Garden planning is what pulls me through the last few months of winter. I don’t know how I did it before. The seeds, the dreams, the drawings, they all make the cold weather a little more bearable because spring is on the horizon.
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.
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.
I’m having a great time working as an intern for Taste the Local Difference. Over the past few month I’ve been able to dive even further into Northwest Michigan’s local food scene and learn more about the great farmers, retailers and producers we have throughout this region.
I’ve known Sue Duerksen and her husband Rick for about three years now though the various local farmers markets I help to manage. In a recent newsletter and posting on the Taste the Local Difference Blog I was able to interview the Duerksen’s to understand more about their farm and why Duerksen’s turkeys are so highly sought after throughout the region. You’ll find the original article below. Enjoy!
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.
My garden is bursting with tomatoes. Romas, Juliets, Sungolds and more are exploding from the backyard with vibrant colors and juicy tomato flavor. I swear, they’re coming out of my ears, my nose and I occasionally find a few in my purse… I’m really not sure how they get there.
Birch Point Farm is located on the Leelanau Peninsula between West Grand Traverse Bay and Lake Leelanau. It is a truly magical place, well-tended by my friend, Michelle Farrarese. I hold a dear place in my heart for this farm as it became my sanctuary to let the sun shine on my back, quietly reflect and dig my hands in the dirt after a long day in the office.
