HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A new look for us, which Timothy will talk about below.  I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season.  The snow is here now so come on up for a ski!  This month we have Snowshoe hikes at Sleeping Bear, Winter Warmup with the Wineries of Old Mission, NFL Playoffs, the Australian Open (Vamos Rafa!) Handmade Pasta Cooking Class at Chateau Chantal, and general winter frolicking.  Make the best of it and get outside!  ~ Kathy
    
Special of the Month

Organic Blueberry Merlot Preserves
 

As we celebrate our new look, why not start the new year with our first preserve? To this day, Blueberry Merlot is one of our best-sellers and a delicious treat!


25% OFF FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 

Recipe of the Month

   BLUEBERRY BARS
   By Timothy Young 

 


INGREDIENTS 
 
  • ⅓ cup organic sugar
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup butter or margarine
  • 2 eggs (separated)
  • 1 cup organic Blueberry Merlot Preserves
  • 1 cup broken walnuts
  • ½ cup organic sugar

INSTRUCTIONS 
  1. In a bowl, combine sugar (1/3 cup), flour, butter, and egg yolks.
  2. Press into a greased 13-inch x 9-inch x 2-inch baking pan.
  3. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until golden.
  4. Cool.
  5. Spread jam over crust; sprinkle with nuts.
  6. In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites and sugar (1/2 cup) until stiff; spread meringue over nuts.
  7. Bake for another 25 minutes.
  8. To cut, use a knife dipped in hot water.
A Message from Timothy
 
Big news! It's been 20 years since I founded this company. 20 years may be young for a facelift, but that's what we've done. Let me explain. Since starting this company the market has experienced some revolutionary change. Looking back, it's the sort of change we hoped to be a part of and why our founding mission requires us to "Create and raise awareness around just and sustainable food." Organic, local and sustainable were not on the radar of many when I started, yet today they seem like old school. Life is good.

Because the market is changing, we've taken the past year to look deeply and reflect on where we came from and where our values are driving us. So as of January 2016 we are officially launching our new rebranded look. Same products, same values, just a new face. While we're happy with the new logo and look, what I'm most excited about is the jar count and batch size we're putting right on the front of the label. Each jar has it's own individual number. Additionally we've added some new "Food For Thought" on the label tabs in the form of notable quotes. My favorite came from my Grandma Engelhart. As a teen I went on a self-righteous diatribe about the injustices of factory food system in my grandmother's kitchen. She looked at me and said: "Sometimes I think it's not so much what you eat, as much as what's eating you." 


Kathy and I are also very excited to have my brother, Greg, and sister-in-law, Diana, as new partners. They've brought new energy and skills to our team and culture. It's awesome! So in the coming months, keep your eyes out for new products as well fun and informative content as this newsletter goes through some changes. Don't worry, this is Kathy's baby and I won't be messing up her awesome work on this.  ~ Timothy      
 
 
Trivia of the Month

On January 1, 1788, this newspaper began publication.  What was it? 

Try Hard not to Google!!!

The first person to answer correctly on our  Facebook page will receive a jar of our Organic Blueberry Merlot Preserves. 


If you have recently won, please give someone else a chance! 
Site of the Month

                                       This site provided one of the best video infographics I have watched all year.  Like an omelet, they believe in pulling together various ingredients to make something extraordinary.  Their mission is simple:  To inspire us to live a more purposeful life.

The Fallen of World War II
The Fallen of World War II

 Here it is.  Watch this! 
 






Omeleto
Food News

ELF: EAT, LEARN, FROLIC
 
A cafe designed for parents AND toddlers with good coffee and local and organic food?  Sign us up!  The brain child of Ellen Fred and Melissa Whitman, ELF not only has a wonderful play area, they also offer classes for young ones, ranging from musicianship (Joshua Davis and Seth & May Erlewine Bernard are instructors!) to organic gardening and storytelling.  A unique concept for Traverse City and another asset to the area.  Check it out  here !

Photo courtesy  mynorth.com 
Green Tip of the Month

Green, Living Plants for a Healthier Home
  


If you live in a Northern clime like we do in N. Michigan, your winter home is often dry and closed off to the elements (of course!) Investing in green plants for your bedroom, living room, kitchen and bathroom is one of the best things you can do to help air quality (short of an air purifier).  Green plants help to recycle and freshen the air you breathe all winter long. Once your home is sealed, you need the plants to help remove toxins and stale air. You will feel better emotionally and physically with the addition of living plants in your home.   

~ Courtesy Greener Ideal
FFT Bookshelf

CONSIDER THE FORK: A History of  How We Cook and Eat   

In Consider the Fork, award-winning food writer Bee Wilson provides a wonderful and witty tour of the evolution of cooking around the world, revealing the hidden history of everyday objects we often take for granted. Knives-perhaps our most important gastronomic tool-predate the discovery of fire, whereas the fork endured centuries of ridicule before gaining widespread acceptance; pots and pans have been around for millennia, while plates are a relatively recent invention. 

Blending history, science, and anthropology, Wilson reveals how our culinary tools and tricks came to be, and how their influence has shaped modern food culture. The story of how we have tamed fire and ice and wielded whisks, spoons, and graters, all for the sake of putting food in our mouths, Consider the Fork is truly a book to savor. 
 
Horizon Books Brilliant Books , the  Cottage Book Store  or your local book seller can get this book for you!
Quote of the Month

"There is an instinctive withdrawal for the sake of preservation, a closure that assumes the order of completion. Winter is a season unto itself." 

Haruki Murakami

Food For Thought | www.foodforthought.net |  (888) 935-2748 |