By M. Christine Byron

If you enjoy going to the Fulton Street Farmer’s Market, stopping at roadside vegetable stands, and “eating local” at restaurants, this is the book for you. Written by Jaye Beeler, former food editor and restaurant reviewer for The Grand Rapids Press, who aims to eat locally shares her favorite Michigan foods with us in this mouth-watering book. The stunning photographs are by Dianne Carroll Burdick, a veteran local photographer, whose work has appeared in six books and over fifty art exhibitions.

Jaye and Dianne’s year-long journey took them all over the state, driving 2,500 miles and taking 8,000 photographs. Michigan is the second-most agriculturally diverse state in the country. Jaye and Dianne visited small family farms growing everything from asparagus to zucchini. They sought out orchards that produce peaches, cherries and antique apples. They stopped by fisheries, meat markets, bakeries and restaurants. They tasted fresh milk, goat cheese and ice cream from dairies.

Some of my personal favorites in the book are the thimbleberry jam from the Jampot in Eagle Harbor, the Raclette from Leelanau Cheese in Suttons Bay, and smoked whitefish from John Cross Fisheries in Charlevoix. There are 26 pages of delicious recipes — don’t miss Zingerman’s Roadhouse macaroni and cheese, Christmas Cove’s apple pie and Rob Burdick’s roasted squash. This book is a perfect companion for any Michigan roadtrip.

So buckle your seat belt and loosen a notch in your belt and savor our state’s fine homegrown food.