Coming Events:
National Writers Series' Amy Alkon (Feb 11), Winter Wine Wonderland (Feb 14), Ranger-guided snow shoe hikes at Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore (Weekends Jan thru Feb), Movie Series at Northport Community Arts Center (Feb 14, March 14, April 11) (more info)
Check the Leelanau Calendar.
The Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association's Taste this Passion is this weekend, Feb 5 & 6. The LPVA reports that ticket sales have been great, but there are still tickets available for this fun event that combines Wine, Chocolate, and Fun! The weatherman is calling for partly cloudy skies and warmer temps, so get out of the house this weekend and support our local Vintners. Tickets are available online at lpwines.com/taste.
For those of us that can't get enough of Leelanau Peninsula wine, be sure to attend the Winter Wine and Art Fest, which will be featuring not only Leelanau wine, but Old mission wineries, as well. Again, tickets are still available for this event and are available online.
Hearth and Vine is now open for dinner Wednesday-Sunday from 5pm to 9pm. Seating is limited and reservations are appreciated. For reservations, please call 231.944.1297
From late spring through fall, Hearth & Vine is open daily serving delicious wood-fired pizzas and sandwiches as well as soups and salads. Black Star Farms wine is available by the glass or bottle along with soft drinks, coffee and tea. Lunch and snacks can be enjoyed out on the terrace or indoors in the cozy cafe.
On the market side we’re all about local. Black Star Farms farm-fresh eggs and fruits and vegetables from our and neighboring farms are offered seasonally. Pastries, cookies and 9 Bean Rows hearth-baked breads, Black Star Farms maple syrup, verjus and kettle cooked jams and preserves, and the best of other locally produced items are also available.
Local food is hot. As we continue discovering evidence of all the social, environmental and economic benefits of eating local, the phenomenon becomes less of a debate and more of a movement. For instance, it seems that almost every day I hear of more and more people who are adopting the 100-mile diet approach to life. The goal of the diet is to eat foods produced within 100 miles of your home.
I think this is a valiant task and I applaud anyone who makes this type of commitment. But to be honest, I'm a lapsed follower of such a diet because there are certain out-of-season and bio-regional foods (bananas, chocolate, winter lettuce, etc.) that simply bring so much pleasure and health to life! However, we all don't have to strictly practice the 100-mile diet to make a big difference in our collective quality of life. I recently read a statistic whereby if every Michigan resident increased their weekly purchase of local food by $10.00, it would keep $37 million circulating in the Michigan economy each week! Such statistics always cause me to wonder, "If it works for food, why not culture?" Such statistics also remind me to recommit to buying local beyond food.
For example, I've committed to making local music a purchasing priority. To initiate this, I'll be purchasing CD's from local bands and musicians and giving them out this holiday season. Call it my 100-mile cultural diet. Sure I may download the occasional chocolate, banana or winter lettuce in the form of Iggy Pop, Brain Eno or Jack Johnson, but for the most part, I'm going to make an effort to purchase my culture within my region, be it music, art or literature.
The Leelanau.com Holiday Gift Guide is a great place to find many ideas for local gifts, including local musicians and local food products.
In Sustainable Thanksgiving, Jacob Wheeler, editor of the Glen Arbor Sun, asks us to say "thanks" to the local farmers by celebrating with a local turkey, veggies, and more. He says:
Let’s start with the bird. The Hubbell Farm on Galla Rd. north of Cedar and just north of Bel Lago Winery offers pasture-raised turkey, pork and chicken. Dan and Barb custom raise these livestock on an “as ordered” basis. Call them at 231-228-6390 or visit them online at HubbellFarm.net; as of early November they had at least 15 left to sell.
Be sure to head over the the Glen Arbor Sun to read the rest of the article and read more suggestions on where to get delicious local products for your Thanksgiving.
With Thanksgiving just a couple short weeks away, thankfulness is on everyone's minds. Those of us lucky enough to live in Leelanau and the surrounding areas are very grateful for everything this area has to offer us. MyNorth.com has a wonderful article highlighting many of these treasures that some of us may take for granted. Old Misson and Leelanau wines are gaining in popularity, and a big boost to the northern Michigan tourism and economy. MyNorth.com gives ideas on how to plan your own weekend in wine country.
Co-Owner Chris Treter did his master’s thesis on developing a fair trade organic coffee business connected to the growers in Chiapus, Mexico. Fair trade basically means cutting out the middleman so more money goes to the growers. And it means fresher, better coffee beans for Higher Grounds customers.
Founded in 2001, Higher Grounds’ formula of good heart and great coffee is still ramping up revenues at 30 percent a year. In the meantime, the company is raising funds to provide fresh water for Chiapus communities and is forming a new nonprofit to build a school for a community of Ethiopian growers. “Consumers want to believe in a product they are purchasing and vote with their dollars. Consumerism is a true form of democracy,” Treter says.
The rest of the article continues with the popularity of northern Michiganders desires to eat fresh, pointing out how popular the local farmer's markets can be, our obsession with water, and even how the four letter word, snow, is not only important to us, but an integral part of life in northern Michigan.
Move over exotic pomegranate, acai and mangosteen. The All-American tart cherry could be the next rage in superhealthy “superfruits.”
Old Orchard Brands is giving the simple pie fruit a chic makeover with its introduction of a premier line of juices called Very Cherre.
The Sparta-based fruit juice company will debut the 100 percent tart cherry juice product this week at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, J.W. Marriott and other Amway properties. There, Very Cherre — available in Pure Tart Cherry and three cherry blends — will be added to sauces, mixed in cocktails and sold in gift shops.
“I think it’s a superb product,” said Gerhard Schmied, vice president/director of food and beverage for the Amway Hotel Collection. “It’s from our own backyard. I can’t emphasize how important that is.”
Very Cherre juice is made from Montmorency tart cherries grown in the Leelanau Peninsula. The northern Michigan region is the biggest producer of the Montmorency cherries.
Read the rest at mLive and check out verycherre.com - kind of cool to see a private company promoting their product AND the region it's grown in! (especially since it's in Michigan!)
This Saturday, September 19, 2009, The Glen Lake Chamber of Commerce will host the 2nd Annual BBQ & Brew Festival in downtown Glen Arbor from 2 - 6pm. The festival will take place on the corner of Lake Street & Western Ave, and will feature a bigger tents, more brews, and lots more BBQ. Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for nonalcoholic, and children under 12 Free.
Absolute Michigan will definitely be going and we encourage you to join us! Tickets are $25 in advance ($30 at the door) and available online at porterhouseproductions.com.
The event is a celebration of craft brewing, a movement that is taking hold all over Michigan and the country. Here's a great video featuring a number of craft brewers talking about why they do what they do and what it means.
Leelanau.com is giving away a pair of tickets to the inaugural Traverse City Wine & Art Festival. The festival will take place this Saturday, August 22, 2009 from 5-10 PM in front of Building 50 at the Grand Traverse Commons under the big tent. To enter, all you need to do it to be on our mailing list. You must be 21+ to win! We will notify the winner by email, later this week!
About the Festival
The Traverse City Wine & Art Festival is striving to become a landmark celebration of the wine, food and culture for the region. It will feature 20+ wineries from the Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas along with a selection of Traverse City and Leelanau restaurants providing food & desserts. Art Center Traverse City will be coordinating a sampling of artists and arts organizations who will display and sell their work in booths ringing the tent. Music will be offered for the duration, headlined by Michigan's own Thom Jayne and the Nomads who play a truly unique blend of world and Celtic infused jazz. The music will be punctuated by original dance from the Michigan Dance Collective.
Saharan Caravan by Thom Jayne and the Nomads
"The Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association is excited to be building a major wine festival that will showcase the amazing wines of our region against the beautiful backdrop of the Grand Traverse Commons. We feel that the blend of art, food and wine is a natural combination that highlights three things we do very well in Northwest Michigan," said festival chairperson Jaclyn Eikey. "With the addition of some really eclectic music and entertainment, I think it will be an experience like none other offered in our area. The proceeds from this year's party will help us build a festival that we feel will become one of the highlights of summer in the Traverse City area."
Tickets
Tickets are limited and can be purchased online for $20 per person and will be available for pickup on the day of the event.
You can also pick them up at the following locations:
Bel Lago, Black Star Farms (All 3 locations), Bowers Harbor, Brys Estate, Chateau Chantal, Chateau de Leelanau, Chateau Fontaine, Chateau Grand Traverse, Cherry Republic Winery, Ciccone, Forty-Five North, Gill's Pier, Good Neighbor Organic, L. Mawby, Leelanau Wine Cellars, Left Foot Charley, Peninsula Cellars, Shady Lane Cellars, Silver Leaf, Tandem Ciders, Traverse City Convention , & Visitors Bureau, Turtle Creek, Two Lads, Willow Vineyard
They are nonrefundable but can be transferred to another name if you are unable to attend. YOU MUST BE 21+ to attend.
Green Cuisine, Food For Thought's annual event, is a celebration of their philosophy and practices. Green Cuisine is held annually the third Wednesday in July, and is an effort to bring more awareness to the benefit of local food and sustainable business practices. Visitors will be able to sample some of the best products of local food and beverage artisans, tour Food For Thought’s organic farm and green buildings as well as socialize, learn and have fun in a beautiful setting.
The 2009 Green Cuisine is free and will be held this Wednesday, July 15, 2009 from 5pm - 8 pm at the Food For Thought farm, 10704 Oviatt Rd. Honor, MI 49640. Register online here. Children are welcome! For more information, please call 231-326-5444 or visit the Food for Thought web site.
Food/Beverage Vendors include:
La Becasse
Oryana
Grocers Daughter Chocolate
Higher Grounds Trading Co.
Chateau Chantal
Black Star Farms
Cherry Republic
Ciccone Vineyard and Winery
Shady Lane Vineyards
Trattoria Stella
Short's Brewery
Light of Day Organics
L. Mawby Vineyard
Shetler Dairy
Pleasanton Brick Oven Bakery
Honor Family Market
Good Neighbor Organic Winery and Vineyard
Stone House Bread
Naturally Nutty Nut Butters
Cook's House
Bel Lago Vineyard
Right Brain Brewery
GREEN LIFESTYLE/AWARENESS:
Green Island
Fernand Footwear
Little Artshram
Wings of Wonder
Hende Design
Neashasha
Salon de Capelli
Salon Verve
Living Light Massage
Deep Wood Press
The Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association's Taste this Passion is this weekend, Feb 5 & 6. The LPVA reports that ticket sales have been great, but there are still tickets available for this fun event that combines Wine, Chocolate, and Fun! The weatherman is calling for partly cloudy skies and warmer temps, so get out of the house this weekend and support our local Vintners. Tickets are available online at lpwines.com/taste.
