Southwestern Michigan Buttery

Our family just returned from a little getaway to Shipshewana, Indiana - the heart of Indiana Amish Country. Well, it's a somewhat commercialized version of Amish Country with lots of shops and eateries, but it's still super quaint and bustling with lots of buggies and bicycles. 

If you've been to any Amish area in the country, you know that a staple of an Amish meal is apple butter. I had some delicious apple butter with my freshly baked bread at the Blue Gate Restaurant while I was there, but when I got home I realized I didn't purchase any apple butter at all. 

How did that happen? I got homemade kettle corn and fudge and lots of Amish meats and cheeses - but no apple butter! Then I remembered something!

Back in June we'd been up in Three Oaks, Michigan for the Flag Day Festival. It included several vendors at a nearby park with mostly arts and crafts and I came across this guy. Gosh, wish I could remember his real name - all I can recall is that he called himself "The Butter Baron." I can't quite make it out on the name tag he's wearing.

He was a very charming guy who was eager to chat about his business, the Southwestern Michigan Buttery. He had several varieties and I think I sampled all of them. It wasn't just apple butter, but PEACH BUTTER, PLUM BUTTER, RHUBARB BUTTER...some really great flavors! And I had bought a jar of peach butter that I put in the pantry and forgot about. I was so excited to discover it still there unopened this morning. So, guess what I'm having today? Some pancakes with peach butter! :)

Check out their website, www.swmichiganbuttery.com, where you can order jars to be shipped anywhere in the U.S.