Sarah and Phil Hallstedt, owners of Hallstedt Homestead Cherries, are also the founders of their newest business venture, Red Truck Orchards. With the cherry season being short and sweet, their newest project, cherry vinegar, will allow people to taste and enjoy local cherries all-year round.
Npt couple launches cherry vinegar line
During Christmas 2022, Sarah’s and Phil’s children living in Chicago brought home a new drink called a shrub. Sarah and Phil had never heard of it, but were intrigued by the history and the taste. The history of shrubs date back centuries to the Middle East and later to England where they were used as a preservative and drink. During COVID, shrubs had a resurgence in the US as a mocktail or cocktail, hence the family was experimenting with them during the holiday visit. Phil loved them but Sarah found the apple cider vinegar ingredients too harsh for her taste, which intrigued Phil.
Phil has focused his 40+ year career on new product development which continued when they moved to their cherry farm in 2016 to live full time in Leelanau. He began experimenting with cherry wine from the cherries grown on their farm. After years of tinkering with a family recipe and making many gallons of poor wine which was too sweet or simply not drinkable, he hit upon a wine version that was pretty good and similar to a pinot noir but made 100% from cherries. He had 50 gallons remaining in the storage barn so as their kids left after the holidays, he began experimenting in turning some of this cherry wine into cherry vinegar.
The experiment was initially successful but was difficult to scale up. This is when the Grand Traverse community came into action. Over the next year, local working and semi-retired experts came forward at just the right time to keep the project rolling forward. The process seemed blessed in that as hurdles presented themselves, someone in the local area was able to overcome the barriers in wine making, fermentation, positioning, branding, culinary arts, retailing, construction and distribution. “Leelanau County draws an eclectic and resourceful group of people. We talk about the outstanding natural resources of Northwest Michigan, but the real treasure are the people drawn to the lifestyle, environment and culture. These people came forward to assist many times without any expectation of payment. They just wanted to share their expertise and make a difference” according to the Hallstedts.
So with production hurdles in the rear view mirror, the next steps are to distinguish the cherry vinegar through it’s unique health and taste profile. On the health side, Montmorency tart cherries are referenced as “Delicious Gems of Goodness” by the industry website choosecherries.com, capable of aiding muscle recovery, arthritis and sleep. The anthocyanins found in tart cherries are also found in cherry vinegar at levels 3-20x higher than apple cider, red and white vinegars according to a study completed at Michigan State University. In addition, the mother, which are friendly bacteria that produce the acetic acid found in vinegar, is in each unpasteurized bottle. Vinegar with mother is used by some for wellness and gut health. Red Truck Orchards’ cherry vinegar combines the healthy elements of cherries and the acetic acid with friendly bacteria, but the Hallstedts want data to actually prove the health benefits are true. Phil is traveling to the Food and Nutrition Conference (FNCE) in Nashville TN to recruit dietitians and nutritionists to a wellness panel of experts to assess the health benefits of cherry vinegar.
“The anecdotal feedback is promising, but let’s truly assess the health impact of cherry vinegar in a robust way,” says Phil.
On the taste profile, trips to national culinary conferences such as the American Culinary Federation in July to speak with chefs and mixologists have also been promising. Phil observed that “Chefs from across the United States understand that cherries are good for you, and after tasting the cherry vinegar, describe the taste as rounded with a bright onset and a lingering cherry finish. They see the taste as unique and able to elevate beverages, dressings and marinades.”
A big opportunity to showcase the cherry vinegar was at the Harvest Epicurean Feast Celebration on Oct. 23 at Black Star Farms. Eleven of the top chefs in Michigan are coming together to produce a very special meal highlighting the very best fresh vegetables, fruits and local ingredients of Leelanau paired with the best wines of Black Star Farms. Tickets are available at the Black Star Farms website but they are limited and going quick. Some of the chefs selected the cherry vinegar for their culinary creations and it will be fun to see what the flavors and textures are highlighted at the meal.
Yet this is only the start of the journey. Red Truck Orchards has a number of new product offerings coming forward in the next 6-18 months which will expand the uses of cherries and perhaps surprise people with new health data, culinary recipes and product offerings which highlight this very special fruit. Cherries are super, and tart Montmorency Cherries are a super-fruit loaded with health benefits associated with their high levels of anthocyanins. Red Truck Orchards’ cherry vinegar is a new opportunity to see how special cherries are and their versatility in all sorts of dishes. If one wishes to learn more, they can sign up for company and farm updates at redtruckorchards.com.
