Cotton candy and elephant ears are typical fare at fairs, but locally grown fruits and vegetables have become a new tradition with the Taste the Local Difference: Cooking with Kids at the Fair event at the Northwestern Michigan Fair.
Behind the scenes at cherry harvest
A few weeks ago, the farmers market doubled in size. Summer had truly arrived and all of the stands were overflowing with new produce-local cherries in particular. All the farmers offered free samples, and there were few shoppers who didn’t give in. Cherry season had begun. To celebrate the occasion, MLUI’s Communications Manager James Russell and I decided we wanted to learn more about the cherry harvest. So we traveled up to Johnson Farms on Old Mission Peninsula to see it first-hand.
Debbie Stabenow Receives Helen Milliken Legacy Award
The Michigan Land Use Institute honored Senator Debbie Stabenow with its Helen Milliken Legacy Award at a July 27 dinner in honor of the former first lady and Gov. William Milliken. MLUI created the award to recognize those who carry forward Helen Milliken’s legacy of environmental advocacy and civil discourse. Stabenow is the first recipient.
TLD gets an upgrade
Taste the Local Difference (TLD) has had a decade of success connecting farmers with consumers. The TLD Food & Farm Guide is the iconic symbol of our small-farm community in northwest Michigan. In annual, pocket-sized, editions, it has listed a growing number of farms and food system partners. This year, we’re taking the successes of TLD and giving them an upgrade.
Double Up Food Bucks give needy a leg up
The statewide, nonprofit program helps financially struggling families eat healthy while supporting business for farmers. It doubles the money that people who receive SNAP Bridge Card assistance (food stamps) have to spend with local farmers at farmers markets. That means it’s helping federal dollars governed by the Farm Bill have much more of an impact on local farm economies than, say, the grocery section at Walmart.
Central Grade Youth Garden: A Planting Party
Despite chilly temperatures and the constant threat of rain from the dark skies, Central Grade School was buzzing with activity on June 2nd as teachers and faculty, parents, and students came together to celebrate their new school garden and participate in some spring planting.