Morels Are Here
A few weeks back I appeared on the Omelette & Finster Morning Show on KLT as the guest news anchor. As part of an April Fool’s prank I made up a story along with the hosts that the weather conditions had eliminated this year’s morel crop. Both Omelette & Finster played the story up and we even had a person pose as a Professor of Botany from MSU call in confirming the story. We eventually told everyone that it was simply an April Fool’s joke. Well not everyone heard that we were just joking and organizers of various morel events in the region have been getting calls asking if there were going to be morels this year.
The answer is yes. In fact, experts predict this might be one of the best years in recent memory. Mesick is gearing up for their 5th Annual Mesick Mushroom Festival May 8 – 10. The following weekend Boyne City will hold the 49th Annual National Morel Mushroom Festival.
My sources have told me that morels are popping up all over now that warmer weather has moved in. So yes there will be morels this year and these tasty treasures from the woods of the region are worth searching for and that’s no foolin’. --Rick Coates
The “Spirits” of Michigan
Michigan is quickly becoming the micro-distillery capital of the country. In a trend that follows the lead of the craftbrew industry, boutique distilleries are opening up all over. As with craftbrews, this is a return to the way spirits were once made, at small distilleries. But the Industrial Revolution created a mass-production mentality during the 20th century as small breweries and distilleries gave way to macro-production.
Now, boutique distilleries are back and several have opened in Michigan recently. In Northern Michigan Black Star Farms began production of a series of fruit brandies (eau de vie) at their winery in Suttons Bay 10 years ago. All the brandies at Black Star Farms are made from fruit grown in the region. Their Pear and its Spirit (Pear in the Bottle) is credited with saving a pear farm on the Leelanau Peninsula.
A few years ago Kent Rabish opened Grand Traverse Distillery producing vodka using rye in Northern Michigan. Down in the Paw Paw region of the state, Round Barn Winery released DiVine Vodka five years ago, made from grapes grown in Michigan. Other wineries, and even breweries, are getting into the boutique distillery business.
While wineries were allowed to taste and sell their “fruit-based” distilled products at their tasting rooms (Round Barn had to label their vodka as a brandy to sell at their tasting room), distilleries were not allowed to operate tasting rooms or have retail sales at their production facilities. Last year, under the direction of MSU professor Kris Berglund (director of the Artisian Distilling Program), legislation was passed to allow micro-distilleries to sell samples by the glass and retail bottles from their production facility.
Now the industry is back asking for the legislation to be expanded and for good reason. Current law prohibits sales and tasting of these products at satellite tasting rooms. A few years back Black Star Farms opened Tastes in the Mercato of Building 50 (the former state hospital in TC) for the purpose of marketing their distilled products by offering them by the glass, to be enjoyed with desserts, small plates and cheese plates. While they were allowed to serve their brandies for a couple of years, last year they were told they no longer could (they remain open sampling and selling their award-winning wines).
Earlier this month State Senate Bill 427 was introduced to amend the law, allowing the offsite retailing of distilled spirits at satellite tasting rooms. Round Barn’s master distiller Matthew Moersch states: “In a state with one of the country’s worst economies, we’re trying to grow small businesses, but we are in desperate need of some help from our state leaders. We want to be able to sell more of our products in our existing tasting rooms, which will immediately help our state’s budget and increase awareness of award winning Michigan products.”
The “Spirits” of Michigan celebrate the state’s rich agricultural heritage and this legislation is merited. If you have not enjoyed any of these products do so today; ask for them at your beverage store. --Rick Coates
A few weeks back I appeared on the Omelette & Finster Morning Show on KLT as the guest news anchor. As part of an April Fool’s prank I made up a story along with the hosts that the weather conditions had eliminated this year’s morel crop. Both Omelette & Finster played the story up and we even had a person pose as a Professor of Botany from MSU call in confirming the story. We eventually told everyone that it was simply an April Fool’s joke. Well not everyone heard that we were just joking and organizers of various morel events in the region have been getting calls asking if there were going to be morels this year.
The answer is yes. In fact, experts predict this might be one of the best years in recent memory. Mesick is gearing up for their 5th Annual Mesick Mushroom Festival May 8 – 10. The following weekend Boyne City will hold the 49th Annual National Morel Mushroom Festival.
My sources have told me that morels are popping up all over now that warmer weather has moved in. So yes there will be morels this year and these tasty treasures from the woods of the region are worth searching for and that’s no foolin’. --Rick Coates
The “Spirits” of Michigan
Michigan is quickly becoming the micro-distillery capital of the country. In a trend that follows the lead of the craftbrew industry, boutique distilleries are opening up all over. As with craftbrews, this is a return to the way spirits were once made, at small distilleries. But the Industrial Revolution created a mass-production mentality during the 20th century as small breweries and distilleries gave way to macro-production.
Now, boutique distilleries are back and several have opened in Michigan recently. In Northern Michigan Black Star Farms began production of a series of fruit brandies (eau de vie) at their winery in Suttons Bay 10 years ago. All the brandies at Black Star Farms are made from fruit grown in the region. Their Pear and its Spirit (Pear in the Bottle) is credited with saving a pear farm on the Leelanau Peninsula.
A few years ago Kent Rabish opened Grand Traverse Distillery producing vodka using rye in Northern Michigan. Down in the Paw Paw region of the state, Round Barn Winery released DiVine Vodka five years ago, made from grapes grown in Michigan. Other wineries, and even breweries, are getting into the boutique distillery business.
While wineries were allowed to taste and sell their “fruit-based” distilled products at their tasting rooms (Round Barn had to label their vodka as a brandy to sell at their tasting room), distilleries were not allowed to operate tasting rooms or have retail sales at their production facilities. Last year, under the direction of MSU professor Kris Berglund (director of the Artisian Distilling Program), legislation was passed to allow micro-distilleries to sell samples by the glass and retail bottles from their production facility.
Now the industry is back asking for the legislation to be expanded and for good reason. Current law prohibits sales and tasting of these products at satellite tasting rooms. A few years back Black Star Farms opened Tastes in the Mercato of Building 50 (the former state hospital in TC) for the purpose of marketing their distilled products by offering them by the glass, to be enjoyed with desserts, small plates and cheese plates. While they were allowed to serve their brandies for a couple of years, last year they were told they no longer could (they remain open sampling and selling their award-winning wines).
Earlier this month State Senate Bill 427 was introduced to amend the law, allowing the offsite retailing of distilled spirits at satellite tasting rooms. Round Barn’s master distiller Matthew Moersch states: “In a state with one of the country’s worst economies, we’re trying to grow small businesses, but we are in desperate need of some help from our state leaders. We want to be able to sell more of our products in our existing tasting rooms, which will immediately help our state’s budget and increase awareness of award winning Michigan products.”
The “Spirits” of Michigan celebrate the state’s rich agricultural heritage and this legislation is merited. If you have not enjoyed any of these products do so today; ask for them at your beverage store. --Rick Coates
