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I recently wrote a post celebrating the pop (or soda) that is made in Michigan. While doing research for that post, I read about a soda called Northwoods Soda. It is made up in the Grand Traverse area of Michigan. I have never seen it in stores before. That was until yesterday. Meijer stores across Michigan have begun an initiuative to support Michigan made products. There is a new section in select Mejier stores featuring just Michigan made products. One of those products selected to be a part of this program was Northwoods Soda.

Whenever I trying out a new brand of soda pop, I tend to select root beer first. I figure if your root beer isn’t good, then it’s likely the rest of your flavors aren’t going to be good either. Northwoods Soda calls their root beer “Wild Bill’s Root Beer”. “Wild Bill” is company founder, Bill Fosdick. The recipe for this brew has been perfected over a twenty year time period. The bottle boasts the claim “A Rare, Smooth Beverage”. So I keep that in mind as I took my first sip

No false promises on this bottle, it is definitely a smooth root beer. Not over carbonated. It has a nice, bold, but not too bold root beer flavor. It’s not overpowered by vanilla or any other flavoring. It’s pure root beer. It’s as close to getting it right out of the tap as you probably can get. So I will be giving their other flavors a try.

Where to Buy
You can find it in the new Made in Michigan section at your local Meijer store. You can also purchase it directly from the company, through their website.

Continue reading »]]> Last summer, chef Jamie Oliver shared with the world the fact that American’s ground beef supply is full of a meat that is treated with ammonia in order to make it “safe” for consumption. This meat he called pink slime. This pink slime was made by Beef Products Inc, the leading ground beef producer in the United States. Fast food companies were known for using this product in their products. Well now news have broken that McDonald’s, Burger King, and Taco Bell have all abandon the use of pink slime. So if you have frequented any of these places, you have eaten pink slime. I applaud these companies for giving up the pink slime. None of the companies want to give Jamie Oliver any credit for this, but I think we had a huge impact as well as the 2010 food documentary, Food Inc (which you can watch online at Amazon’s website)

Pink slime is made from parts of the cow that we use to only feed to dogs. The concern was that salmonella and E. coli could be found in these “cuts” of beef. The used some ammonium hydroxide to make the beef “safe”. By I still heard some reports of salmonella and E. coli found in ammonium treated beef. So it may not even be working. I think the whole thing just need to be stopped. It’s all about profit at the expense of the consumer and maybe their health.

Just because these places gave up pink slime, doesn’t mean that you are safe. Several websites spoke about pink slime is found in school lunch programs. If you are a concerned parent, I urge to to contact your child’s school, and see what you can find out. You make face opposition like Jamie Oliver did during his tv show, but if enough people cry out, then a difference can be made. We just saw a difference made with these 3 fast food joints.

You can avoid bringing home pink slime beef from the grocery store by only buying beef that says 100% ground round, 100% ground sirloin, or 100% chuck (read all about the differences in these types). Never buy any beef when you don’t know what part of the cow the meat is coming from, that includes stew meat. Any good grocery store should be able to cut stew meat for you out of any cut you want that you find in the meat case.

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Today is Michigan’s 175th birthday! It was January 26, 1837 when Michigan officially entered the Union after receiving the Upper Peninsula in concession for losing Toledo. In honor of Michigan’s b-day, I wanted to do a Michigan related post. So I decided to provide a list of the pop (it’s not soda in Michigan) that is made in the Great Lakes State. There is a lot of great stuff being made here, some which you may know, some you may want to know.

Vernors
Without question, the most popular drink to come out of Michigan is Vernors Ginger Ale. The drink was invented by James Vernor. He was looking to make a ginger ale like the one made in Dublin, Ireland at the time. As he was working on his drink he was called into serving in the Civil War. When he got back, his ingredients has been aging in a oak barrel. What resulted lead to the Vernors we have today. Today, the drink is under the Dr. Pepper/Snapple brand, I don’t even know it it’s produced in Michigan still, but it’s still a Michigan original.

Faygo
I have found time and time again when someone has left Michigan, and comes back, they head to the nearest store for some Faygo! This brand is found all over Michigan and into some other states as well. Faygo began in Monroe, Michigan in 1907. The company was bought by National Beverage Corp in 1987. However Faygo is still made right here in Michigan. In recent years, they have brought back the glass bottle version using pure cane sugar. These bottles have popped up in gourmet stores and soda shops all across the country. Some of my personal favorite flavors are Grape, Rock ‘n’ Rye, and Peach.

Towne Club
Towne Club started up in the 1960s. It was unique in that you would go right to the company to buy the pop. You would take a wood case and walk around picking out different flavors. Each case fit 24 bottles. In the 1980s this practice came to an end. Towne Club was suffering on hard times for quite a while. People thought they disappeared. However in recent years they have been making a comeback in a major way. They have a newly designed glass bottle that holds 16 oz and sells for 99 cents. They have introduced 2 new flavors in the last year: Honolulu Blue Cream Soda (referring the blue in the Detroit Lions uniform) and Michigan Cherry, which contains real Michigan cherry juice. Here are the flavors I have reviewed:
Michigan Cherry
City Rush
Strawberry

Frostie’s
While not being an Michigan original, the brand was sold in 2009, to the Michigan based Intrastate Distributors Inc of Detroit (they also have the rights to Towne Club). So this brand has increased it’s presence throughout Michigan in the last couple years, especially around Christmas time where many stores (including Busch’s) carry their 4 packs of glass bottle pop. Here are the flavors I have reviewed:
Vanilla Root Beer
Blue Cream Soda
Cherry Limeade
Orange

Cherry Republic
The Straight from the Cherry Capital of the World, Cherry Republic is a company that sells nothing but cherry products from jam to jelly to of course pop. Their Boom Chugga Lugga brand has several flavors, all using real Michigan cherry juice. Those flavors include: Black Cherry Cream Soda, True Cherry Cola, Cherry Ginger Ale, Cherry, and Cherry Root Bear. Every one of these flavors is 5 star worthy. Their pop can be found at their stores in Ann Arbor, Traverse City, Glen Arbor, and Charlevoix. You cam also find them in the Michigan product section at Westborn Market in Berkeley.

Frankie’s Root Beer
Frankie’s Root Beer is a bold brew made up in one of Michigan’s top tourist locations – Frankenmuth. This root beer is made at the Frankenmuth Brewery.

Powers Root Beer
I discovered this root beer at Westborn Market in Berkeley. It was made by the Michigan Brewing Company out of Webberville. Michigander and musician Kid Rock developed a beer at this brewery. They also produce a nice, quality root beer under the name “Powers”.

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Question: Where Can I Buy Purple (or Blue) Potatoes?

Answer: Last winter, I wrote a post on what are some sources to purchase purple potatoes to grow in your garden. I have gotten a lot of hits on this post recently. However I think a lot of people are just searching for where to buy the potatoes, not necessarily desiring to grow them. So I decided to answer that question in a post today.

Purple potatoes are becoming more popular. People like the pretty color, plus the beta-carotene that gives the potatoes their purple color is very good for us. Here are some sources that I know of where you can get purple potatoes. I will add more to the list as I find more sources (so feel free to share where you have found them in the past). Keep in mind, the best place to check might be your local farmer’s market. A nice sized farmer’s market, should at least have one vendor selling them at some point in the year.

Source for Purple or Blue Potatoes
1. Meijer stores sell bags of Green Giant Klondike Medley. This medley includes some purple potatoes.
2. Plum Market (Ann Arbor, MI) has had purple potatoes in stock before.
3. Trader Joe’s sells bags of mixed potatoes that include purple.
4. Melissa’s Produce (http://www.melissas.com/) carries purple potatoes. Their produce can be found in stores all over the country. Check their website to see what stores carry their products. You can then contact those stores to see if they carry them.

If you are having trouble finding some, again check the Farmer’s markets and also specialty grocery stores that specialize in organic produce. They often have purple potatoes. Or you could also grow them yourself! Check out my page on sources to buy seed potatoes. I grew Adirondack Blue last year.

Want to make your own potato potato chips? Follow these instructions. Or you could purchase them already made for you from Amazon.

Continue reading »]]> Make no mistake about it, I love Sprecher. Everything I have had from this company has been amazing. Some how I keep missing their ginger ale. I finally set out to try it. On a recent trip to Plum Market in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I picked out a bottle of Sprecher Ginger Ale and headed home eager to try it. I have grown up with Vernors Ginger Ale, a Michigan original. So every ginger ale I have had I naturally compare to Vernors. I knew going in this would be a different type of ale, just by reading the words on the neck of the bottle:

“Our ginger ale is a sophisticated soda, pale in color and reminiscent of a light, sparkling chardonnay. Its complex flavor is very dry on the palate, combining the bite of ginger ale with a surprising hint of oak. A truly unique taste experience. Nothing like the ginger ale you are used to!”

Never have a seen a drink that says to have a “surprising hint of oak”. I admit I never thought about wanting a drink that tastes like oak, but I am willing to give it a try.

If you are use to Vernors, this is going to be a shock to your system. It’s a more powerful, more earthy drink. It’s a bold ginger taste but not overbearing. I have had ginger ales and ginger beers that were just too much to handle. This approaches that but managed not to step over the line. The carbonation is perfect just what I like in a good soda pop. Overall I was pleased. It’s not something I would want everyday, but I might grab a bottle again somewhere down the road.

Continue reading »]]> One of my favorite sources for citrus is Plum Market in Ann Arbor, MI. They are the second best thing to go directly to California and buying mandarins directly from a farmer’s market (which I did in 2011). So when my food budget started over again for the month of January, I headed over to Plum to see what they had in the way of citrus. I was not disappointed when I discovered another mandarin I have had not before – the Kishu. This was the smallest mandarin I have ever seen, even smaller than the Pixie. It’s not bigger than a walnut. I bought a handful to take home and try.

The Kishu belongs to a family of small mandarins that have their origins in China. The Kishua is available in the U.S. from December through February.

My Experience with this Mandarins (Rating Scale 1-10)
Seeded or Seedless: Seedless
Sweetness: 7
Acidity : 7
Flavor: 7
Juiciness: 7

It’s a nice mandarin. It’s equally balance between sweet and acidic. The flavor is a set up from the popular Clementine mandarin. It is extremely easy to peel. The segments are really small. You probably could pop the entire thing in your mouth at one time (I resisted the urge to do so). Not the best mandarin I ever had, but a good one none the less. They make a good choice for kid’s lunches and salads. Too small for juice and zesting (would be a lot of work).

Continue reading »]]> I think we often don’t think about the things we buy. When was the last time you had a second thought about sugar. It’s something we just go to the store and buy, whether it be regular white granulated or brown sugar. We typically scan the shelves for the cheapest option and go with that. But there is more out there than just the regular white and brown sugar. And some of the options may be better for you. Today, I want to take some time to talk about another type of sugar out there, they you might be missing out on – Muscovado sugar. I first discovered this sugar during my time working for Zingerman’s Bakehouse. They use it in some of their recipes.

What is Muscovado Sugar?
Muscovado sugar is a unrefined sugar. It is sometimes called Barbados sugar. It is a dark colored sugar that at first may look like traditional brown sugar, but once you get a taste, oh man your taste buds will come alive. It has a kind of caramelly fudgy like taste. You see when they make muscovado sugar, the molasses remains in the sugar crystals. This differs from traditional brown sugar, which is just white sugar with some molasses added back in. Muscovado is brown sugar in a more natural form. Since it’s not refined, there are some nutrients in the sugar, that you won’t find in brown sugar. Now this doesn’t mean you can get a ton of it, sugar is ok in moderation. But you can fell a little bit better about enjoying muscovado.

How to Use Muscovado Sugar
It can be used as a replacement for brown sugar, in 1 to 1 ratio. Use it the next time you make cookies. Ginger cookies and sugar cookies would be wonderful choices. I like to use it with a bowl of Cheerios. Sprinkle a little bit on top, and that’s what I call breakfast. The Muscovado adds character than brown sugar never could.

What to Do If Your Muscovado Sugar Gets Hard?
Just like brown sugar does, Muscovado can harden up on you (problem might be even worse). The easiest solution is to place a damp (not soaking wet) wash cloth over top the sugar overnight. This should soften it up for you.

Where is Muscovado Sugar Made?
This sugar is most often produced in places like Philippines and Barbados. The Muscovado sugar I purchased is from the island of Mauritius.

Where to Buy Muscovado Sugar
This sugar can be difficult to find. I don’t seem to be able to find it in most large chain supermarkets. But if you head to a more specialty market, you should be able to find it there. Of course you can always purchase it from a vendor online.

So I encourage you to give it Muscovado a try. It does come with a higher price tag, so you may not be able to completely switch to it, but it’s a nice substitute to use whenever you can (I am definitely not settling for brown sugar on my Cheerios again)

Continue reading »]]> When you think about cola, you are use to it being spelled with a “C”. However the “K” is really the appropriate later as the tree the extract used to make colas comes from begins with a “K”. Sprecher spells their cola with a K. They make their Puma Kola in a gas-fried kettle, which they say imparts a distinctive flavor. The drink is flavored using kola extract, real vanilla, a little bit of cinnamon, and raw Wisconsin honey. The drink comes in a 16 oz glass bottle than can be purchased individually or in a 4 pack.

I got a 4-pack of this stuff for Christmas. I have had most of the Sprecher family, just somehow keep missing out on the Puma Kola.

The best Kola (or Cola) I have had. This is everything that a Kola should be. It tastes better than Coke, it’s carbonated better than Coke, it’s just better than the most popular soft drink on earth. The cola flavor is just outstanding. It’s complex. And the best part is you don’t feel like bubbles are burning your tongue like with Coke. I am sure some avid Coke or Pepsi fans would either love this or hate it. It’s different enough to produce one of those two emotions.

Continue reading »]]> In the wake of the announcement that fungicides have been discovered in orange juice imported from Brazil, I thought this would be a good time to make a list of those orange juices that use strictly Florida or U.S. sources for their oranges.

1) Florida’s Natural
Florida’s Natural Growers have been around for over 75 years. Their website has information about their growers, so you can learn a little bit about who is growing the oranges in your juice. Florida’s Natural can be found in most supermarkets across the country.

2) Uncle Matt’s Orangic
Uncle Matt’s is a 4th generation family of citrus growers. All of their juice meets the standard of the USDA for organic juice. Fungicides, pesticides and synthetic fertilizers are not allowed, so no worries here. Their orange juice contains a mix of Hamlin and Valencia oranges. It’s available at Kroger stores as well as Whole Foods Market. I bought some once from Whole Foods, it’s delicious stuff!

3) 365 Brand Orange Juice
The store brand of Whole Foods Market uses 100% Florida orange juice in their products.

4) Indian River Orange Juice
This 100% Florida orange juice is never from concentrate and doesn’t use flavor packs. It is available in the south at these stores: Publix, Sweet Bay, Albertsons, Ingles, Walmart, the Fresh Market, Winn-Dixie, and Kroger.

As I do more search I hope to add more brands to this list. If you have a brand that you know of, please tell us in the comment section below.

Another way to assure you are drinking juice from only American grown oranges is to buy the orange yourself and make your own juice. You can purchase an electric juicer for that, or if you have a KitchenAid mixer, they have a juicer attachment that works well and is inexpensive. But be careful to confirm the oranges you are juicing are indeed from this country.

Continue reading »]]> If you needed another reason to buy American, here is one for you. Coca Cola who owns the Minute Maid brand is reporting that trace amounts of a fungicide is showing up in their orange juice supply. The orange juice is coming from Brazil. Minute Maid uses a combination of Florida and Brazil grown oranges, and so does a lot of companies. The fungicide is used in Brazil to treat trees that have black spot, a type of mold. This fungicide has not been approved for us in the United States. Yet it still has ended up in our orange juice. As a result of this situation, the U.S. has put a temporary halt to importing orange juice from any country, until more testing can be done.

Here is another reason why I highly recommend buying only U.S. grown fruit and juice made from U.S. grown fruit. I talk about the same thing when Dr. Oz made the big fuss over arsenic in apple juice. You need to be reading everything that is written on a carton of juice. If it’s not made from just U.S. oranges than you might want to think twice before you buy it. It may turn out that the fungicides that ended up in the juice are nothing serious and that seems to be what the FDA is saying so far. But I am pretty sure they are doing you any good either, so why not error on the side of caution and buy American (good for our economy too).

What Orange Juice Brands Use Oranges from Brazil?
The two big name orange juice brands both use oranges from Brazil. That would be Minute Maid and Tropicana. However, Tropicana is in the process of switching to only using Florida grown oranges in their juice. But stores shelves will probably still have Brazilian OJ in them. The Simply Orange is also owned by Coke, so there juice could too contain Brazilian orange juice. If you are at all concerned, I would avoid these brands for the time being, and just buy ones that say they contain 100% Florida (or U.S.) orange juice.

Here is a list of the orange juices that may contain juices from other countries. I also have another list that contains juices that use only 100% Florida oranges.

1) Minute Maid
2) Tropicana
3) Simply Orange
4) Old Orchard (100% Frozen Orange Juice says contains juice from USA, Brazil, Mexico, Belize, and Costa Rica)
5) Prairie Farms
6) Full Circle Organic
7) Nantucket Nectars
Meijer Brand

If you carefully read the carton or container you should be able to find the source of their oranges either near the bar code or nutrition facts. Also a lot of companies print the countries the juice came from on the neck of their container.