’ve posted the following before, but it bears repeating. From Chef Anthony Bourdain’s brutal bestseller “A Cook’s Tour” comes this amazing paragraph on this same subject:
Understand this about me - and about most chefs, I’m guessing: For my entire professional career, I’ve been like Michael Corleone in The Godfather, Part II, ordering up death over the phone, or with a nod or a glance. When I want meat, I make a call, or I give my sous-chef, my butcher, or my charcutier a look and they make the call. On the other end of the line, my version of Rocco, Al Neary, or Lucca Brazzi either does the job himself or calls someone else who gets the thing done. Sooner or later, somewhere - whether in the Midwest, or upstate New York, or on a farm in rural Pennsylvania, or as far away as Scotland - something dies. Every time I have picked up the phone or ticked off an item on my order sheet, I have basically caused a living thing to die. What arrives in my kitchen, however, is not the bleeding, still-warm body of my victim, eyes open, giving me an accusatory look that says, “Why me, Tony? Why me?” I don’t have to see that part. The only evidence of my crimes is the relatively antiseptic boxed or plastic-wrapped appearance of what is inarguably meat. I had never, until I arrived in Portugal, had to look my victim in the face - much less watched at close range - as he was slaughtered, disemboweled, and broken down into constituent parts. It was only fair, I figured, that I should have to watch as the blade went in. I’d been vocal, to say the least, in my advocacy of meat, animal fat, and offal. I’d said some very unkind things about vegetarians. Let me find out what we’re all talking about, I thought. I would learn - really learn - where food actually comes from.
This is something we should all do.
Will U-Pick Beef ever show up in this area? I for one hope so, if only so people will give their food, their ingredients, their Sunday Dinner, the respect it deserves.
Farmer Jack Stores, Closing for Good
Posted on 6 June 2007 under Food In The News, Shopping | 2 Comments
Here’s part of the Associated Press article:
A&P … wants the [Farmer Jack] stores either sold or closed by the end of the first week in July … at least 21 stores received no bids, so their inventory will be sold and the stores will be padlocked.
There was a time when Farmer Jack was a viable grocery store in the Detroit area. I recall going to the location on Ford Road in Westland in late 1987 and being greatly impressed with their meat selection.
Times have changed, and grocery stores have changed as well. Some Farmer Jack locations seemed to have gotten lost in that particular shuffle, and I wonder if the Westland store in its 1950s building was one that was never improved. While the Telegraph Road location in Monroe was certainly one of the better locations I’d been to just last year, the one in Grand Blanc (south of Flint, where my parents shopped) seemed to get run right into the ground. The meat selection there (and I was last there in probably 2004) was one of the worst I’d ever seen … even the smaller butcher shop nearby at Colony Market, and Colony’s satelite location at the Flint Farmer’s Market, had considerably better meats. That Farmer Jack’s produce section didn’t fare too well either, and was basically under-managed. Put all this together with the Grand Blanc Farmer Jack space having been built as an older-style store in the late 1970s that was never expanded, and there also being a fairly-new Kroger in a larger and better space directly across Saginaw Rd./Dixie Hwy … basically, the Grand Blanc Farmer Jack was lucky to get any customers at all.
You hear a lot about how larger stores are pushing out smaller stores. There’s a lot of talk of this kind of thing in relation to Wal*Mart … that it seems they intentionally push smaller stores out. If this were true, particularly when it comes to grocery stores (i.e., Kroger and such), it wouldn’t just be some stores that would cease to exist and close up shop. The fact is, we have a lot of smaller shops, Erie IGA, the Fish Market on Telegraph near the state line, Zeiler’s, various farmer’s markets and fruit and vegetable stands, that continue to operate even with Kroger, Meijer and other larger stores nearby. These smaller operators stick to fairly specific niche markets, are well-managed, and seem to survive quite well that way.
It’s interesting how some “big box” stores seem to swallow up other stores like them in order to survive, like A&P buying Farmer Jack to compete with Kroger, or KMart absorbing Sears to compete with Wal*Mart, while smaller shops with real customer bases, like Colony Market in Grand Blanc, or the Fish Market here in Monroe County, not only survive but thrive. And meanwhile, the ones that don’t survive blame outside influences, such as “big box” stores instead of looking at how they may have possibly mis-managed their own niche market.
Will I miss Farmer Jack? Probably not, even though the Grand Blanc store’s deli made great stuffed cabbage rolls. Is Kroger to blame for Farmer Jack’s demise? Maybe, to some extent. But to me, recalling how sad the Grand Blanc store appeared, and its closing just last year, there’s more to it than that.
I feel bad for the now-unemployed staff though. I hope they can successfully move on.
Fresh Asparaus: Where’s It From?
Posted on 7 May 2007 under Ingredients, Recipes, Shopping | 2 Comments
On CBC.ca, Judy Creighton of the Canadian Press talks about the 125-or-so asparagus growers along Lake Erie on the Canadian side of the lake. From the article:
… I was surprised last week find to out that what I thought was fresh asparagus from California at one vendor’s stall at my local farmers market was actually grown in Ontario. It was an early crop and an unusual find considering the cool spring weather.
If I could eat more asparagus, I certinly would. I’ll take it steamed with a little Kosher salt and some Hollandaise sauce, or grilled with a bit of unsalted butter. The article has a great photo of an Asparagus Tart, which they provide the recipe for in an article containing other recipes as well. They also describe six basic methods for cooking fresh homegrown asparagus. Of course, you can also pickle it if you feel so inclined.
Road Trip: Chef Tad & Catherine in Cleveland
Posted on 26 April 2007 under Shopping | No Comments
Yesterday while visiting Cleveland to buy pasta, Chef Tad & Catherine of the Frog Leg Inn stumbled upon the West Side Market. In the evening there were bags containing numerous finds strewn all over the pizza prep station in the kitchen at the Frog Leg Inn. There were various handmade sausages; an andouie, a wonderful turkey sausage, and a jalapeño sausage having large chunks of jalapeño throughout the meat. Talk about hot! Out of everything they’d brought back, the Chef seemed most interested in a smoked turkey drumstick. We’re not talking just any drumstick. This puppy weighed in at 1-2/3 pounds on its own! Chef Tad grabbed a santoku knife and started slicing of thin slabs of the drumstick. Moist, tender, seriously meaty, very little fat, it had a beautiful flavor. It was so moist, one of the servers spat it out because she thought it was still raw! We figured it had been slow-smoked for at least twelve hours. There was a turkey wing in the bag as well, almost as big as the drumstick.
Be sure to check out the interactive vendor directory for the West Side Market. Chef Tad has promised some photos. Personally, I’d rather have more of that turkey … Hey Chef, did you ever figure out who took a bite out of the end of that drumstick??
Earth Day at Monroe News
Posted on 22 April 2007 under Food In The News, Shopping | 1 Comment
Before heading to the hospital to see my Briahna, who has early appendicitis and will probably have surgery later today, I want to point out a couple articles on the Monroe News web site. On this Earth Day 2007, Monroe News staffer Stephanie Ariganello asks the common question, “Paper or Plastic?“, and then delves in deep as to what that means outside the grocery store and your home. And in a related article, you can learn how plastic bags are under attack around the world.
They do mention the use of canvas bags instead of paper or plastic for your shopping. While not mentioned in these articles, Whole Foods Markets have championed this cause for quite some time. In fact, some stores have a Reusable Bag Giveaway today. For example, from the calendar for their store in Fairfax, Virginia:
Saturday & Sunday, April 21st & 22nd
Reusable Bag Giveaway
10:00 a.m.
Happy Earth Day! We love this time of the year, and to celebrate we’ll give away reusable bags throughout the weekend! Spend more than $40 and you’ll be regaled with a free reusable Earth Day bag. Don’t forget — every time you use your reusable shopping bags we’ll credit you with 5 cents per bag. See, an estimated 12 million barrels of oil is required to support the number of plastic bags the U.S. goes through every year, according to the Wall Street Journal. By using a reusable bag, you have the potential to eliminate that need dramatically! Get a bag while supplies last.
Unfortunately, the calendar for the Ann Arbor store doesn’t show such an event. I wonder why that is …
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