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The annual Christmas arts & crafts show will be held this Saturday, December 3 from 10 am to 4 pm at the Old Art Building in Leland. This year’s show features 21 local artisans with holiday gifts, fresh greens, dried wreaths, herbal soaps and lotions, jewelry, specialty foods, ceramics, woven wheat, cards, home accessories, children’s clothing, and hand knit items. There's also complimentary cookies and coffee!

Local artisans include Victoria Gallup, Dee Glass, Mike Hulbert, Kit Knowles, Joy Lang, Roxane Langner, Sara Maleski, Annie McFarlane, Pat McKean, Bill Perkins, Kathy Powell, Shari Prevost, Lisa Psenka, Julie Sanco, Sharecare, Leif Sporck, Greta Stimson, Cookie Thatcher, Cheryl VanZee, Paula Wisniewski and the Wednesday Knitters.

For more information please call 256-2131.

Thanksgiving is just a week away and here's a few ideas to help make your holiday a little more local ... and a lot tastier!

It all starts with the turkey. I'm not sure if the folks at Hubbell's Farm or Haymaker Poultry Co. have any left, but I do know that one great place to get a tasty turkey is Biehl's Circle B Turkey Ranch. You can order them at the Merc in Leland and Oryana in Traverse City (and probably elsewhere as well). Don't forget to check the local produce and products at your favorite store - the Merc, Anderson's in Glen Arbor, Cedar City Market, Hanson's in Suttons Bay and Oryana and Burritt's Market in Traverse City all feature a lot of great food that hasn't traveled too far. There's a indoor farmers market at the Grand Traverse Commons every Saturday from 10 AM - 2 PM. If last week is any guide, there will be PLENTY of potatoes, squash and also lots of greens! If anyone has other ideas to localize your table, post them in the comments!

Once you have your bird and some ingredients, you need to think about how you're going to put it all together. Elizabeth Edwards at MyNorth/Traverse Magazine put together a collection of some of their best Thanksgiving recipes. We asked Lee Lutes, winemaker at Black Star Farms to share some of his thoughts on wine pairings- enjoy!

Two tasty appetizers are a Wild Game Sausage on Apple Slices with Cranberry Butter, with which Lee recommends a lighter red like Pinot Noir or Gamay Noir, and with the Wedge of Raclette Served With Spiced Walnuts and Pear Chips, he calls for something delicate maybe a bubbly (may we recommend Black Star Farms' really excellent Bubbly Nouveau when it's bottled) or a Pinot Grigio or a Pinot Blanc. Two tasty side dishes that really in season are Honey Roasted Root Vegetables and Buttermilk Biscuits with Pumpkin Butter. You'll be in great shape with Pinot Gris, Riesling, Pinot Blanc or Auxerrois. For dessert, how about a Plum Almond Tart, with which Lee would pair any of their Sirius dessert wines and also Ice wines.

See more thoughts on how make it a Michigan Thanksgiving on Absolute Michigan.

photo credit: Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash by carianoff

After the leaves leave, Leelanau County works to build economy less dependent on tourism by Howard Lovy in Crains Detroit talks with J.T. "Chip" Hoagland of the Leelanau County Economic Development Corp and Matt McCauley of the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments about using agriculture, food processing and the growing interest in local foods to create a more robust economy on the Leelanau Peninsula.

According to a report produced by the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments "accommodation and food services" represented about one in six total jobs available in Leelanau County as of 2009. And, increasingly, these jobs are no longer seasonal only.

"It's really interesting how many restaurants are in the county and the fact that most of those stay open year round," said Matt McCauley, director of regional planning for the council of governments.

Like Hoagland, McCauley credits the local-food movement for a restaurant boom that is not so dependent on tourist season.

"Leelanau County is truly a leader in a resurgence around agriculture," McCauley said. "Because of the wineries, hops farms, all sorts of burgeoning agriculture and value-added activity, all sorts of people are choosing to locate here to be part of that."

By "value-added," he means businesses such as Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor, which not only uses local cherries but also turns them into chocolates, jam and other products that then are shipped around the world.

In addition, McCauley said, "The restaurants in the region — and we're getting more and more notoriety as a foodie destination — are choosing and actually seeking out local products for their menu items."

Click through to read the whole thing and share your thoughts about creating more of a year-round economy in Leelanau below!

Photo credit: Nic of 9 Bean Rows, Harvesting Greens by Ken Scott

See the comments for color updates, add your own and also get the latest color on the Leelanau Almanac.

Fall color season is a great time to visit the Leelanau Peninsula. Our roadsides are lined with maple and oak and while the hillsides catch fire in late September of every year, the pace slows down and gives visitors a little more elbow room to slow down and enjoy it all. Here's a few of our favorite fall features and websites...

• Leelanau Webcams There's a few webcams that can give you a live look at the state of fall color in the region. If you turn the Cove Cam in Leland to the right, you can see some of the color on Lake Street in Leland. Inland Seas has a webcam on Suttons Bay. You can also check in on downtown Traverse City.
• Fall Events There are all kinds of great events to enjoy in Autumn - click that link to see some of them through the Leelanau Calendar.
• Fall Color Photos You can get some great fall color photos from the Leelanau.com photo group and also through the Leelanau blog's Fall archive. There's some nice fall backgrounds as well!
• Antique Apples at Kilcherman's Farm offers a unique tasting experience over 100 apples!
• Wine Touring The Leelanau peninsula is home to over 20 wineries, many of them off-the-beaten-path. Visit tiny tasting rooms like Chateau Fontaine in Lake Leelanau, or explore the impressive Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay. Each as diverse and interesting as the award-winning wines they produce.
• Fall Surfing! You might not be aware that Leelanau boasts some excellent surfing in the Fall. Click that link to check out Northern Michigan Surfing on Facebook!
• The M-22 Color Tour explores 116 miles of scenic highway winding through the countryside of Benzie, Manistee, and Leelanau Counties.

Over at Michigan.org their fall color tour for Leelanau/Traverse City/Benzie features Leelanau:

"Land of Delight" is the English translation of the Indian wood "leelanau," and it's easy to understand the reason for so naming the Leelanau Peninsula, especially in fall. Circling the perimeter of the place many call Michigan's "little finger" is a color tour that has been popular for decades. An easy and interesting route, M-22 takes you along the shoreline through the quaint villages of Suttons Bay, Peshasbestown, Omena and Northport, with water views almost the entire way. North of Suttons Bay the sign reads: Northport 12 miles. Northport, situated near the tip of Leelanau Peninsula, overlooking Grand Traverse Bay, is a picture-perfect town, with a marina, waterfront, unique shops, galleries and restaurants.

Each port town has its own unique charm, and each is a perfect place for shopping, dining, trying your luck at the casino or just breathing the crisp fall air. Tour the Grand Traverse Lighthouse, a living museum. Along the western coast, Leland and Glen Arbor offer still more options, and spectacular autumn color can be expected in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, a 71,000-acre national park that includes 35 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. Go barefoot "one last time" when you encounter the massive sand dunes and stunning sunset beaches.

According to the National Park Service, many of the best spots for viewing fall colors at Sleeping Bear are easily reached by car or by a brief hike. The park's popular Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, for instance, gives motorists a bird's-eye view of areas like Alligator Hill, where brilliant fall foliage is set off by Glen Lake's tropical shades of turquoise, jade and cobalt blue.

Get more at puremichigan.org and add your own color touring tips below!

Photo credits: Scenic drive Sleeping Bear Dunes by creed_400 and glen lake colours 2 by Pettman's Photographic Memories

Leelanau.com invites you to help in the battle against hunger in our region with the Father Fred Food Drive. Father Fred operates a pantry in Traverse City and also helps out with food pantries in Leelanau & Benzie counties.

The drive starts tomorrow (Saturday, Sep 24) and runs through October 1st. This year the pantry has seen 1,450 more families than last year, and Father Fred is working to secure food and cash donations sufficient to meet family needs through February, 2012.

The Oleson Foundation will match the value of food and cash donations up to $20,000.  Food and cash are both important, and as Father Fred would say, “No amount is too small to give.  Every donation is important.”

To get started, just click the can!

For the fourth consecutive year, Oryana Natural Foods Market (the community cooperative owned by thousands of area residents) will make a significant donation from its end-of-year proceeds to a worthy non-profit. Oryana Education and Outreach Coordinator explains:

"Cooperatives work for the sustainable development of communities. We are excited about this program, which gives us and our members a chance to formalize our practice of giving back."

Applicants must be a non-profit based in Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Manistee, Missaukee or Wexford counties. Organizations who have been awarded Oryana’s Community Grant within the last five years do not qualify. The application and details are available right here and the deadline is December 1, 2011.

Oryana member-owners will have the opportunity to vote (one member, one vote) via ballot box in the store for the organization of their choice, and the grant recipient will be announced at the general membership meeting in April 2012.

The Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association's annual Harvest Stompede Vineyard Run & Walk and Wine Tour takes place Saturday September 10 & Sunday September 11. It's considered one of the most scenic running & wine touring events in the Midwest and is returning to the Leelanau Peninsula for the tenth year.

The race itself happens Saturday morning at 9 AM at Ciccone Vineyard. Race registration is is down to less than 100 slots, but it's a great event for spectators as well with a ONE OF A KIND course that winds through vineyard rows.

The Harvest Stompede Wine Tour follows the race and offers a special pour and food pairing featuring local food at each of the 18 Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association member wineries. Recognizing that nothing goes better with local wine than local food, the 18 wineries of the Leelanau Wine Trail will each be featuring local items in their food pairings!

Win some tickets!

On Absolute Michigan there's a chance to win 2 pairs of tickets - click through for the details!

Photo: Sprint to the Finish by lpwines. View the 2007 Gallery and the 2008 Gallery for a taste of how cool this event is!

We try to post positive stories on Leelanau.com, and there's no question that photos like this strike a chord for many as they think fondle of their childhood fishing memories or teaching their grandchildren how to fish.

I think it's important that everyone spend a little time learning about the major threats facing the Great Lakes from Invasive species. Read on for a great feature from IPR's Peter Payette and a little of Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs exploring a new threat from an invasive species we have been able to control until recently, the sea lamprey.
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The 2011 Traverse City Wine & Art Festival takes place Saturday, August 20th from 3-10 PM on the beautiful front lawn at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons, rain or shine. It's Michigan’s premier celebration of wine, art, food and music, offering an incredible opportunity to taste wines from 24 wineries as you dance, dine, and see extraordinary performers, art and artists.

The wines & wineries are the heart of the festival and the large wine tent is dedicated to featuring well over 100 wines from the Leelanau Peninsula, Old Mission Peninsula and - for the first time - Benzie County. Attendees can choose a tasting or full-glass pour and have a chance to talk with the winemakers and winery reps to learn more about the wines. The 2010 vintage is spectacular, and this is a fantastic opportunity to try the riesling, pinot gris, chardonnay, pinot blanc, cabernet franc and a host of other varieties that are making a lot of noise at wine competitions around the country!

The festival also features a great lineup with some of Michigan's finest musicians. Michigan jazz/folk great Claudia Schmidt kicks things off  and then joins Rachel Davis and Shout Sister Shout. It will be the first time Claudia and Shout Sister Shout have taken the stage together, an event that promises to be one of those "better not miss it" nights. Steppin' In It goes electric and will keep you dancing into the evening. There's also a wide range of performances including dancers, performance artists and the Sweet Adelines.

In addition to a wide selection of art for show & sale and gourmet food from many of the region's finest restaurants for purchase, there's even a chance for YOU to get into the act with "Fashion Is Art". This new feature that invites you to don your most innovative attire for a chance to win the Grand Prize, a spa weekend for two at Crystal Mountain Resort & Spa. Get tickets & lodging package information at traversecitywinefestival.com and check their Facebook for a ticket deal that ends TODAY.

Photo: Traverse City Wine & Art Festival, 2010 by KatSwinehart

via lpwines.com!

How Mario Batali Gets His Drink On In and Around Traverse City, Michigan from nation food magazine Bon Appetit features 5 of Mario's favorite Leelanau wines & ciders. There's Black Star Farms Arcturos Cabernet Franc which Batali names "the best Michigan wine ever", Gill's Pier Semi-Dry Riesling (recommended with pork with roast grapes), 45 North Winery Icebox Gewurztraminer (a succulent dessert wine with classic notes of apricot, honey, and ginger spice), Tandem Ciders Smackintosh "It's become my new drink, I drink cider as an aperitivo now. Even back in New York. Where they're all from France and they're not as awesome." and L. Mawby Cremant Classic NV, named "arguably the Leelanau Peninsula's signature wine".

There's also a more narrative & lengthy feature about how the rock-star chef spends his summers in Leelanau. Mario says:

The food scene has really exploded in the region. There are farmers' markets and hip-looking people farming and butchering. It's very cool. Even in Northport, our town of less than 1,000 people, there's a great weekly farmers' market in the summer. The chefs involved in the scene celebrate what's here; they're not trying to be anything they're not. Now people are coming for gastronomic tourism.

There's a whole lot more to read and he highlights Leelanau standards like Fishtown, the deck at the Cove, Boones in Suttons Bay and Pleva's Meats. These are really great features that tout what many folks have known for years - the wine and the food of the Leelanau Peninsula and the surrounding area have arrived.

The table is set, come on up and check it out!

Photo credits: Apples & a Growler by Trish P. - K1000 Gal