Cherry Quest

photo by Lisa Waterman Gray

Door County Wisconsin

Cherries have baffled me for decades. Almost all other stone fruits are sweet when ripe but cherries come in both sweet and sour varieties. Most fresh fruits are best when a bit soft to touch but the cherries worth cherry-picking should be firm and hard. Finally there’s that old song “Sweeet Cherry Wine” by Tommy James and Shondells:

“Yesterday my friends were marching out to war, oh yeah.
Listen now we ain't a marching anymore,
No we ain't gonna fight,
Only God has the right
To decide who's to live and die
He gave us sweet cherry wine
So very fine.”

That song deduced that God supported conscientious objectors because He invented cherry wine. That logic was difficult for me but I didn't have much experience with cherry wine or the God who invented it.

Lately, one sour cherry, the Montmorency, has been hailed as the latest super food, particularly for arthritis pain. I am generally skeptical about new super foods, but being in a high risk group for arthritis, I am willing to drink the Montmorency brand of Kool Aid. So, when Wro started pestering me to visit Door County, Wisconsin during cherry harvest, I booked tickets.

Montmorency cherry trees love Door County. They’re tough enough to survive northern Wisconsin’s cold winters because ground snow protects that trees’ roots. Surrounded by Green Bay on one side and Lake Michigan on the other, Door County’s climate is milder than mainland parts of Great Lake states.

A fully mature cherry tree produces more than 100 pounds, or 7,000 cherries, or enough for about 28 pies. Most trees are harvested, by shakers, in late July and August. Door County begins about 40 miles north of Green Bay Airport and roadside cherry stands begin popping up even sooner.

I made Wro wait for The Cherry Hut in Fish Creek which is Door County’s oldest roadside market. Then we bought some sparkling cherry juice, some straight cherry juice, so cherry jam and some cherry preserves. I planned on saving the sparkling stuff for a celebrative moment, but Wro popped the cork and we devoured it in the rental car before it could get warm. I should have known from the Tommy James song that cherries undermine discipline.

Kingdom So Delicious

French fur trader Pierre Esprit Radisson discovered the Door County peninsula in the late 1600s and dubbed it "A Kingdom So Delicious," because of its abundant fish, food and game. National Geographic magazine used Radisson's quote as a title for a 1969 cover story that made the county one of America’s first culinary tourist destinations.

Now there’s a three week agritourism festival in September celebrating Door County's unique variety of crops and its commercial fishing industry with tours of fishing boats, organic farms, grass fed ranches, the USDA Potato Gene Bank and of course the cherry and apple harvests.

Door County harvests around 8-13 million pounds of cherries a year, mostly Montmorencys.

We were told that the year's harvest was “below the low end because of a nasty late Spring freeze.” Clearly we had no time to waste - we had to eat every application of cherry we could find before the cherries ran out. World peace and the cure for arthritis were at stake. So we went looking for Al Johnson’s goats.

Goats on the Roof

A county icon for six decades, Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant has seen a lot of changes. Al’s son Lars told us that Al was more famous as fisherman than a restaurateur until he got married.

“As old timers tell it, he served breakfast, cleaned up the kitchen, and then hung a “Gone Fishin’” sign on the door. That was before he met Mom in 1960. She added a lot of feminine touches and a gift shop where people could browse while waiting to be seated. Today, we have two Butiks that draw people day and night. All our food is served on dishes from Porsgrund, Norway, the decorative rosemaling (style of painting) is done by Norwegian artist Sigmund Arseth,” Lars explained.

Lars added that Al’s personal vision also defined the restaurant, in a more playful manner. Al recruited waitresses from Sweden in the early years and later from other European countries. Many stayed and helped maintain the Scandinavian charm of Door County. Many of Al Johnson’s year-around employees have been there over 10 years, some as much as 35 years. A bigger change also involved Scandinavian imports.

“The restaurant was renovated in 1973. The log buildings were assembled in Norway, taken apart and shipped to Sister Bay, where they were put together around the existing building. An underlayer was put on the roof and seeded with grass in Old Swedish style,“ Lars said.

Later in 1973 Oscar the goat was given to Al by Al’s fishing buddy Winkie Larson.

“Winkie was always playing jokes on Al and one day, Al caught him climbing the ladder, with Oscar under his arm, heading to the roof. Oscar kicked until both he and Winkie fell to the ground. Oscar was fine but Winkie broke his collar bone. As soon as he recovered enough to carry a goat up a ladder, Winkie succeeded in establishing our Goats on the Roof tradition.”

Wro counted 7 goats on the roof on our visit. They ranged in age from young kids to older goats. They graze during the day and pose for tourists with cameras. The goats seemed rather unaffected by the attention and in nice weather they work a 9 to 5 shift.

The restaurant serves around 2,400 people a day in the height of the season.

We ordered the specialty of house - Swedish pancakes, but passed on the recommended imported lingonberries (a small, red berry much like a cranberry or currant in taste) sauce. World peace demanded we substitute cherries. The Swedish pancakes were light and came with loads of whipped cream too. Wro ordered a homemade Swedish meatball sandwich, on limpa bread with beet salad to fortify us for our next cherry mission.

Simon Creek Vineyard and Winery

Simon Creek Vineyard and Winery lies directly astride the 45 North Parallel - the halfway point between the North Pole and equator. It is the most modern winery and largest vineyard (30 acres) in Wisconsin. Winery tours show the winemaking process from harvest through bottling and casing.

The tour ends at the tasting room overlooking the glass enclosed wine production area (36,000 gallons in stainless steel wine storage tanks), the vineyard and a pond. A lounge area and outdoor terrace allow visitors to sample the finest vinifera and hybrid wines. We could have lingered if so much did not depend on our mission.

Because the original Mr Simon refused to sell his farm to Al Capone, “Untouchable Red” is the name they gave their best seller, a cabernet sauvignon blend. I thought their Jackson Port was their best wine but their cherry wine was too sweet to convince me that we should stop fighting Al Qaeda. Wro tried more cherry juice.

Lautenbach's Orchard Country Winery & Market

Seeking less saccharine nostalgia, we headed to Lautenbach's Orchard Country Winery & Market. In 1958, William and Ruth Lautenbach bought a farm with a dairy barn, over 100 milking cows and a few remnants of a once flourishing cherry orchard.

Bob Lautenbach, their eldest son, took over the family farm in 1969, and began planting new cherry and apple trees until he filled 100 acres with over 8,000 trees. In 1975, a farm market was added - to sell fresh fruit and fruit products to passing tourists. In 1985, a winery and cider mill was established in the restored dairy barn.

Bob showed us how Montmorency cherries are freshly picked and packaged. Some become wines, such as "Cherry Blossom," others become fresh baked cherry pies, or fresh-pressed jugs of tart cherry juice, or dried cherries, or rows and rows of scrumptious cherry jams and preserves.

Wro picked his own fresh cherries while I toured the winery and market, buying all the above and wishing later that I had bought more of the jams and cherry juice. Temporarily cherried out, it was time for the ultimate Door County dinner.

White Gull Inn

White Gull Inn in Fish Creek has been a hospitality legend for more than a century. With rooms furnished with exquisite antiques and three hearty meals a day (including cherry stuffed French toast for breakfast), it's the county's most famous inn. It's even better known though for hosting "Door County's best fish boil."

That was the consensus expert opinion of several folks we asked, all of whom demanded to remain anonymous, if you know what I mean.

Current owner Andy Coulson filled us in on some White Gull Inn history. "The inn's history shows how little things change over a century. Way back then, it was established by a successful urban professional who fell in love with small town charms and changed his profession late in life.

Back in the 1890's, Fish Creek was already transforming from a fishing village into a tourist town. A Milwaukee German doctor named Herman Welcker fell in love with this little inn and bought it. He built little cottages surrounding the main building, a style that has been popular ever since.

He also bought an entire building and shipped it, over the ice of Green Bay, to establish a casino. His inn was across the street and catered to casino guests," Andy said.

Andy himself was working in Australia, with no intention of ever leaving that country, when he heard that the White Gull Inn was for sale. That was over 30 years ago and he's been here ever since. Andy and his wife Jan run the place and have turned the inn's fish boil, which was the county's first commercial fish boil back in 1959, into county lore.

Freshly caught Lake Michigan whitefish are cooked outside over an open fire, just as they were a hundred years ago by the Scandinavian settlers of the Peninsula. The fish are cut in chunks and cooked in boiling water with small red potatoes.

"Other fish boils add onions, but we think onions overpower the flavor of fresh fish," Andy explained, adding that salt is the only spice used.

When fish oils rose to the surface of the boiling cauldron, Master Boiler Tom Christianson tossed some kerosene on the wood fire beneath the pot. The resulting burst of flames spilled fish oils over the side of the pot and left the fish perfectly cooked. It also made a fabulous photo op. Wro suggested that it was a good metaphor for the end of war, whether paired with sweet cherry wine, or not. That worked for me.

Inside the White Gull Inn dining room, the whitefish and potatoes were served with lemon, melted butter, garden fresh coleslaw and homemade breads. Oh and homemade Door County cherry pie for dessert. Duh.

Beyond Cherry Wine

The best recipes we picked up in Door County has nothing to do with cherries. Hey, our mission is completed.

Al Johnson’s Swedish Glögg

Makes about 1 gallon
1.5 litre bottle of inexpensive dry red wine
1.5 litre bottle of inexpensive American port
1/2 bottle of Vodka
2 bags Grandpa Lundquist's Swedish Glogg Spices
1 bottle of Swedish Glogg Mix (liquid)
Peel of one orange
2 cups sugar
Garnish with the peel of another orange

If You Go...

Best Time to Visit

A three week long agri-tourism festival in September celebrates Door County's unique variety of crops and commercial fishing industry, with tours of fishing boats, organic farms, grass fed ranches, the USDA Potato Gene Bank and, of course, cherry and apple harvests.

Lodging

Landmark Resort
4955 Landmark Circle Unit 4215, Egg Harbor, WI 54209, 920- 868-3205
www.thelandmarkresort.com
Outdoor pool, indoor pool, hot tubs, fireplace in lobby, steam rooms, fitness center, game room, tennis court, shuffleboard court, volleyball court, basketball court, laundromat,

White Gull Inn
4225 Main Street ~ PO Box 160 ~ Fish Creek, WI 54212, 888-364-9542
www.whitegullinn.com
Exquisite antique furnishings and a fabulous dining room anchor this inn that has been part of county lore for three centuries. Walking distance to the county's best shopping too.

Wineries

Door Peninsula Winery
5806 Hwy. 42
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235, 920-743-7431, 800-551-5049
www.dcwine.com

Simon Creek Winery
5896 Bochek Road, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235, 920-746-9307, www.simoncreekvineyard.com

Lautenbach's Orchard Country Winery
9197 Hwy 42, Fish Creek, WI., 54212, 920-868-3479,
www.orchardcountry.com

Other Cherry Fixes

Door County Coffee & Tea
PO Box 638 - 5773 Hwy 42 - Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235, 800- 856-6613
www.doorcountycoffee.com

Al Johnson's
10698 N. Bay Shore Drive
Sister Bay, WI 54234
800-241-9914 ext.25
www.aljohnsons.com

Wilson’s Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor
9990 Water Street - P.O. Box 187
Ephraim, WI 54211, 920-854-2041
www.wilsonsicecream.com

Alexander's
3667 Highway 42, Fish Creek, WI, 54234, 920-868-3532
www.alexandersofdoorcounty.com

White Gull Inn
4225 Main Street ~ PO Box 160 ~ Fish Creek, WI 54212, 888-364-9542
www.whitegullinn.com

Sweetie Pies
PO Box 196 - Fish Creek - Wisconsin - 54212
877-868-2744 (toll free) or 920-868-2743,
www.doorcountypies.com