Mindo: A true bean to bar chocolate made in Michigan
The Michigan faction of Mindo Chocolate we’ve all grown to know and love started in a fascinating way – with a desire to get internet in a remote Ecuadorian town called Mindo. When Jose Meza and...
View ArticleThe Kombucha Connection: Mother Knows Best
Courtney Lorenz and Emily Helmus have a lot in common. Both are enthusiastic, hard-working, successful entrepreneurs. Both are young, while their product is old – ancient, actually. And both have the...
View ArticleFluffy Bottom Farm: funny name, incredible cheese.
Situated between Ann Arbor and the sweet rural town of Chelsea, Fluffy Bottom Farms has been in Kelli Conlin’s family since the 1970s when her father realized his dream of raising the family on a farm....
View ArticleLittle Valley Farm Rabbit: The Other Other White Meat
When Gerald Kauffman gave his son a meat rabbit for his birthday about eight years ago, he never imagined it would turn into a profitable business for his family. The rabbit was intended to be...
View ArticleBeverages: Cold Local Drinks for Summer Refreshment
The season for spending days in the sun and on the water calls for a new commitment to drinking local, and not just your beer and wine! Small, local beverage companies make drinks that offer a unique...
View ArticleGuinea Fowl: A Flavorful & Prized Poultry, and a Great Farm Watch-Bird!
If you’ve ever spent much time on small farms or homesteads, you’ve likely seen a guinea fowl or two waddling amongst the chickens, their stunning black feathers spotted with bright white creating a...
View ArticleThe Great Salsa Smackdown
While salsa is a staple all year round, there is something special about the way salsas fit into Michigan’s summer lifestyle. We bring chips and salsa to the beach or out on the boat for a day enjoying...
View ArticleFood Innovation Hub: NW Michigan Community Connections
When ideas strike at Northwest Michigan Food and Farming Network meetings, it doesn’t take much for action to kick into gear. This group of food systems thinkers and dreamers started talking about how...
View ArticleThe Unpredictable Art of Farming: Successes and Challenges
The art of farming is not one for the faint of heart. While idyllic images of returning to the land do hold some truth, the reality of farming is a lot of hard work and never knowing for sure if your...
View ArticleDuck: A Bird for all Seasons
In American culture, duck has long been cast aside as a meat reserved for use during the holidays or the cold winter months when a rich meal of roasted duck will warm us to the bones. While a decadent...
View ArticleMichigan Beer Pairs Best with Michigan Food
It’s hard not to notice the ever-increasing presence of Michigan beer in stores and on menus throughout the state. We think it is safe to stay that Michiganders love Michigan beer! The craft brewery...
View ArticleSpecialty Grocery Stores Think Local
Until the early 2000’s, specialty food markets thrived by offering products from far flung locales – French jams and Spanish meats. But these days, as the local food movement takes hold and customers...
View ArticleHospitals reimagine the role food plays in good health
In his 2008 book, In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan asks, “Is it just a coincidence that as the portion of our income spent on food has declined, spending on health care has soared? In 1960 Americans...
View ArticleBringing It Home for the Holidays
One of the things that gives the holiday season such a depth of feeling is the way it weaves together the threads of family and community traditions, rooting us in a shared past. We fondly recall the...
View ArticleSpotlight on Local Proteins: CCF’s Whole Animal Program
In an age of apparent superabundance amidst a dizzying array of global food procurement options, why localize your protein sourcing by working with Cherry Capital Foods? Our answer is our whole animal...
View ArticleRhubarb: International Vegetable of Mystery
Rhubarb, what is thy true nature? Sorrel’s stalkier brother? Celery’s embittered quasi-doppelganger? The vegetable posterchild of British wartime austerity? The unlikely Robin to strawberry’s Batman...
View ArticleWhen Life Gives You Lemon Cucumbers
The lemon cucumber is truly one of the finest treats of summer. These sun-golden orbs hanging plump on the vine seem to contain within them some secret that will make us better people (if only briefly...
View ArticleMindo: A true bean to bar chocolate made in Michigan
The Michigan faction of Mindo Chocolate we’ve all grown to know and love started in a fascinating way – with a desire to get internet in a remote Ecuadorian town called Mindo. When Jose Meza and...
View ArticleThe Kombucha Connection: Mother Knows Best
Courtney Lorenz and Emily Helmus have a lot in common. Both are enthusiastic, hard-working, successful entrepreneurs. Both are young, while their product is old – ancient, actually. And both have the...
View ArticleFluffy Bottom Farm: funny name, incredible cheese.
Situated between Ann Arbor and the sweet rural town of Chelsea, Fluffy Bottom Farms has been in Kelli Conlin’s family since the 1970s when her father realized his dream of raising the family on a farm....
View Article