American Spoon in Petoskey

The copper kettle pictured here was one of the original pieces of equipment in Petoskey's American Spoon where the great recipes were developed for their preserves using Michigan fruit over 30 years ago. Today there is the café adjacent to their store which overlooks Pennsylvania Park. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with housemade gelato and a full bar--serving beer from seven different Michigan breweries and wine from 2 Lads on Old Mission Peninsula.

Farmer White's in Williamsburg

Somehow we'd gotten a hold of a jar of habanera pickles made by Farmer White's. They were so remarkable, we decided when the opportunity arose, we'd go to the source. We are happy to tell you they are alive and thriving in Williamsburg near Traverse City.  Mary, on the left, is the recipe creator for the family which has been in business for more than 50 years. They make jams in tons of different flavors. How can we buy generic brands of jelly when these divine creations exist right in our backyard? We walked away with lots of goodies....double cherry pies, chocolate covered cherries, cherry bombs, more pickles and of course, jams ;}