The real estate brokers and agents at Loon Lake Realty invest a great deal of time driving to and walking potential new property listings to offer. Here’s one that didn’t make the cut.

• Way back at the end of a little gravel road, very secluded. - Check.
• A beautiful mix of pines and hardwoods. - Check.
• Power run all the way to the lake. - Check.
• A no wake lake, serene and quiet. - Check.
• Deer peacefully foraging along the lake shore. - Check.
• Clear, clean looking water. - Check.
• Sand bottom. - Another wasted tank of gas.

Another lake property not for sale by Loon Lake Realty.

Well before Ernest Hemingway popularized Michigan’s rivers and streams as settings and backdrops for his early short stories, Michigan was known as a trout fishing paradise.  However, there is more to Michigan than just the Big Two-Hearted River.  Other famous Michigan rivers and streams include Bear Creek, the Little Manistee River, the Pine River, the Boardman River, the Au Sable River and the Pere Marquette.  This list wouldn’t be complete without mention of the Manistee River.

Located in the western lower peninsula of northern Michigan, the Manistee River offers over two hundred thirty miles of the finest steelhead, salmon and trout fishing that can be found anywhere in the lower forty eight states.  Who better to offer insight and knowledge about the Big Manistee than someone who makes their living by offering fly fishing guide services?  Schmidt Outfitters has an excellent article about the Manistee River on their website:  Manistee River - Michigan Fly Fishing

With rising food prices, there’s been a lot of talk about modern “Victory Gardens”, a little vegetable garden in the backyard to grow some fresh and free food. Another source of fresh, organic and free food is the north country. For some this means game, fish and fowl. For others this means foraging for edible ‘wild’ plants: morels, fiddleheads, leaks, rice, tree nuts and berries.

A simple way to begin wild foraging is to be on the lookout for blackberries and raspberries, one of the easiest natural eats found in the forests of Wisconsin and Michigan. Here’s some photos of the raspberry patch I came across the other day. Sweet, juicy and 100% wild; the bounty of the northwoods!

For more on the subject of wild food foraging in the northwoods take a look at Wisconsin author Sam Thayer’s website: Forager’s Harvest

Sam Thayer’s book can be found on his website and also on Amazon along with many other excellent books on the subject: The Forager’s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants