By Elizabeth Kinsey
Brethren certainly love to eat! Once while we were staying in Beulah, we did quite a bit of stocking up for winter. I considered it our Food Tour since we love to eat, too.
In Traverse City there are many places that specialize in Michigan-made products, especially cherry products. There’s Benjamin Twig’s, the first cherry store in Traverse City. American Spoon Foods, also in Traverse City, has a recipe for turkey chili using their pumpkin chipotle and peach salsa that is just amazing. The Cherry Republic in Traverse City specializes in ALL things cherry; my favorites involve chocolate.Take your treats on the drive along the Old Mission Peninsula and admire the many orchards. No doubt there will still be sweet cherry stands aplenty and beautiful views with the treat of a lighthouse at the northern tip. In Glen Arbor you’ll find the original Cherry Republic with cherry pit-spitting contests, various cherry ice creams, salsas, chocolate-covered cherries of all kinds. Not sure about the flavors? Then try a sample of each!
Eat at the Boone Docks there if you’re really hungry.
Smoked fish is a must in Leland’s Fishtown. It makes for great picnic food. (Bell’s in Mackinaw City has great smoked fish, too!)
Pleva’s Meats in the little town of Cedar is a popular spot if you’re a sausage fan like some folks in our family.What more could you possibly need to enjoy the shores of Lake Michigan than a picnic of fresh, dried or chocolate-covered cherries, cherry salsa and chips, some smoked fish, cheese from the cheese/winery in Traverse City, and fresh artisan bread with Traverse City (or Mackinaw City/Mackinac Island) fudge for dessert? If it’s rainy, head to The Cherry Hut in Beulah for their reasonable delicious meals and some cherry pie for dessert. What finds! Yum!