Just a few miles east of Lake Michigan,
the lake moderated climate, rolling topography, and rich glacial soils
combine to make Eau Claire, Michigan, one of the world's finest apple producing
regions. Even the
abundant snow helps protect the trees from freezing and desication
in springtime. In this favored location, the Tree-Mendus Fruit, Inc. orchard
continues to grow an abundant variety of apples; a variety that has
been nearly lost in the homogenization and massification of the food industry in
the twentieth century.
More than two hundred varieties of apples
are grown commercially
at Tree-Mendus,
along with many types of pears, cherries
and plums. In their open cooler shoppers find seventy or more types
available simultaneously. There are apple varieties
from Japan, heirloom American types, and
varieties difficult to find outside of Europe.
There are even new types of apples being studied--with
a special interest in disease and pest resistance.
If the apples aren't enough to whet your appetite, there's
more.
There's apple butter cooked outdoors in a copper
kettle stirred with a maple paddle. There's the unbelievable
almata apple jelly. Their "Cherry
Brite"(tm) topping is unique. Do they make cider?
You bet!
With more than twenty varieties of heirloom apples going into
the mix, their "Dark Cider" reminded me of a fine calvados.
