Crop Spot: Radishes
After months of gray skies and storage vegetables, the first spring crops are a welcome relief for the eyes and the palette. An often underappreciated crop is the…
What does local mean to you?
On Saturday, March 16th, I presented My Local Food Relationship at Northern Michigan University’s TEDx. (Editor’s note: link to video is coming soon!)
A Farmer’s Diary: Beginning Farmer Institute, Part 3
Our third and final Beginning Farmer Institute (BFI) session took us to Washington state to talk business formation, business planning and long-term health, land tenure, credit, taxation, liability,…
7 Tips to Make the Most of your CSA Share
Spring has officially sprung! As you shake off the winter haze, now is the perfect time to start planning thinking about where your food is coming from this…
Investing in Local Pollinators
Pollinators may appear small, but they have a massive impact in our ecosystem. These buzzing bees and native pollinators are a necessary, yet often forgotten, component of our…
An Eater’s Guide to Hydroponics
What the heck is hydroponics? If this sounds like Greek to you, it is. “Hydroponic” is Greek for “water-cultivation,” and that sums it up well: hydroponics is growing…
Give Your Kidneys a Break With Glazed Carrots
Keep your blood pressure in check by eating plenty of local produce– your kidney will thank you for it. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables ensures there…
Zilke Farm Kitchen Serves Up Home-Cooked Meals in Milan
Long-time Milan, Michigan farmers, Vicki and Tom Zilke, know how to grow good food. Turns out, they also know how to cook. Since June 2018 when Zilke Farm…
A Challenge to Support Local
This summer, I was the catering manager for Rock River Farm, a flower farm in the central U.P. They are focusing their efforts on flower production, so they…
Crop Spot: Turnips
In the dead of winter, we long for the abundance of summer gardens and farmers’ markets. While their bounty is hard to outshine, it is amazing to take…