• February 26th, 2013
• 1 Comment

It seems as though some of the best things come from happy accidents – chance encounters with a future wife/husband, a new non-stick coating, fabric closures, quick-drying glue, and a whole host of fantastic kid’s toys. Most recently: the creation of our Dilly Beans has made it’s way on to the list – at least for us.

The late winter/early spring of 2012 was like a roller-coaster ride of temperatures. Sure, it was nice to head to the beach or eat on the patio for a couple days, but that warmth also shook the flora awake. The rich Michigan landscape sprung to life in a short time, there was no talking to trees and shrubs, winter was not quite over. Buds were sprouted and that hard snapping frost came back, demolishing most of the fruit crop – which is exactly what happened to our friends at Mick Klug Farm.

Many Michigan farms lost all (or there about) of their fruit crop, but Mick Klug Farm shifted fast enough to catch a break – planting the fast-turnaround green beans and other veggies to make up for lost fruit. Their other recent move, from wholesale to directly selling to restaurants (like us) created a deeper connection between the two – which they love, being able to cater better. Plus with the addition of their daughter’s help, the farm is running super-smooth, leaving the paperwork with her and farming and growing to them. Our Dilly Beans are born there, on that sun soaked farmland a short drive from the other side of Lake Michigan; we think our award is in-part due to their hard work and super-tasty beans.

They plant green beans every year, but that year, they planted many more – trying to pull what they could. We wanted to snatch up whatever we could and our preservationist worked her pickling magic. She pulled the Dilly Bean recipe – historically a Vermont country-side snack – from her repertoire and wowed us. She floored our many fans and the shelves cleared just as fast as we could fill them. So, of course, we had to send them out to the folks at the Good Food Awards. They seemed to impress them too – being one of the winners in the pickling category and cementing everything we’d been saying about it to anyone who’d listen.

That is where we are today. A shelf void of Dilly Beans, simply waiting for the summer harvest. Check early and often, take home another fantastic hand-made preserve from our shelves. Love Mick Klug Farms? Or our Dilly Beans? Drop us a comment below, we always love to hear from you.

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