January 27, 2023 — This week, the northwind has been sending us soft snow. It’s filling our skies with specs of white and delicately covering all the earth’s things. It feels so much like what I know of January and the normalcy is especially nice to hang onto right now. My mother Mary has chosen …
Read more
Lightly toasted crostini topped with creamy brie cheese, our new Cherry Ol’ Fashioned Jam and a sprig of thyme all come together to create the perfect small bite appetizer. This 20-minute crostini is quick and easy for when you need a dish to pass in a pinch! We love little appetizers here at Cherry Republic …
Read more
January 19, 2023 — Steph and I woke up to her phone with a robocall message calling out a snow day. It was 5:30 am, and she quietly went into both Colebrook’s and Hawthorn’s rooms and turned their 7:15 alarms off. She snuggled back into bed and the whole house slept while heavy moist snow …
Read more
Rolling acres of cherry trees blanketed in snow might lead you to believe that Northern Michigan farmers are enjoying a much-deserved rest this time of year. In reality, winter is when much of the behind-the-scenes work gets done. “While the winter months are less hectic, we are still humming along with our planning!” explain first-generation …
Read more
January usually finds Northern Michigan nestled under a thick white blanket — the perfect canvas for our favorite snowsports. And while getting outside and embracing the cold is one of the best ways to stave off the winter blues, what can you do when the white stuff is hard to come by and gray skies …
Read more
January 13, 2023 — On Sunday afternoon, I had an hour before I planned to meet Steph and Hawthorn in Traverse City to run some errands. Sonny needed a walk, of course, but all morning as I did washing and housework, I studied the dark snowless ice on the shallow waist deep water at our …
Read more
January 5, 2023 – The ice and solitude of our side of Little Traverse Lake have given safety for four otters who have taken to the little bit of open waters at the start of Shalda Creek. They fish and frolic and hang out on our dock and on the ice surrounding it. This furry …
Read more
National Blonde Brownie Day is January 22nd! Add some dried cherries to this recipe and put a cherry twist on it. What is a Cherry Blondie? Blondies, sometimes called blondie brownies or blonde brownies are the non-chocolate version of a brownie! They are fudgier than a cookie with a bit of a chew factor. You’ll …
Read more
December 24, 2022 —On a blizzardy Christmas Eve, we were cozied in with Steph’s family high on windblown Miller Hill. The snow was coming down for hours and hours and the winds had picked up and big drifts were everywhere. While eight of us ate dinner, near the exposed lake side of the house, there …
Read more
December 15, 2022 — I don’t ever remember a holiday rush like this one. It has been a fantastic season of greeting customers and filling orders. I can’t thank our customers enough for all their orders and support. And thanks to all the seasonal workers who come out of retirement or pull away from other …
Read more
December 15, 2022 — Late on Sunday afternoon, Sonny and I went to Effie’s Assisted Living Place to visit my mother. All the residents were together and the energy was really good. A few musicians had just put on a holiday concert so they were in the Christmas spirit. I sat at the dining room …
Read more
December 8, 2022 — One morning last weekend, when Steph and I were running errands in Traverse City, we got a call from Colebrook. “There is a man at our door asking if he can cut down a pine in our yard for his Christmas Tree.” Steph and I looked at each other with alarm. …
Read more
