“Step right up and let us butter you up!”
When you hear this theatrical male voice, your curiosity is piqued.
That’s Joe Dickman, aka the “Butter Baron,” inviting you to stop at his booth on Thursday evening at the New Buffalo Farmers Market in Michigan.
He and his wife, Paula, own and operate Southwestern Michigan Buttery—an artisan kitchen based in Galien, MI, where they make fruit butters using local ingredients. They make all their butters using time-honored family recipes, five generations in the making. All of their products are low-sugar and diabetic-friendly, lactose- and gluten-free and certified kosher.
In additional to local ingredients, Southwestern Michigan Buttery also sources local sunshine. They craft the fruit butters in a solar-powered kitchen.
Joe and Paula say this form of power has some sci-fi coolness and eco-friendliness to it, but the most compelling reason they decided to invest in solar power is because it’s good for business.
Because they outfitted the kitchen to run entirely on solar power, the business enjoyed a 30% tax incentive in 2016 and is expecting a 100% return on the investment by 2022. They launched the $12,000 do-it-yourself solar power project in the off-season and finished in March 2017.
Southwestern Michigan Buttery also partners with local companies so that every part of the process—ingredients, eco-friendly recycled glass jars and labels, and product testing—is sourced in Michiana.
Fruit butter is comparable to preserves or jam but with a silkier, melt-in-your-mouth feel. The only thing it has in common with actual butter is its spreadability. Southwestern Michigan Buttery fruit butters are created by slow-cooking fruit over low heat for 12 to 14 hours until it develops a rich, buttery texture and becomes a thick, glossy, caramelized spread.
Fruit butter is perfect for spreading on toast on a crisp fall morning. It works well dolloped on a cheese plate to lend a sweet, fruity contrast to funky cheese specimens or stirred into braising liquids, marinades and glazes to bring sweetness and complexity to grilled and roasted meats. Their signature product is apple butter, but they also offer peach, plum, rhubarb, blueberry, apple-cranberry and apple-cherry.
Southwestern Michigan Buttery sells its products at the New Buffalo Farmers Market, online at swmichiganbuttery.com and on the shelves of more than 30 retail stores in the Michiana area. You can find a list of retail locations on the website.
Southwestern Michigan Buttery
Galien, MI
269.545.9989
swmichiganbuttery.com
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