Corn

Corn is what the midwest does, but only in Michigan will you find cornfields as neatly kept as a park. Tidy Michiganders keep neatly trimmed edges on this cornfield just outside of Three Rivers.

Hoppy

Hops, fresh-picked from our giant hop-vine and drying in a basket. Now to find a beer maker.

Urban Corn

The Stears family has been around the county a very long time; there is even a Stears Road outside of Constantine. In a county loaded with corn, sweet corn from their farmstand is sought after. And here it is at the supermarket!

The best of spring

Local Three Rivers asparagus, best cooked on the grill!

Wacky

My fortune cookie tells me my future. Big King Buffet in Three Rivers has some tasty food but I'm not so sure I understand my fortune!

Cuisine

Offered for dinner on Monday and Saturday this week at the Three Rivers American Legion Hall, gizzards and burgers. A local delicacy, I presume. I'm imagining it all breaded and deep fried. I'll check my calendar - oh sorry, I'm busy elsewhere those nights.

Life is intruding into my CityDailyPhoto time! I'll try to do better.

Chef Monochrome

Rick, the owner and chef at Matt & Mike's Eatery, seen cooking through the chrome-rimmed serving window at his new location off Michigan Ave./Highway M60 in Three Rivers. Matt and Mike's is named for his sons, and was downtown for 25 years. A boutique baby store now occupies his old location, and his new address is 103 South Lincoln Avenue. Just in case you were looking.

This was my favorite b/w picture this week. Others I took were more stark and contrasty, but I think this has plenty going on.

To see more of the world in monochrome, just click over to The Monochrome Weekend, presented by Aileni.

Milk Chocolate

There were two chocolate fountains on Sunday - one dark chocolate, one milk chocolate.

Chestnuts roasting

This is the first time I've ever had a roasted chestnut, and over an open fire (or open bbq) too! Downtown.

Weenie King

The Weenie King, a local institution, brings his cart with its fine sausages and condiments to all fairs and city events, including the "Christmas Around Town". He can also be found outside the public library all summer long. The Weenie King makes me truly regret that I don't like hot dogs.

Veggie Thanksgiving

Since most of our extended family are vegetarians, we had a special feast today sans the traditional roast turkey. I've spent the last few days preparing and coordinating -- Seitan roasted in barbeque sauce; acorn squash stuffed with apple and cranberry; spicy sweet potato, cooked in cocoanut milk; mashed russet potatoes (with golden fried onions to mix in); stuffing of oatmeal bread croutons with pears and leeks; mushroom gravy; roasted green beans with walnuts; corn with mint; Brussels sprouts with a mustard and maple syrup glaze; parsnip puree; and two kinds of cranberry sauce. A spinach salad with amazing little black lentils found by my sister-in-law, who also made the bread. Little Lily helped create a dessert of pears decorated to look like turkeys, and there was another dessert of cherry-apple crumble with whipped cream. No one went away hungry!

To all in the US, Happy Thanksgiving.

Farmers Market

A drizzly, windy day found the vendors at the Three Rivers Farmers Market hanging tarps behind their stalls in the Farmers Market Pavilion. Lots of apples in bushel baskets, Northern Spy, Cortland, and some other heirloom varieties, along with chestnuts, squash, and all sorts of pumpkins. Worth braving the chill for!

Here are some of the Amish baked goods and pickles also on sale. Next to this table, a couple sells their own local farm-raised meats.


My 100th Daily Photo!

Brandy is Dandy

A gloomy morning morphed into a sunny afternoon for the Three Rivers Color Tour. At the Cory Lake Orchard stop is a miniature festival - besides the farm stand selling their fruit, there are baked goods, juices, honey and jelly, along with cards and artwork.

Going past the bins of apples, up the hill, through the barns and farm equipment to this back room - oh look, there's people in there...

(Click the photo for a larger view.) This is one for Hidden Treasures of the Midwest, which finds all sorts of interesting food items. Here in an orchard by Cory Lake, Three Rivers, brandy is made in a beautiful imported copper still from apples, cherries, pears and peaches from their own orchards, "from seed to sip". I'm not usually a fan of strong alcohol, but this stuff tastes of fruit and sunshine. Speck sized tastes let me try a variety; I liked the cherry (made from sour cherries, like traditional Kirschwasser) and the apple, which is aged in wood and has a dark color and intense flavors.

Jim Bickle runs the cider and brandy house at Cory Lake Orchards and entertained the crowd with descriptions of the brandy, the fruit, and the process. I came home with apples, a gallon of beautiful rose colored cider, an apple dumpling, and a bottle of cherry -- and a bottle of apple brandy. One will be a gift. Which one?

Cory Lake Orchards has a website, coreylakeorchards.com

Night

Saturday night at a local pub; live music with a saxophone/guitar duo, the White Sox playing the Tigers on TV, and locally made beer. A stuffed bat hanging from the ceiling for some reason. On the mirror behind the bar it says, "Ruben $5.75". Music good, Tigers lost.

Potatoes

Three Rivers Farmers Market today despite a cold rain. Marketeers hung tarps behind their stalls to cut the wind; lots of beautiful apples (I bought some Cortland apples, a variety from 1898) and these wonderful little potatoes. The pink ones are pink all the way through. The purple ones, when sliced, have rings of purple and white. Almost too pretty to eat! The Amish man had some tomatoes, and Native Gardens had a few squash, but most of the summer is done.

Sunday Breakfast

Our favorite neighborhood breakfast place just closed (for a move) so we are out for our early Sunday breakfast, looking in other neighborhoods. Today we tried "Dad's Place", tucked into a factory district. Nelson Algren wrote, "Never eat at a place called Mom's", but Dad's was a bit of all right. Very good omelette and American-fry potatoes (baked, then sliced and fried, usually with onions, peppers, etc.) all in the usual midwestern vast quantities. Most of the clientele were enormous beefy men in baseball caps, wearing sports team t-shirts with the arms torn off, although we did see a few other breakfasters from our old place. It was very busy, we were lucky to get a table! In the kitchen two bone-skinny women darted about among stacks of eggs and oranges. Dad was nowhere to be seen.

Farmers Market

Saturday is the the Three Rivers Farmers Market day - until the snow flies! Today lots of kinds of beautiful local fruit (this from Native Gardens.) When I first was moving to Michigan, my friends said "Well, you will have lots of good fruit there!"

I also bought little purple and pink (pink all the way through) potatoes.

Fish Fry

The white-gloved chef flags down passing motorists for a fund-raising fish fry behind a church.

"What you got?"

"Catfish fillets!"

Latvian Bread

I still have a little left - I don't even like rye bread, and this is the best bread I've ever tasted (bought at the Latvian Garage Sale last weekend). I found out part of the secret; it's sourdough, and uses apple cider vinegar.