“Rebuilding the Foodshed: How to Create Local, Sustainable, and Secure Food Systems,” by farmer and university professor Philip Ackerman-Leist, is the third book in the Bob Russell Resilience Reading Project. He discusses how we came to the largely industrial food system that we have today, where it’s often easier for a school in our region to purchase lettuce from California, for example, rather than from farmers right down the road.
We’re two weeks away from the deadline to apply for a scholarship for the Fall 2014 Master Gardener Training Program. Applications must be received by August 6th. Follow this link to download the application.*
One of the things that struck me about northern Michigan is the high quality of life. Part of that characteristic is the access to fresh and high quality produce. I have immensely enjoyed the opportunity to go the farmers market and to get to cook my own food.
If you’re anything like I used to be, your eyes roll every time you hear of yet another “best of” accolade for the Grand Traverse region. I’ve long been a bit cynical about community self-aggrandizement. But last week, while taking a trip to the East Coast with my wife and kid, my cranky world-view received a great big blow. So now I must say, “Mea culpa, Traverse City!”
It’s a fresh Northern Michigan Wednesday morning. From many feet away, you can hear the noise of the Sara Hardy Farmers Market. You can hear the chattering floating through the air along with laughter of children and other bustling noises that add to the energy that surrounds the market.
Tom’s is the proving ground for a new marketing strategy featuring brightly colored “shelf talker” labels, designed to help shoppers identify the local food throughout the stores. The shelf talkers also show how far each product was grown or made from that particular store, helping consumers determine for themselves what “local” means to them.