Greetings from the Northern Fruitlands...

     We had our share of thrilling old-fashioned winter this year, with howling blizzards and drifting lake effect snowstorms that closed schools and blocked roads.  But these extremes were punctuated by odd, sudden thaws when we fretted that a week of unseasonal warmth would fool the apple trees into budding too early.  Winter always put our concerns to rest by returning as abruptly as it had departed.  And of course, the cold always lingers too long up here, so that by March and April we begin to dream it gone, carried off on the warm breath of violets.

     The Northern Spring proves worthy of our patience. In the beech/maple forests the wild leeks rise from matted leaves in lush green patches redolent of shallots.  Then, the black morels form magically before our eyes like spectacular sculptures spawned of wood smoke and wild yeast.  Verdant creeks come aglow with watercress and mint: trout lilies and then immaculate trilliums, with their languid grace, hypnotize everywhere.  Finally, in the hilly orchards of the Fruitlands, above the cold blue lakes, the crystal air sings once again with honey bees, pollen and the reflected light of a million blossoms.

     We are looking forward to the welcome prospect of good crops of Michigan's legendary Rubel Blueberries and Tart Montmorency Cherries this summer.  We are also due for a bountiful apricot year out on the Leelanau to replenish our precious supply of these hand-pitted gems and our hand-peeled Red Haven Peaches for our Preserves and Fruit Salsa as well.  At American Spoon our mission is to preserve America's most delicious fruits, and in our catalog we hope to further the connection between the farmers who grow, the artisans who preserve, and the people who enjoy these special foods.  In this edition we've included recipes, photographs and stories with that in mind.  We know you appreciate that many of our remarkable fruits have been grown on the same family farms for over twenty-five years. And we continue to seek out the farms that grow the most delicious varieties we can find, preparing many of them by hand, preserving them in small copper kettle batches, and putting as much fruit as possible into every jar.  In this way, we capture flavors and textures you won't find anywhere else.

     We hope our work here in the Northern Fruitlands brings a little joy to each of you who are amoung the growing number of people across the country who appreciate what real food should taste like, and know what it is worth.  From our beautiful corner of America to yours, wherever that might be, here is the fruit of our land, the work of our hands, may it bring you pleasure.