2005 vintage buzz grows
The buzz on the 2005 vintage just keeps growing. The first wines from last summer are being released, and the word is they're good.
This article from MLive details some of the highlights, including our own Black Star Farms.
May 09, 2006
April 19, 2006
Apple pruning workshop to be held at the park
A free workshop on pruning apple trees will be held on May 5 at the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. The release says:
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is hosting a free pruning workshop May 5, 2006 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Port Oneida Rural Historic District. This year’s workshop will be held at the Miller Farmstead four miles north of Glen Arbor on M-22. The Miller orchard is located off Port Oneida Road on Miller Road. Attendees are not required to have any existing skill at pruning. The purpose of the workshop is to teach pruning techniques and train homeowners and the interested public how to restore and then maintain the health of antique apple trees.
The workshop will focus on the care and maintenance of old apple orchards. Participants will learn and practice 1) how to identify and properly remove dead materials from abandoned trees; 2) proper pruning of the canopy for optimum apple production; 3) maintenance and care of trees; 4) importance of ground cover in the orchard; and 5) equipment safety.
“Thanks to the dynamic partnership between the Leelanau Conservation District, Michigan State University Northwest Michigan Horticultural Station, and the County Extension Master Gardener Program, the National Park Service is able to offer this hands-on training” says National Lakeshore Superintendent, Dusty Shultz. These partners provide the technical expertise, while an historic orchard in the park benefits from some overdue care and attention. The park is proud to and grateful for the opportunity to host this 2nd Annual event.
Interested parties should contact Kimberly Mann at (231) 326-5135, ext. 501 to sign up for the workshop or by email at kimberly_mann@nps.gov. Participants will meet at 1:00 p.m. for orientation at the Port Oneida Schoolhouse on Port Oneida Road, 4 miles north of Glen Arbor on M-22. There is no cost, and tools, handouts and materials will be provided. Participants must wear sturdy shoes and gloves. In case of rain, the event will be rescheduled for May 8 at the same time and location.
April 11, 2006
Plastic covers help grapes ripen
Growing grapes for wine in Nothern Michigan involves a constant struggle to find enough hours of sun in the growing season.
Here's a story from the Record-Eagle about a grower on the other side of West Bay who is using plastic covers to prolong the season for grapes several weeks at the beginning and at the end. It's spendy, no doubt...but are the wines it yields worth it?
March 17, 2006
Cherry growers will foot bill for research on health benefits
Cherry growers will pay a half-penny per pound levy to support research and promotions aimed at establishing the health benefits of cherries.
As we reported earlier, cherry growers have come under pressure from the Food and Drug Administration to support the ambitious claims being made for the health benefits of cherries. This Freep story describes how the Cherry Administrative Board recently approved a five-year assessment on growers to raise about $1 million per year to promote cherries and to "entice the medical community to take this to the next level of clinical analysis," in the words of Suttons Bay grower Bob Gregory.
March 09, 2006
New winery planned near Cedar
A California man and his Michigan-born wife are planning a new winery to be located near Cedar.
On May, Alan Eaker and family plan to open Longview Winery, located on a 105-acre farm located next to the existing Bel Lago vineyards. The property's 10 acres of mature vineyards will open with a mix of vinifera, hybrid, and fruit wines, according to this story in the Detroit News. There will also be an off-site tasting room in downtown Cedar, as well as an associate restaurant.
The Leelanau wine boom continues, and Leelanau continues its transformation into wine and food destination. This is the kind of development we need in Leelanau County, providing jobs and income without destroying the county's natural advantages.
March 04, 2006
Area wineries have room to grow
Wine production in the Leelanau and Grand Traverse region is one of the bright spots in the agricultural picture, and some experts say it's just the beginning.
This story in the Record-Eagle cites state officials and local growers who say that there is both the market and the capacity to allow a major expansion of wine-growing in our area.
That's a good thing. The spread of vineyards in Leelanau County can help preserve agriculture and our rural landscape; and the scenic and other advantages of our area make it a natural for the growth of the kind of agricultural tourism that has been so successful in Napa and Sonoma in California, among many other locales. Let's hope that state and local officials continue to find ways to facilitate the growth of vineyards here.
February 19, 2006
Balaton cherries a new crop for local growers
A new cherry variety recently introduced into the area, the Balaton, will bear enough fruit this year for a commercial crop. The Balaton is named for a lake in its native Hungary and was introduced to the US in 1984 by Dr Amy Iezzoni, Professor of Horticulture at MSU.
According to this Record-Eagle article, a grant has been made to Shoreline Fruit, Inc. to expand use of the cherry, which has many advantages. According to Jim Bardenhagen, MSU extension agent for Leelanau County, the Balaton is a good fit for northern Michigan. It is harvested a week or two after the Montmorency tart cherry that is the area's principal variety and is particularly good for the cherry juice used in cherry wines and cherry health food products, two growing areas in cherry marketing.
February 13, 2006
Local farmers are learning to cultivate local markets
The future of Leelanau County and of the Grand Traverse region generally may very well depend on its ability to transition from traditional, commodity-style agriculture to a different model--one that meshes with local and regional markets, consumers, and restaurants to create a vibrant local economy.
No one is doing more to make that happen than the folks at Taste the Local Difference. Read this article to learn what some local growers are doing to market their wares in urban markets like Chicago and Detroit, and what some local organizations are doing to help them.
January 30, 2006
Controversy over genetically-modified seeds is all about control
A controversy is brewing over a bill being debated in Lansing that would strip local communities of the right to ban the planting of genetically modified seeds (commonly called GMOs, for genetically modified organisms).
On the one hand are locally concerned citizens and small organic farmers, who fear (not without reason) that genetically modified crops will spread from the farms where they are planted to other neighboring farms and lands, where they can become "super-weeds" with a built-in genetic resistance to pesticides and even make landowners and growers liable to lawsuits from aggressive big seed companies like Monsanto. Or, in the case of an organic grower, these unwanted volunteers may endanger the operation's organic certification.
On the other side are the large, conventional farmers who want to plant these seeds because they allow the use of cheaper herbicides which the plants are bred to resist. These growers fear their freedom to farm being encroached upon by local voters who have no investment in, or understanding of, agriculture.
Who gets control? Local voters and small growers concerned to control the influx of GMOs into their communities and fields? Or large farmers, seed companies and their legislative allies seeking to make sure the rights to sell and farm are not compromised? This is a controversy we'll be hearing more about.
January 23, 2006
“You really ought to go down there": Coffee in Chiapas
“You really ought to go down there.” The very sound “ought to” has always riled my contrary nature. In this case, I knew she was right. Gladys Munoz, a beacon of light sort of woman working out of St. Michael’s parish in Suttons Bay, was urging my semi-conscious and agreeable soul to accompany Chris & Jody Treter to Chiapas, in WAY SOUTH Mexico. The Treters are a coffee savvy Leelanau couple whom I affectionately regard as the coffee kids. They’re proprietors of Higher Grounds Trading Company, which is a 100% fair trade and organic roaster. This is a fitting name for their enterprise, a double meaning, with geographic and ethical basis. I was headed for coffee camp and the outcome, which I could not anticipate, would be magic. Thank you, Gladys.
My delegation ultimately met at Posada Isabel (our hotel) in San Christobal de Las Casas, on December 29. San Christobal looks to be a pulsating cross road for the adventurous, wandering youth, bargain seeking tourists, Mayan aficionados, or those who wish to see the burgeoning markets and numerous shops and restaurants with fresh eyes, away from the beach visitors who flock to Mexico. San Christobal is the heart and center of the indigenous countryside, where 50 or more dialects come down from the mountains to a commercial atmosphere of intimately woven strands of Mayan with Spanish influence.
Ours was an approach to learning and appreciating the numerous and global ramifications of coffee. The camp counselors, our guides- the Treters-, are seasoned travelers there. The political and social and economic themes of coffee farming were shown to us with knowledgeable gusto. The heart of Chiapas coffee appears to be beating like a communal heart among the indigenous Mayan communities in this grand land. Soaring mountains, dramatic range after range, dominate the horizon. Biodiversity is a word that could have been invented for this place. The migratory patterns, wind and sea currents, and tropical growing climes of these hills support richness in natural resources, soaring birds of prey, and tall woody plants. Avocadoes abound, Oranges emanate. Coffee climbs these often steep slopes which might otherwise be called black diamond runs in skier lingo. This portion of the globe wraps around your senses. Northern skin cools as the nights dip to the 40’s. The sun induced warmth during day can usher in the high 70’s. Cacao. Bananas. Grapefruit. Exotic woods. What could be wrong with this picture?
As a delegation, we were witnesses to the launch of “the other campaign” in San Christobal on New Years Day. The Zapatista movement was re-born in the 1990’s in the form of an armed rebellion on New Years Day, 1994. On New Years Day, 2006, it was born again, now morphed into a non violent struggle to change the usual ways of business. Indigenous Mayans’ needs place most of these sweet folks at the very edge of survival. Neither NAFTA, nor the latest Mexican government of Vicente Fox has reduced the difficulty of daily life of. It is, in fact, made more urgent by the intensity of economy. Well being and dignity, health care, food, clothing, infrastructure for water and sewage, roads, fair prices….none have materialized. While the government has poured some money into schools and anti-poverty programs, it keeps a heavy military presence in Chiapas. Congress, meanwhile, has rejected some accords with rebels that would allow greater autonomy. Further, the Zapatistas are one voice in their renewed informational campaign, the other campaign.
La outre’ campaigna will culminate with the Mexican National Elections in July. Yet it does so without endorsing a platform or a candidate. The Zapatistas have grown weary of asking the government for help. They now seek autonomy. It is a fervent intention to bring well being to themselves. Also invited are the downtrodden from around the globe.
Coffee camp opened with a wide eyed glimpse of a participatory democracy, earnest in its quest for a step back from the edge of survival. The Mayan communities of this southern most state of Chiapas, are rural and poor. The women and children are often without shoes. The water source for one village we visited was a good hour walk away, across and up mountainous terrain. Considering the walk back, the boiling and then the REST of the day, consisting of food, wood, coffee harvesting, and so forth,…. and one can grow weary with these proud people. Short in stature and traditionally clothed in elaborately embroidered patterns, the Mayan smiles were forthcoming.
The Treeters, along with a core group (including but not limited to) Gary & Lee Cheadle, Chris Grobbel, Father Wayne ( St. Michaels) and Glady Munoz, have been instrumental in orchestrating a water system for another community, Winik Ton. Some 35 families will no longer make their daily sojourn to a distant water source. This new system, financed through a recent fund raising drive (energized by the Treters and a handful of County volunteers, will be installed by the Villagers within a few months. Our delegation was kindly hosted by Winik Ton council members. As with all of our Mayan encounters, the courtesy and warm feelings abounded. The necessary translation from Mayan to Spanish to English and back again gave us ample time to consider the honesty of their sincerity. Aflame with urgency in their words, and at once understated due to daily requirements of survival, the atmosphere lit a darkening evening sky,,, “brothers and sisters”, “heart to heart”, “your struggle, our struggle”…
The coffee “cherries”, as the beans are referred to, are traveling such a route as to make one regard a cup of coffee with new found respect. No longer can I lose myself in the hazy and ignorant veil of warmth felt through that cuppa joe in my favorite mug. We may wonder and exhibit head scratching at the way we line up for latte in our numerous coffee shops, clad in lycra and leather, bound for the office, the classroom, or the Walmart highways. We radiate a caffeinated glow across the bands of asphalt in our jungle.
Now awareness alerts my memory place that this coffee in my hands has appreciated in value. The “cherries” are shelled from their mucous home. Washed, often with hauled water. Dried, sorted, and bagged, carried, again. Now, sold to the coyote, (the middleman buyer for world coffee markets. Or sold to the Treters, in concert with a cooperative, to purchase fair trade(1..40/lb.)(twice the coyote price), organic (not the historic plantation practice), and shade grown (sustainable) coffee.
And then the beans travel, now to Vera Cruz, on to Toronto, finally to the roaster, in this case in Leelanau County. NOTE: New Orleans lost one warehouse of coffee in the notorious Katrina event. Regrettably this included a six month supply for Higher Grounds and their cooperative buying association. Thankfully the farmers had received their money, but the scramble was on for the Treters. Shippers, handlers, brokers, certifying boards, roasters, packagers, marketers, distributors, warehouses, retailers, all stand between me and that cup of black jolt.
Our delegation was a practice in small group dynamics. We were challenged by necessarily uncertain moments. The Treters exceeded themselves in offering a glimpse of a real post modern revolution, an inside view of one very large commodity with global tentacles. Coffee is touching governments, transnational corporations, bankers’ bankers, you name it, not to mention the Mayans whose civilization has known 500-700 years of glory, 350 years of colonization and domination, and at least that many on the short end of the capitalism stick.
Demographically, our delegation came from N. Michigan, mainly from Leelanau and Benzie Counties; and we came from across the country, most from afar having found their way to the Treters through the electronic buzz of the Fair Trade channels. We were treated to a special perspective, not at all like the average Mexican holiday at the beach. Largely activist minded, intellectually curious and seeking to learn more, we had a professor from Vermont and a Buddhist ex-Marine from LA. Students from Grand Rapids and Lansing to Illinois and Washington DC. Two vans full, we scoured the turf for clues as to what we were witnessing. We were instructed on the appropriate manners (photos or no, or later), the local history in broad strokes, yet informed with vignette and detail as we visited craft cooperatives and NGO’s, receiving information and facts of the real state of Chiapas.
We did not have to look far for history when visiting Acteal/ Las Abejas. This is a sister city village to Suttons Bay, thanks to the Treters’ initiative some 4 years ago, along with an enlightened embrace received from Suttons Bay Council and citizenry. On December 22nd 1997 pro-government paramilitaries entered the community of Acteal, and over the course of several hours, massacred 45 refugees there, mainly unarmed women and children belonging to the pacifist group, Las Abejas (Zapatista sympathizers).. Before my eyes was a small wooden church in the town. The night sky was poised for remembrance. My gaze fell before a mass grave site. My tears chilled my cheek. I heard the cacophony of ancient words…mother, daughter, son, brother, and sister…. all poignant words calling to me through the Acteal night, from another world beneath my feet and lacing my faith. I calculated the difficulties of forgiveness. How could I feel at once so clear and helpless to know of this current of long struggle.
My pesos leapt from my pocket at the women’s craft cooperative in Acteal. My purchase of carefully embroidered and sewn garments and cloths, it became a prayer for divine light. If I can help the artisan and share her beauty to the north of the border now turning fence, the purchase can be dignified with intention. Confessions of a child within can surface in the perceptions of a witness to chaos. The traditional dress here varies in colors and patterns from one community to the next. It speaks of historic identities. All combinations suggest an ordered beauty.
Our delegation members agree that a cup of coffee can never be perceived the same again. Coffee camp provided an informative overview of coffee, from the Mayan highlands to my favorite mug.. We also viewed the heart of revolutionary resolve. The Zapatista voice is real. We walked among and talked with indigenous men and women who are joined in classic sensibility of true participatory democracy. The student in me recalls school history class. The echoes sound like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…in any language.
By Philip Hamburg
Photo credit: Philip Hamburg
January 17, 2006
Riesling grapes make fine wines
The Riesling grape, originally from Germany, has established itself as one of the best sources of wine produced in our region. Ranging in sweetness from the semi-dry through the so-called "late harvest" and up to dessert drinks, the wines made from Riesling grapes have a wonderful variety of flavors. The Riesling Report is an online magazine devoted to Riesling; while this page gives a good overview of the grape and its wines.
January 09, 2006
2005 vintage "best ever"!
Wow, this sounds good. According to the state newswire, 2005 was a great year for Michigan wines. Quantities were about average, but the long, warm summer led to great quality in an early harvetss of completely mature and healthy grapes.
Whites are described as "very aromatic;" while reds are said to be “intense, with great flavors right from the beginning.” Sounds good to me! Where did I put that corkscrew?
January 06, 2006
Distilled brandies use MSU guru
One of the bright spots in Leelanau County agriculture is the growth of the wine and beverage industries. And one bright spot there is the increasing interest in distilled liquors--fruit brandies.
Here's an interesting article about Kris Berglun, an MSU professor who has become the guru of fruit brandies for local growers like Don Coe of Black Star farms.
January 04, 2006
Local food in Oregon
Oregon seems to be the source for many trends that resonate here in NW lower Michigan--smart growth, and the property-rights reaction against the same, among others. The New York Times has a good article this morning on the growing interest there in locally-grown foods.
A culture of markets and restaurants specializing in locally-grown foods is worth encouraging. One the hand, it provides a much-needed market for local farmers. The statistics in Oregon are impressive. The number of farms in Oregon has risen from 26,753 in 1974 to 40,033 in 2002, the last year for which statistics are available. And the farmers are making money. "Nineteen years ago we were going broke," says one rancher quoted in the piece. "Now we are paying income taxes."
When consumers prize (and choose) locally grown foods, the local economy benefits, but consumers benefit most of all. While there may a small premium to be paid over mass-produced foods trucked in from factory farms, the consumer benefits in getting food whose origins they know; and in better freshness and flavor. Our region already has a rich selection of locally-produced fruits, wines, cheeses, and other foods; as consumers are educated about the benefits of buying local, not only will our economy improve, but also our quality of life. (If you are interested in learning more about locally grown food in our area and the efforts underway to promote it, a good place to start is the site of the Michigan Land Use Institute, which has been doing a great job of devising and supporting programs to support the local foods movement.)
December 26, 2005
2005 Wine Harvest
I've heard the 2005 havest was great. Anyone with first-hand experience?
7th Annual Michigan Small Farms Conference
The 7th Annual Michigan Small Farms Conference will be held 28 January, 2006. I've attended several of these conferences, and they have been excellent. For anyone interested in the future of agriculture in Northern Michigan, this is essential. http://web1.msue.msu.edu/iac/farmconf/
December 22, 2005
Michigan Wineries to Expand Their Audience
The effort to allow Michigan wineries to ship to consumers enjoyed at least a partial success last week, when Gov. Granholm signed a law permitting shipments of up to 1,500 cases per year. The law is especially important to Leelanau because grape-growing and wine-making operations are among the bright spots in Leelanau agriculture. When farmers can make money by farming, they're less likely to sell out to downstate developers planning to replace their fields with subdivisions. What's more, as local wines can be sold directly via mail or the internet to consumers, then the reputations of our fine local wines will spread. And tourists love visiting an area, like Leelanau, that combines natural beauty with good wine and good food. It's a big win all around.
Report on Farming or Gardening for the Post
Report on farming or gardening for The Post. Do you have a special expertise? If so, share your wisdom. Write for the Leelanau Post on fruit-growing, veggies, wine, etc.
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