Beth Ellis Beth Ellis

Ho Ho Host Your Holiday at The Newton! 

It is time, people, to plan your holiday events and gatherings. We LOVE the holidays, and we’d love to help make your event special and festive and delicious! Soon, The Newton’s halls will be decked, its fireplaces laid with logs, its kitchen bustling with baking and roasting, its porches twinkling, and a gorgeous tree will be filling the front window. Host your event in one of our beautiful spaces, spend a special weekend here, or give the gift of The Newton to someone you love! We’ve got it all covered!

 
 

Forgive the cringey title, but it is time, people, to begin planning your holiday events (I mean technically, it’s kind of late, but this is how I operate!). We LOVE the holidays, and we’d love to help make your event special and festive and delicious! Soon, The Newton’s halls will be decked, its fireplaces laid with logs, its kitchen bustling with baking and roasting, its porches twinkling, and a gorgeous tree will be filling the front window. Have your holiday party here, whether its an intimate family dinner, or a big fancy party! We’ve got you covered - Chef Allison and her team can craft a sumptuous meal, complete with special cocktails (or mocktails). Have a cozy party in our historical tavern! It has its own rustic tree and twinkle lights galore and an incredible fireplace! 

 

A cozy holiday scene in our tavern, which was built in the 1800s.

 

Need a pre-holiday getaway? Spend a special weekend here with your boo and enjoy some of the wonderful holiday events scheduled in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor! We’ve got holiday artisan markets, tree lightings, concerts, and performances coming up!

Finally, consider giving someone you love or appreciate the gift of The Newton of Ypsilanti - a gift card can be applied to an overnight stay at this beautiful boutique inn, a special dinner, a cooking class, or one of our workshops or events! You really can’t go wrong, as The Newton has something for everyone. Give us a call or head to our website to find out more about this fantastic option for everyone on your list (maybe not the kids…).

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Beth Ellis Beth Ellis

SUMMER! SUMMER! SUMMER!

OMG OMG IT’S ALMOST HERE, and we are excited! Summer in southeast Michigan is truly special, and we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite things to do. Come stay at The Newton of Ypsilanti and let us help you make the most of summer!

OMG OMG IT’S ALMOST HERE, and we are excited! Summer in southeast Michigan is truly special, and we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite things to do. Come stay at The Newton of Ypsilanti and let us help you make the most of summer! Whether you’re local to the area or just passing through, The Newton is downright idyllic in the summer. The breezes waft through the open windows, the front porch is a great spot to read and have a coffee, and the courtyard is a secret garden - perfect for an afternoon hammock nap! 

Summer brings festivals, fairs, and outdoor concerts. Fresh fruit and vegetables await picking - at a u-pick farm or a local farmers’ market. At The Newton, you can enjoy the fruits of your labor with a glass of crisp rosé. We can join you at one of the fabulous local farmers’ markets and design a cooking class just for you! Or Chef Allison can prepare a phenomenal seasonal meal using produce from nearby farms.  Michigan’s freshwater resources are an embarrassment of riches - the Great Lakes, the many inland lakes, and the scenic rivers. Ford Lake has so many lovely parks for picnicking or fishing, and the Huron River flows right through Ypsilanti. There are countless ways to enjoy this incredible resource - by kayak, canoe, paddleboard, or inflatable tube! Ypsilanti is celebrating its bicentennial this year, and there is a great lineup of events in the works! 

Festivals • Fairs • Outdoor Performances

U-Pick Farms • Farmers’ Markets • Cooking Classes

  • Asparagus, strawberries, peas, blackberries, raspberries, tomatoes, herbs, flowers - you name it, and there is probably a u-pick farm nearby! We’ll help you find the right one!

Outdoor Adventuring

This is just a small sample of the fantastic activities and events happening this summer - give us a call, or book online to plan your adventure!



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Beth Ellis Beth Ellis

The March of the Morels (They’re Almost Here!)

No matter our politics, our beliefs, our values, our faith, there is at least one matter on which we can all agree: WE ALL LOVE MUSHROOMS. Right?! No? Many mushroom lovers really love mushrooms, though, and for an even smaller subset of people, the morel mushroom is just about the most exciting food in existence. The emergence of the morel heralds the coming of spring, and many Michigan foragers guard their morel hunting spots closely. Right around now, they’re beginning to check their secret spots for the first signs of the mushrooms, because once the heads are visible, there is a harvest window of only a few days.

No matter our politics, our beliefs, our values, our faith, there is at least one matter on which we can all agree: WE ALL LOVE MUSHROOMS. Right?! No? Okay, maybe not everyone - mushrooms are actually one of the most polarizing foods we eat, right up there with cilantro, smelly cheese, and olives. In our own cooking adventures, we have marveled at the near-surgical precision mushroom-haters can employ to extract mushrooms from a risotto or a soup. Many mushroom lovers really love mushrooms, though, and for an even smaller subset of people, the morel mushroom is just about the most exciting food in existence. The emergence of the morel heralds the coming of spring, and many Michigan foragers guard their morel hunting spots closely. Right around now, they’re beginning to check their secret spots for the first signs of the mushrooms, because once the heads are visible, there is a harvest window of only a few days. Skilled (and/or lucky) foragers can sell morels to chefs eager to put them on menus, but most morel hunters are just hoping to put morels on their own plates. Morels are notoriously difficult to cultivate, so for the most part, they are only available during their brief growing season (late-April to mid-June in Michigan). More than a few poems have been written about the morel, and they read like Victorian love poetry - morels are elusive, mysterious, shy, bashful, and precious gems whose beauty goes unnoticed by all but the fastidious few. 

We are perched on the cusp of morel-hunting season here in southeast Michigan; there was a sighting just south of us earlier this week! If you want to give morel-hunting a try, check out some of the resources we have linked below. Morels are fairly distinctive looking, but there are a few toxic look-alike species which are generally lumped together as “false morels.” And be prepared to channel your inner criminal persona, as one writer described morel hunters thus:

“These are the… people who, if you come upon them in the forest, always look suspicious and paranoid, like someone waiting for a drug deal. They walk slowly through the pines, heads bent. When they see you they try to look casual, like they just happen to be taking a little stroll. Never mind the basket they carry or that funny, curved knife in their hands. They barely offer a wave before scooting off to a quieter part of the forest.”

Should you be so fortuitous as to find a morel or two (or even a patch!), you’ll find countless recipes for cooking them. We think that the best way to prepare them, though, is to simply sauté them with a little butter and salt, and eat them right out of the pan! It’s certainly not a complicated recipe, but it’s a shame to hide this mushroom’s flavor with elaborate preparations. If you do want to get a little fancy, the great chef and food writer J. Kenji López-Alt recommends a sauté with a few more ingredients that highlight the morel’s delicate earthiness. López-Alt’s recipe post also includes some excellent graphics if you’re not sure how to clean and trim your morels.

 Let us know if you get lucky!

Resources and reading:

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