Cooked’: We all need to get back in the kitchen

Cooked’: We all need to get back in the kitchen

If you read “Cooked,” you’ll salivate. You’ll learn interesting history and science and anthropology and philosophy. Cooked, in many regards, is about getting back to the enjoyment inherent in preparing our own meals, and the sense of self-sufficiency that comes when we know how. It’s about realizing how important cooking has been in our evolution as humans, and what we might lose as a culture if we continue our trend of “outsourcing” our cooking to industrial food companies.

Cooked’: We all need to get back in the kitchen

Cooked’: We all need to get back in the kitchen

If you read “Cooked,” you’ll salivate. You’ll learn interesting history and science and anthropology and philosophy. Cooked, in many regards, is about getting back to the enjoyment inherent in preparing our own meals, and the sense of self-sufficiency that comes when we know how. It’s about realizing how important cooking has been in our evolution as humans, and what we might lose as a culture if we continue our trend of “outsourcing” our cooking to industrial food companies.

Cooked’: We all need to get back in the kitchen

Cooked’: We all need to get back in the kitchen

If you read “Cooked,” you’ll salivate. You’ll learn interesting history and science and anthropology and philosophy. Cooked, in many regards, is about getting back to the enjoyment inherent in preparing our own meals, and the sense of self-sufficiency that comes when we know how. It’s about realizing how important cooking has been in our evolution as humans, and what we might lose as a culture if we continue our trend of “outsourcing” our cooking to industrial food companies.

Extension staff member receives leadership award

Extension staff member receives leadership award

Michigan State University Extension program instructor and MSU Product Center innovation counselor Wendy Wieland received the Food and Farming Network Chapman Award for leadership in building a robust community food system in northwestern Michigan.

Cooked’: We all need to get back in the kitchen

Our View: While not perfect, Farm Bill is a step in the right direction

While there are measures we wish would have made it into the just-passed Farm Bill, we’re pleased that it includes renewal of funding for programs that only started to see serious funding in the 2008 Farm Bill-renewable energy, beginning farmers, organic farming, local food economies, and support for farmers who grow the food we really need to eat, fruit and vegetables. While still a small slice of the Farm Bill spending, it is a positive direction.

Regional Book Club Carries Forward Work of Local Activist

Regional Book Club Carries Forward Work of Local Activist

The idea behind the new reading project is a simple one: In each season of the year, a broad community will come together to read one of the books recommended by Bob, discuss its themes and lessons, celebrate the region’s strengths, and acknowledge the work that remains.