Crop Spot: Pawpaw a.k.a. “Michigan Banana”
If you’ve never heard of the pawpaw, you are not alone. This mysterious fruit is native to the Midwest, but defies commercial production and is rarely seen in…
Feed the Need: In Search of Hunger Heroes!
In Michigan, 1,369,250 people are struggling with hunger – and of them, 345,130 are children. In fact, according to the Feeding America network’s 2017 study, people facing hunger…
Combating Climate Change: Creating Climate-resilient Orchards
In my previous post of this Climate Change series, (see the first and second post here), I discussed how tree fruit growers in Michigan are faced with adapting to…
The Michigan Good Food Charter: Planning for the Next Decade of Good Food
TThe 2010 Charter established six goals for an equitable, sustainable, and economically vibrant Michigan food system. As the ten-year mark approaches, time is ripe to examine the progress…
A New Normal for Michigan Orchards
This is the second post of a three-part series. Before reading this, make sure you read the first post of the series here! To quickly recap, in the…
Crop Spot: Arugula
This peppery, pleasant edition to the salad bowl originated as a weed in the Mediterranean region. Since Roman times, however, this plant has been widely cultivated and enjoyed…
United Way of Washtenaw Leads Strategies for Success
By 2030, we aspire to live in a community where your zip code no longer determines your opportunity in life. United Way of Washtenaw County fights for the…
10 Uses for Maple Sap & Syrup
Maple syrup is Michigan’s “liquid gold.” It takes 40 gallons of sap from sugar maples to boil down to 1 gallon of syrup. Michigan ranks in the Top…
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…
Taste the Local Difference: What’s our Why?
We all have a stake in our food system and environment. Since 2004, Taste the Local Difference has continued to change the culture around local food by promoting…