Tag: local food
Black Star Farms Harvest Dinner Series
Harvest often concludes with a social celebration of the season. It’s a time to remember the energy and hard work that has been poured into the fields, while recognizing that success is based on the whim of Mother Nature. Growers gratefully honor the harvest of the season by sharing their food with others. Growers, like the Inn at Black Star Farms.
Their Harvest Dinner essentially began eight years ago with the introduction of the annual “Morels in May” event. Over the last few years, farmers in our region have continued to make strides in extending their season and providing us with local harvests year-round. In an effort to educate the public and raise awareness of our northern Michigan agricultural community, the Black Star Farms Harvest Dinner became a monthly series in March 2013. Each Harvest Dinner focuses on one or two items that are truly distinctive to that particular month. Those items are highlighted along with the chef’s creativity in each course that’s prepared.
A “Fresh” Perspective
There are countless documentaries making comments on the current state of our food system. They each differ in varying degrees of tragedy, omission, honesty and optimism. “Fresh” became part of that ever growing panoply of films in 2009. The film’s director, Ana Sofia Joanes, sets “Fresh” apart by providing a well-balanced account of the dismal realities in industrial agriculture while layering the narrative with promising, inspiring and practical solutions that are beginning a movement.
Spicy Squash and Brie Nachos with Cranberry Molasses
Let me guess..The friends, family, co-worker, neighborhood holiday parties are filling your calendar and you’re trying to decide what food to bring. We all want to bring a great dish to the party, but we don’t want to slave over the stove while our friends are laughing and drinking bottles of bubbly in the other room without us! The solution is a dish that you can prep ahead of time, just pop into the oven and serve.
Gallagher’s Farm Market: Traverse City, MI
This time of year I have a hard time saying “NO” to pumpkin-anything. It starts with the first gust of a clean, brisk fall wind where I fall prey to the first pumpkin spice latte of the season. I’m not a big fan of sweet flavors in my coffee. I like it bold, black and in a ceramic mug. But again, with pumpkin, its a different story and I can’t say no.
New Season, New Beginnings
I’ve been really busy lately. Not just my normal busy: from the full-time job to managing the local farmers markets, and the average day to day necessities. But now I’m really busy. Busy spending my time doing MORE of something I love. Over the past month I’ve been working with Michigan Land Use Institute as the Intern for their “Taste the Local Difference” (TLD) program. A program with the mission, to sell more local food.
The Great Lakes Children’s Museum: Traverse City, MI
Children are explorers, they’re creators, dreamers and learners. In a place like the Great Lakes Children’s Museum these qualities are not only encouraged but strongly developed. From InterActive StoryTime to Food Art & Tie Dye, The Museum creates fun activities with the opportunity for children to build skills adaptable to their lives today and the future ahead of them.
The Great Lakes Children’s Museum annual fundraiser Farm Fête, will be held this upcoming Saturday, February 23rd. In order to make the event accesible to more couples and guests the price was reduced this year to $50 for a complete farm-to-table dinner and access to a group of incredible live & silent auction items benefitting the Museum.
The farm-to-table dinner will take place at the beautiful Inn at Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay, celebrating our grand agricultural region while honoring the Museum as a special place here in Traverse City that is devoted to our community’s future, the children.
As a part of the Gala planning committee I’ll be attending Farm Fête this year and I’m thrilled to be involved in an event that is not only for a great cause but celebrates the local food and agriculture of our region. The menu, an ode to the incredible offerings in Northwest Michigan even at the heart of winter, will consist of the following courses:
The Menu
Focaccia with whipped butter
Roasted beet and pear salad, candied marcona almonds, goat cheese, spring greens, verjus vinaigrette
Coffee and red wine braised beef short ribs, fromage blanc baked polenta, wilted arugula, crisp leeks
Vegetarian entrée: Grilled potato and Autumn vegetable napolean , tomato confit, parsley oil
Warm Apple Pie tart, Vanilla Bean whippecrème, Riesling caramel and spun sugar
Each course paired with Black Star Farms wine
My involvement with the event has allowed me to help in the development of this local food celebration as well as gain insight into programs the Children’s Museum offers the community that the public might not be fully aware of. One specifically, that truly interests me the most is the +Plus Program. The program “assists children, families and educators for whom admission costs pose a significant obstacle to attending the museum.” In addition to raising funds for the general operations of the Museum, the Farm Fête event will strive to raise money for the +Plus Program, ultimately providing more museum scholarships to those of our community in need.
I’m looking forward to a successful event on Saturday and I encourage those of you who are interested in attending to register for the Farm Fête event here, tickets are still available but we’re filling up quickly!
You can make a donation to the +Plus Program even if you’re unable to attend the event by calling the Museum at 231-932-4526
Ride among the ‘Waves of Wonder’
love,
tricia
