September 9, 2019

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…

August 19, 2019

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…

August 18, 2019

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…

August 6, 2019

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…

July 15, 2019

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…

May 21, 2019

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…

May 14, 2019

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…

April 18, 2019

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…

April 17, 2019

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…

March 22, 2019

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…