(NOTE: Photo of winning recipe attached. More photos available upon request to esther@michiganapples.com)

‘Apple Harvest Delight Cake’ takes 1^st in recipe cook-off

(Frankenmuth, Mich.) – Apple cake was a popular entry into the 2^nd annual Favorite Michigan Apple Recipe Contest held at Zehnder’s Snowfest.  But in the end it was the tall, eyebrow-raising display of “Apple Harvest Delight Cake” that captured the judges’ attention and taste buds.

Winners in the competition, held at Zehnder’s restaurant on Jan. 25, are:

• 1^st Place – Virginia Prince of Flint with “Apple Harvest Delight Cake”
• 2^nd Place – Genevieve Connors of Royal Oak with “Winter's Best Cheesecake”
• 3^rd Place – Linda Stanley of Warren with “Maple Apple Clafouti with Maple Praline Bacon”

Complete recipes are available at MichiganApples.com/recipes (under Desserts or 2012 Michigan Favorite Recipe & Pie Entries).

Twenty amateur bakers were pre-selected to compete in the contest.  Entries were judged on taste, texture, creativity and appearance.

The winners each received $250, $150 and $100 respectively, along with several other prizes.  Sponsors of the contest are Michigan Apple Committee, Pioneer Sugar, Zehnder’s, WSGW radio station and The Maytag Store. 

The contest kicked off Zehnder’s Snowfest, which featured ice-and snow-carving competitions, among many other events.

Michigan Apple Committee is a grower-funded nonprofit organization devoted to promotion, education and research activities to distinguish the Michigan Apple and encourage its consumption in Michigan and around the world.  For more information, visit MichiganApples.com.

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(NOTE: Photo of winning pie & recipe available upon request to esther@michiganapples.com)

Husband and wife take top honors in
annual pie baking competition

(Frankenmuth, Mich.) – In an unusual twist of crust, a husband and wife from Flint took the top two places in “blind” judging of the 7th Annual Michigan’s Best Apple Pie Contest Wednesday in Frankenmuth, during Snowfest.  Dan Beck claimed first place with his “Yankee Spy Apple Pie,” which competed in the double-crust category.  And his wife, Linda Beck, took second place in the crumb top category with her “Crumb Crust Apple Pie.”

The Becks’ somewhat traditional pies, beat out pies with more unconventional ingredients including bacon, cheese, red-hot candies and sea salt.  (To review all 40 recipes selected for the competition, go to michiganapples.com/2012-all-recipe-and-pie-entries.html)

Winners in the 7^th Annual Michigan’s Best Apple Pie Contest, held Wednesday, Jan. 25 in Frankenmuth, are:

• 1^st Place – Dan Beck of Flint with “Yankee Spy Apple Pie”
• 2^nd Place – Linda Beck of Flint with “Crumb Crust Apple Pie”
• 3^rd Place – Rebecca Card of Hope with “Creamy Apple Medley Crunch Pie”

Thirty-six amateur bakers were selected from more than 100 entries to participate in the contest.  Entries are judged in three major categories: taste, texture and appearance.

Sponsors of the contest are Michigan Apple Committee, Pioneer Sugar, Zehnder’s, WSGW and The Maytag Store. 

The winners each received $500, $250 and $100 respectively, along with several other prizes.  Dan Beck will also travel to Orlando, FL., to compete in the Great American Pie Festival® this April.  For complete recipes visit MichiganApples.com. 

The contest kicked off Zehnder’s Snowfest, the host of ice-and snow-carving competitions, among many other events.  Snowfest runs through this weekend in downtown Frankenmuth.  Visit Zehnders.com for a complete list of events.

Michigan Apple Committee is a grower-funded nonprofit organization devoted to promotion, education and research activities to distinguish the Michigan apple and encourage its consumption in Michigan and around the world.  For more information, visit MichiganApples.com.

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(Photos available upon request to esther@michiganapples.com)

Michigan Apple Committee announces
Honeycrisp display contest winners

(DeWitt, Mich.) – Plumb’s Value-Rite Foods # 667 of Muskegon, Mich., has been declared winner of the Michigan Honeycrisp display contest, receiving a $500 cash prize.

“The Michigan Honeycrisp display contest was a big hit and all the stores did a great job showcasing this popular variety,” said Denise Donohue, Executive Director of the Michigan Apple Committee. “Honeycrisp apples are vibrant and gain even more attention when a retailer like Plumb’s create a great display.”

The winning display included Michigan Apple promotional materials, a hand-painted sign by the retailer and also featured Michigan Apple processed products.

D&W’s Knapp’s Crossing of Grand Rapids, Mich., was second place and Chicago’s Shop and Save Market #5 took third place.

Entries were judged on use of Michigan Apple Committee Signage, creativity of the display, incorporation of partner products, and the display’s perceived salability.

The Michigan Apple Committee is a grower-funded, nonprofit organization devoted to promotion, education and research activities to distinguish the Michigan apple and encourage its consumption by consumers in Michigan and around the world.

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(Photo available upon request to esther@michiganapples.com)

Pure Michigan Apples:  Success with locally-grown
theme in supermarkets

(DeWitt, Mich.) – In an unlikely but data-driven move, the Michigan apple industry has jumped on board the state’s award-winning tourism campaign, Pure Michigan, with a successful fall promotion.

Michigan Apples were the first food commodity to secure a Pure Michigan tourism partnership, which the Michigan Apple Committee utilized in October in both the Chicago and Metro Detroit retail and media markets.  The committee used a newly-developed Pure Michigan Apples brand.

“As we began refining our locally-grown approach to promoting Michigan Apples, we collected data in retail produce departments in several locations,” said Denise Donohue, Executive Director of the Michigan Apple Committee. “We combined consumer data with our known consumer demographics, did some focus groups and learned some very important information about how retailers should approach our target apple buyers.”

“Apple buying-consumers in Chicago were very aware of Michigan not only because they live nearby, but the state’s creative, Tim Allen-narrated media campaign kept it top-of-mind for them,” Donohue said.  “And while apples are not a travel destination – except in the fall – in the consumers’ minds the apples represented what was good about Michigan.”

The committee finalized decisions last winter to leverage the energy of Pure Michigan, and began communicating that to the state’s apple shippers and retailers across Michigan and in Chicago.

“Most of the food retailers we traditionally work with were eager to join forces with the popular Pure Michigan message.  We offered many of them our Pure Michigan Apples-branded wood fruit bins to create attractive, down-home store displays to reinforce the October radio campaign,” Donohue said.

“We also offered the Tim Allen in-store radio ad to these retailers, further enhancing the local ‘buzz’ about Pure Michigan Apples.”

Some stores in suburban Chicago were provided with in-store chef demos, which were also very popular.  Community events in Chicago included Oktoberfest and Legoland® family activities, as well as a chef-led cooking event for bloggers, nutritionists and journalists in downtown Chicago.

The intense October-long promotion in Chicago generated 56 million impressions, about 90 percent of them in a targeted retail environment where consumers make their purchasing decisions.

The October promotion in Metro Detroit generated over 35 million impressions, also with the vast majority inside the store.  The Detroit activities included events at The Henry Ford and MI Apple Trail, a “giant” apple art competition as a cross-promotion with farmers’ markets.

In-store evaluations by Michigan State University’s Business College were positive, and indicated the campaign had significant impact in establishing the brand.

The Apple Committee is currently evaluating results of the campaign, and is likely to continue the Pure Michigan Apples push into 2012, Donohue said.  Retailers interested in participating in Pure Michigan Apples should contact the committee.

The Michigan Apple Committee is a grower-funded nonprofit organization devoted to promotion, education and research activities to distinguish the Michigan apple and encourage its consumption by consumers in Michigan and around the world.  For more information, visit MichiganApples.com.

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Deadline approaches for Michigan Apple
amateur recipe contest

(DeWitt, Mich.) – The Michigan Apple Committee is searching for some of the best recipes highlighting apple varieties grown in Michigan, and time is almost up!  Get your recipes in now to be entered for a chance to win a KitchenAid® stand mixer.

“We’re looking for original Michigan Apple recipes that will wow the judges,” said Denise Donohue, Executive Director of the Michigan Apple Committee.  “Each year recipes submitted are different and possibly more creative than the previous year.”

Recipes will be judged on taste, originality, preparation, and apple significance.  Previous winners included Pure Bliss Apple Ginger Scones, Skillet Apple-Cherry Pie, and Baked Apple Stuffed French Toast.

Along with receiving a KitchenAid® stand mixer, the top three highest-scoring recipe winners may also be featured on recipe cards distributed by the Michigan Apple Committee at select retailers and farm markets in the Midwest.

The deadline for entering this contest is Jan. 31, 2012.  Amateur cooks are invited to send their recipe to the Michigan Apple Committee via mail or email.  Cooks can visit www.MichiganApples.com/contests for information on how to do so.

The Michigan Apple Committee is a grower-funded, nonprofit organization devoted to promotion, education and research activities to distinguish the Michigan apple and encourage its consumption by consumers in Michigan and around the world.

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Michigan Jonagold Display Contest is Underway!

(DeWitt, Mich.) – Retailers can win cash prizes for entering the Michigan Jonagold Display Contest this winter! 

Produce departments can compete to win $500 for first place, $300 for second place and $200 for third place for special, creative displays of bulk or bagged Michigan Jonagolds.   

“This contest gives retailers the opportunity to not only promote this popular variety, but to also cash in on all their hard work,” said Denise Donohue, Executive Director of the Michigan Apple Committee.  “The Michigan Jonagold is a very good-looking, fragrant and usually large Michigan Apple.  In blind consumer taste tests with apples from multiple states, Michigan Jonagold always ranks first or second.” 

Jonagold is a cross between the sweet Golden Delicious and the tart Jonathan apples.  It is preferred by food connoisseurs for exceptional flavor, and is excellent for fresh eating or for use in cooking and baking recipes.

The Michigan Jonagold Display Contest runs from January 1 through February 28, 2012.  The in-store display must include Michigan Jonagold apples and must utilize the Michigan Jonagold branded euro or master tray cartons available from most Michigan Apple shippers.  Display entries are limited to one per store and entries must be postmarked no later than March 30, 2012.

For complete details please visit MichiganApples.com/retail-display.

The Michigan Apple Committee is a grower-funded, nonprofit organization devoted to promotion, education and research activities to distinguish the Michigan Apple and encourage its consumption by consumers in Michigan and around the world. 

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First time winner in best Michigan Apple cider contest

(DeWitt, Mich.) – Sietsema Orchard & Cider Mill in Ada, Mich., was pronounced the winner of the      15^th annual Michigan Apple Cider Contest in a grueling taste-testing competition in Grand Rapids on December 7^th.  This was the first win for Skip Sietsema of Sietsema Orchard & Cider Mill.

“It’s an honor to be given the title of best Michigan apple cider,” said Bob Tritten, organizer of the contest and Michigan State University Extension District Fruit Educator.  “Sietsema Orchard beat 31 other entries to win first place.”

Other honors in this year’s contest go to Jim Hill of Hill Bros. Orchards in Grand Rapids, Mich., who earned 2^nd place, and Jim and Becky Engelsma of Engelsma’s Apple Barn in Grand Rapids who were judged to have the third-best cider.  Honorable mentions include; 4^th place William Erwin and William Emery of Erwin Orchards & Cider Mill in South Lyon, and in 5^th place was Rob Long of Long’s Family Orchard & Farm in Commerce.

Jim Engelsma was also honored with the title of Master Cider Maker.  This honor has only been given out three times; first to William Emery of Erwin Orchards & Cider Mill in 2003, Jim Hill of Hill Bros. Orchards in 2010 and now to Engelsma in 2011.  To achieve this prestigious honor, a cider maker must win first place three times.

“Michigan apple growers put a lot of effort into their cider,” said Denise Donohue, Executive Director of the Michigan Apple Committee which co-sponsors the competition. “Most have a secret recipe that is a “cocktail” of sweet and tart apple varieties.  They constantly tinker with it, to create the best sweet cider for their peers, in this case. “

This year the nine judges had a difficult time with the exceptional ciders entered in the contest.  For the first time in the competition there was a tie in the third and final round.  The judges, with a combined
62 years of judging experience, had to work hard to break that tie.

Tritten said that he began this annual competition in 1996 to improve cider making, promote the industry and educate the public. 

The Michigan Apple Committee is a grower-funded nonprofit organization devoted to promotion, education and research activities to distinguish the Michigan apple and encourage its consumption by consumers in Michigan and around the world.  For more information, visit MichiganApples.com.

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Michigan Apple Queen crowned

DeWitt, Mich. – Marissa Tidey of Decatur has been crowned the 2012 Michigan Apple Queen. Tidey competed against four young women, all of whom have a connection to the Michigan Apple industry, to be its next ambassador.

Tidey, 20, is the daughter of Tim and Gayle Tidey.  She is a student at Grand Valley State University where she is majoring in Therapeutic Recreation and minoring in Psychology with an emphasis on pediatrics.

“It is truly an honor to be crowned the Michigan Apple Queen,” said Denise Donohue, Executive Director of the Michigan Apple Committee, sponsor of the pageant.  “Marissa will serve as a representative of the Michigan Apple industry, and we know she will do an excellent job when we send her to represent us at schools, parades, festivals and even grocery store events.”

Tidey will spend the next year attending different events and festivals as the face of the Michigan Apple industry.  She will also travel to different schools throughout Michigan teaching students about apples.

Emily Heeren earned 1^st runner-up at the pageant, which took place at the DeVos Place Ballroom on December 6.  Heeren, 20, is the daughter of Brian and Linda Heeren and is attending Olivet College pursuing a degree in Biology. 

The pageant marked the 61^st year of the competition that awards an apple representative based on poise, beauty, apple knowledge, and public speaking ability.

Queen contestants must be between 17 and 23 years of age and have a link to the Michigan Apple industry.  The Michigan Apple Committee sponsors the annual pageant.  The winners receive a modest scholarship.

The Michigan Apple Committee is a grower-funded nonprofit organization devoted to promotion, education and research activities to distinguish the Michigan apple and encourage its consumption by consumers in Michigan and around the world.  For more information, visit MichiganApples.com.

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Michigan Apple growers and shippers donate to local causes

(DeWitt, Mich.) – Michigan shippers and growers are doing their part this holiday season and donating apples to their local food banks and to other organizations helping those in need.  Not only do they supply these organizations with apples, but most volunteer their time year after year. 

“Our shippers and growers are dedicated to helping those in need,” said Denise Donohue, Executive Director of the Michigan Apple Committee.  “They provide thousands of pounds of apples each year to organizations, helping families who are underprivileged.”

Riveridge Produce Marketing, Inc. dedicates time, money and apples to help the Food Bank Council of Michigan and Feeding America West Michigan Food Bank.  They also contribute donations to the Kids’ Food Basket organization, a force for “attacking childhood hunger in greater Grand Rapids.”  Within the last five years, Riveridge has donated 4.5 million pounds of fresh produce to families in need.

Also providing West Michigan with donations is Ridgeview Produce in Conklin.  Students from North Park Elementary School make an annual trip to Ridgeview to pick apples for the Feeding America West Michigan Food Bank.  This year they picked 7,635 pounds of apples that will provide a three pound bag of apples to 2,545 families.

South Michigan receives donations from Glei’s Inc. in Hillsdale, with donations to local schools and church groups.  Glei’s recently donated apples to a military mother making apple pies for her son’s military unit.  Those pies were served at an early Thanksgiving dinner before the military unit was deployed to the Middle East.

“These are a few of the many stories from our growers and shippers who were willing to share information about their donating efforts.  Many other growers work with gleaners, and church and school groups.  Whether it is a large or small donation, they are helping families in need throughout Michigan,” said Donohue.

For more than 20 years, Michigan Apple growers have been donating to the Food Bank Council of Michigan (FBCM).  Last year, growers donated 815,080 pounds of apples.  So far this fall, growers have donated 224,984 pounds of apples.  

"Apples are one of the more favored crops in our network and provide a consistent source of nutrition, portability for backpack programs for underserved school children, and have one of the longest produce shelf-lives,” said Bill Long, Interim Director of the Food Bank Council of Michigan.  "We are consistently humbled by and appreciative of the support and giving by Michigan's apple growers throughout the state, in both bumper crop and tougher low-yield years."  

Michigan is the third-largest producer of apples in the nation, and produced over 26 million bushels of apples in 2011.

The Michigan Apple Committee is a grower-funded, nonprofit organization devoted to promotion, education and research activities to distinguish the Michigan apple and encourage its consumption by consumers in Michigan and around the world.

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Michigan Apple seeks creative recipes
Amateur apple recipe contest underway

DeWitt, Mich. – The Michigan Apple Committee is searching for some of the best recipes highlighting apple varieties grown in Michigan.  If you have a recipe that your friends and family rave about, send it in and be entered for a chance to win a KitchenAid® stand mixer.

 “We’re looking for original Michigan Apple recipes that will wow the judges,” said Denise Donohue, Executive Director of the Michigan Apple Committee.  “Each year recipes submitted are different and possibly more creative than the previous year.”

Recipes will be judged on taste, originality, preparation, and apple significance.  Previous winners included Pure Bliss Apple Ginger Scones, Skillet Apple-Cherry Pie, and Baked Apple Stuffed French Toast.

Along with receiving a KitchenAid® stand mixer, the top three highest-scoring recipe winners may also be featured on recipe cards distributed by the Michigan Apple Committee at select retailers and farm markets in the Midwest.

Amateur cooks are invited to send their recipe to the Michigan Apple Committee via mail or email by Jan. 31, 2012.  Cooks can visit www.MichiganApples.com/contests for information on how to do so.

Michigan Apple Committee is a grower-funded nonprofit organization devoted to promotion, education and research activities to distinguish the Michigan Apple and encourage its consumption in Michigan and around the World.  For more information, visit MichiganApples.com

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