Photo by Natalie Davis

TRADITIONS

I love the winter holidays but they don’t always love me back. Especially when I get caught up in the trappings of modern life, that race to the finish line, and those stressful attempts to satisfy others’ expectations. Now’s when it helps to slow way down, even to turn around and look back. Back to when we met our basic needs for food, warmth and love in handmade ways. Back to traditions that took root in times of more gratitude and less plenty. In my cooking, this means going back to find the celebratory foods of the season that were made from the simplest and most natural of ingredients.

There is no better example of this region’s traditional foods than the lake-grown grass called wild rice. It is the stuff of legend from Anishinaabek lore, having been prophesied as the sign by which the migrating tribes would know their new home. As a staple of their diet, the grain was to become honored by these tribes; and the tending, harvest and preparation of this wild crop is now a sacred part of their culture and traditions.

These days, whether foraged or bought, Michigan lake-grown wild rice is difficult to come by—a situation that reflects the dramatic environmental and cultural changes of the past 150 years of settlement. [Cultivated, or paddy-grown, “wild” rice is common but quite unlike true wild rice.] However, the story is now one of rejuvenation; for, even though this indigenous food plant has been endangered, some area rice beds are coming back and growing stronger. The work of restoration comes from people deeply touched by the traditions of the rice, determined to see that this native resource endures and shall be shared with future generations.

Sharing keeps traditions alive, and in these pages you’ll find treasures to sample and pass along. A wild rice camp where elders teach and everyone helps with the work. Jams and preserves that tickle taste memories and carry you home to the cherry tree in Grandma’s yard. Italian fruitcake the Ligurian way, passed from father to son and landing as a seasonal treat at one area restaurant. And with a glance elsewhere, we dip into Atlantic chowder history, to inform and perhaps inspire new recipes using freshwater fish from our own Great Lakes.

One new tradition that’s caught on during the past four years of Edible Grande Traverse is the annual Local Hero Awards. Express your admiration for the food heroes that make our region a better place in which to live and eat! Voting is online and write-in—see the next page for the categories, deadline and web address, then cast your votes. There are no campaigns, just honest appreciation, reader by reader. Winners will be lauded in next year’s issues, but remember to also thank your heroes in person if you get the chance.

For our part, we appreciate each person who’s lent a hand to Edible Grande Traverse over the past year. To our advertisers, writers, photographers and distribution friends—on behalf of our readers, we thank you for making this pleasant peninsula such a fine place to live (and eat!) A place where traditions are welcomed and shared. A place we gladly call home.

Wishing you the best of this holiday season,

Barb Tholin, editor

Charlie Wunsch, publisher