When it comes to jerky, some people just say “no”. But when it comes to the jerky shops in Dundee and Luna Pier, you have to reconsider. Why? Because there’s more to these shops than just jerky.
These two stores, which are owned by the same people, have a massive variety of hot sauces and barbecue sauces. Some of the hot sauces, particularly the hotter varieties, do come with some rude names. But these are also excellent stores to get some of the more popular mainstream sauces, such as Dave’s Insanity line (including his mustards and such), and the better ones from Ashley Foods, such as the smooth-but-biting Mad Dog BBQ sauce. There are also some wonderful rubs for meats, game and poultry, cookbooks, those massive deli-style dill pickles …
… and the reason I go most often, spices from Alden Mill House.
Back in June 2005 Mary and I had our honeymoon in the Torch Lake area, between Traverse City and Charlevoix. Torch Lake is just a couple miles wide, but just over 20 miles long, with some of the cleanest water you’ll find anywhere.
So, one day we left the house we’d rented for a drive around the lake itself, just to see all the sights and towns along the way. Alden is at the southeast corner of the lake on a pair of 90-degree turns on a two-lane road.
What was amazing was how busy the little burg was. On a weekday no less. It was wall-to-wall tourists.
After browsing through some great gift shops, a large clothing store with a very British feel to it, and checking out more than one restaurant, we sat on the covered patio in a little family-owned place.
There was a large selection of Alden Mill House spices on each table. Intrigued, and following the lead of my sister Barb, I tried some of their Farm Market Salad Seasoning on my omelet.
It was just plain wonderful. Rich in flavor, but subtle in its punch, I had to have some. We asked where the place was, and found out it was just up the road at the next turn. The waitress said they also had a store there.
I was expecting an industial-style ‘mill house’, like a grainery with silos. I wasn’t at all expecting to find this:
There, at the town’s eastern-most 90-degree curve was the Alden Mill House. A house, with a neatly-manicured lawn. Well, at least on the eastern side. The western lawn? Well, it’s more like what I would imagine Pippi Longstocking’s lawn would be like at her home, Villa Villekulla:
Totally overgrown, there are details in these gardens that are easy to miss, such as these next to the porch near the door …
Inside, as soon as you get through the door, you’re hit with the most amazing smells! They make the spices right there in the house, from my favorite, their Miracle Blend, to the salad seasoning, dressing mixes, and many other great flavors. The store itself covers the front four-or-so rooms on the main floor. The spice room was where I spent most of my time:
They carry all sorts of decorations for kitchens, a huge number of utensils, tools, and other items for cooks (I need a pair of those extendable tongs!) Chef Geno is a retired chef (see their web site for more info). Of course, out in the yard is a room where he does his best thinking:
Meanwhile, in the rest of the yard … it’s just a jungle out there … there are crocs to step over … and snake skins in the trees to avoid … and … and … sometimes, pumpkins …
We came home with a good batch of things, including the cookbook put together by the family, with recipes from other people as well. Chef Geno includes his own recipes for Ham Roulades, a vegetable soup that uses the Mill House’s sneezeless Malabar Island pepper from India, his baked cod fillet, and many others.
If you can’t get up to the Mill House itself in Alden on Torch Lake, and even if you don’t like jerky, head to one of the jerky shops in Dundee or Luna Pier, and start with some Miracle Blend in your scrambled eggs. You’ll likely head back to try more. And if you can get to the Mill House, don’t forget the camera and don’t have a cold. You’ll want to smell every last smell in that wonderful house.
Hi i worked over the summer at the mill and had a blast i am going to return after school is done but i would like to thank you for getting the word out. Who ever reads this must give the gift of flavor
Geno was the man
Michael, you mention Geno in past tense … has he passed away?
My brothers own cottages on Torch and I stop at the Mill House every time I’m in the area visiting. I can’t cook without Mill House spices (or my concoctions just don’t quite measure up)! The taste and quality are second to NONE!
Some of the newer additions (to me) are the dried red and green bell peppers (I add it to spice up innumerable soups, stews and casseroles, not to mention how wonderfully they flavor egg dishes. I just purchased the garlic seasoning last week.
The pepper varieties are out of this world! You’ve made my “pretty good cooking”, WORLD CLASS! Miracle Blend is EXACTLY that!
Needless to say, I have spent bundles over the years on Christmas “Gift of Taste” selections for many friends and relative. I sent an Alden Mill House package to our foreign exchange student’s parents in Germany, as a token of MY GOOD TASTE! Thanx!