The Chicory Coffee Capitol of America

Take a drive through the Michigan countryside in August and you're likely to see pretty blue flowers in full bloom growing in the gravel alonside the road. As you might imagine, this "weed" was first brought to the U.S. on purpose, like many other common flowers we now find in our yards, fields and ditches (i.e. dandelion, mullein, purple loosestrife, etc.)

This lovely lavender blossom is of a plant known as Chicory, originally a native of Europe, which was brought to the United States as a coffee substitute and medicinal potherb. Chicory coffee? Down at the local coffee shop today, you'll have to choose between coffee beans grown in Columbia or Costa Rica, Kenya or Guatamala, Mexico or Peru. Ask for a cup of chicory root and you'll probably have a pretty confused waiter!

But once Midland, Michigan was known as the "Center of America's Chicory Field." Roasted and ground chicory roots were first used as a coffee substitute in Germany in the 1770s, though it has been grown as a medicinal herb for roughly 5,000 years. The Coffee Book, by Dawn Campbell and Judith Smith states: "Kaffee Ersatz was much in use during WWI and II when coffee was hard to come by and not affordable. Chicory's ability to blend well with coffee, tea leaves, or herbs has long been known."

In 1926, a local newspaper bragged about Midland County's place in the chicory-growing industry in its book, The Midland Sun, Second Development Edition. It said: "Few people, even in Midland, realize that all the chicory used in the entire United States is raised in Michigan, in fact, in Midland county and tributary territory. Formerly vast quantities of this root, which is used so extensively...as an addition to coffee, was not grown profitably anywhere in the United States, and practically all imported from Europe. Then somebody discovered that the soil in Midland and nearby counties was peculiarly adapted to the raising of this root. In fact, nowhere else in the whole country are conditions so favorable..."

Chicory coffee was grown, processed and sold in Midland by the Franck Chicory Company, who owned kilns to roast the root in Bay City, Pinconning, Midland and Kawkawlin. In fact, a 1922 edition of The Midland Sun, stated that it wasn't unusual for area farmers to earn $100 per acre when growing chicory in their fields. The root was harvested in a similar fashion to sugar beets.

In spite of its success, producing chicory coffee in mid-Michigan came to an end after World War II as affordable coffee beans were shipped from Central and South America. Today, most cultivated chicory is grown in France and South Africa. In the United States, the French culture of New Orleans and rural Louisiana stubbornly stuck with the tradition and it lives on with companies such as the Orleans Coffee Exchange.

So as you fill up your morning cup of coffee, pause for a moment to consider where it comes from. What environmental price do we pay for those beans that are grown in the tropics and shipped halfway across the world? What other habits do we cling to that may have more sustainable, home-grown alternatives? As you drive those country roads, take a moment to consider those pretty blue flowers and the amazing story they have to tell.

Buy Michigan Now!

A couple of months ago, we introduced our readers to the website Buy Michigan Now! Founder of the site, Lisa Diggs, has created a place where you can search for Michigan-made products and information to help promote the struggling economy of our State. Better yet, buying food and other items grown and produced in Michigan has positive effects for the environment as they don't need to travel halfway across the globe on a ship, plane, train or truck before they make it to your doorstep.

When you head to the grocery store, for example, look for Michigan apples, honey, maple syrup, potato chips, soda pop, wine and beer (just to name a few) instead of products and produce from far away. Sure, not everything is grown or made in Michigan (no bananna trees, for example), but many of us doing a little sure helps a lot. When we bought a new mattress recently, for example, my family chose one by Capitol Bedding, made in Lansing.

Enjoy this short video to learn a little more. And next time you're at the store, don't forget to Buy Michigan!

Seeds of Spring

After seeing the title of this post, perhaps some of you are thinking "Spring - are you crazy?" But if you've purchased seeds in the past I bet your mailbox is already overflowing with seed catalogs for vegetables, herbs and flowers to be planted after the snows melt and the ground warms up.

We grow heirloom plants in the gardens at Chippewa Nature Center's 1870 Homestead Farm. Heirlooms are defined as open pollinated plants whose "roots" can be traced back at least 50 years. Open-pollinated plants are non-hybrid varieties produced by crossing two parents from the same variety, which in turn produce offspring just like the parent plants.

Thousands of heirloom fruits and vegetables have gone extinct over the past 100 years. Some estimates say only 3% of flower and vegetable varieties that were grown in the U.S. in 1900 are still in existence today. Many of these plants were varieties grown for generations on small farms across America. Each was developed specifically over the years to grow well in a certain area, be resistant to local diseases, and adapted to local climate and soil conditions.

Bean poles and a dried sunflower stalk in CNC's Heirloom
vegetable garden have dreams of spring.

If you want variety, superior flavor, unusual colors and shapes and unique histories, heirloom gardening is a wonderful alternative to growing hybrids featured predominately by many large companies. Most home gardeners, for example, don’t need tomatoes with skins tough enough to withstand cross-country shipment, or potatoes that will pass the McDonald’s uniformity test. Some heirloom gardeners grow plants especially for gourmet chefs. Grow some heirloom plants at home and take the “taste test” for yourself!

Type "heirloom vegetable seeds" in your search engine and thousands of entries will pop up. At CNC, we purchase most of our heirloom seeds from Seed Savers Exchange. Based Decorah, Iowa, Seed Savers in a non-profit organization dedicated to seed saving and educating the public about the importance of heirlooms. As you plan your garden this year, check out their online catalog. You can also download a copy of their regular catalog on their website. 

Happy garden planning! 

Buy Michigan Now!

Lisa Diggs, founder of Buy Michigan Now, spoke at this morning’s WakeUp! Midland. She is campaigning to recruit 10,000 people to sign a pledge to make a valiant effort to buy products made in Michigan, which attendees had the opportunity to do this morning. Web site visitors can also take the pledge there.

Other cool stuff on the site includes:

- iPhone app

- Grocery guide

- Links to their social networking sites

- Search function to find businesses

- Page to list your business

The site has enabled businesses to connect across the state, rather than taking their business out-of-state or even out of the country to find suppliers. CNC's Jamie Hockstra reports, "Lisa encouraged us to buy Michigan products, help spread the word about the site and take the pledge, and make a point to educate our children about the choices we’re making to buy local."

So click on over to explore the site and most importantly, "Buy Michigan Now!"

GreenTree Cooperative Grocery

In nearby Mt. Pleasant, the GreenTree Cooperative Grocery has been selling organic food long before it became  fashionable! Last year, the organization celebrated a milestone of $1 million in sales annually and this year they're celebrating their 40th year.

GreenTree operates a grocery store, stocked with local, organic foods, at 214 N. Franklin Street in Mt. Pleasant. They specialize in selling "local, organic, fair trade, allergen free options." In addition to produce, they also carry fresh meat, environmentally-friendly cleaning products and even snacks for your pets! Anyone can shop at their store, but becoming a member of the co-op has additional benefits, such special sales, a store discount, a newsletter and more. The co-op currently has twelve employees and 760 owners.

For more information about GreenTree, visit their website or give them a call at 989.772.3321. They're open seven days a week, from 9am-8pm. It's hard to think of a better way to "Live Green!"

Breakfast on the Farm in Shepherd (and it's FREE!)

Breakfast on the Farm is a family-oriented program that welcomes neighbors and area residents to enjoy a complimentary pancake breakfast along with a self-guided tour of a family-owned farm that includes visits to various educational stations and opportunities to ask questions of local farmers. The July 24 breakfast and farm tour takes place rain or shine from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (breakfast served from 9 a.m. to noon) at the Joe and Beth Bryant family farm near Shepherd.

The self-guided tour of the Bryants’ beef and cash crop farm will feature a variety of educational stations and interactive activities including a baby farm animal petting area and a maple syrup-making demonstration where people can see firsthand how maple tree sap is cooked into real maple syrup. Attendees of all ages will be eager to stand alongside and climb aboard modern-day farm equipment as well as to pet and feed baby farm animals, take a tractor and wagon ride, and touch and smell the feeds that animals eat.

There is no cost to attend the event or take the tour, but tickets are required for the free breakfast. Free tickets can be obtained from the following locations: Family, Farm and Home, Alma; Siler’s Market, Breckenridge; Johnston Elevator, Clare; Napa Auto Parts, Ithaca; Midland County MSU Extension Office, Tractor Supply Co. and West Midland Family Center, Midland; Animal Health Associates, Chamber of Commerce, First Bank, the Isabella County MSU Extension Office, Papa’s Pumpkin Patch, the Soil Conservation District and Tractor Supply Co., Mt. Pleasant; First Bank, Remus; Baders, Rosebush and St. Louis; First Bank and Shepherd IGA, Shepherd; Wincell Cellular Corporation and Winn Telephone Co., Winn; and all locations of Brown Milling, Inc.

The Isabella County Breakfast on the Farm is organized by the Isabella County MSU Extension Office and the Isabella County Michigan Farm Bureau.

To get more information about Breakfast on the Farm or to reserve tickets, contact Jayme Martin at 989-772-0911, ext. 302 or marti879@msu.edu.

Tips for an Eco-Thanksgiving

This week, families gather together to give thanks for their blessings and celebrate the bounty of the autumn harvest. While this holiday of fellowship and fun can be a wonderful time, it often results in great amounts of wastefulness that can be easily avoided with a little planning ahead. Just type "Green Thanksgiving" or "Eco-Thanksgiving" into a web browser and you'll find dozens of great ideas to make your gathering more Earth-friendly. Here, we offer a few highlights for your consideration:

1. Spare the bird. Take a cue from the President of the United States, who "pardons" a lucky gobbler each year at the White House. Instead, try a vegetarian Thanksgiving!

2. Buy local. If your family just can't think of giving up that turkey dinner, buy organic and buy local. Locally-raised poultry and other produce uses much lower amounts of fossil fuels as they make it from the farmers to your table!

3. Stay local. Consider other alternatives to driving or flying hundreds of miles just for one family dinner. Consider meeting at a centrally-located venue that saves both time and energy for all.

4. Turn it down. If your stove is running full blast and your home is full of people, it'll probably get pretty warm in there! Turn down your thermostat and open some windows if it gets too hot, instead of running the air conditioning!

5. Buy recycled. Many families go through trash bags full of paper products and plastic-ware instead of doing a mountain of dishes. If this sounds like you, search for recycled paper products or ones made from sugar-cane fibers instead.

6. Eat leftovers. Don't just toss that extra stuffing, send it home with your relatives! If you have meat left over, see how creative you can get with turkey sandwiches for the next few days.

7. Don't overbuy. If you have loads of leftovers every year, consider that you may be buying too much. Really plan ahead and only purchase what you plan on eating this year!

8. Decorate creatively. Instead of rushing out and purchasing a cartload of decorations, see what you can come up with that you already own. Make your own cornucopia and dried flower arrangements.

Connecting to Nature by Preserving the Home Harvest

As summer draws to a close and the cool days of autumn approach, I love to walk through the 1870 Homestead Farm to gain a better understanding of previous generations who lived so close to the land by growing and preserving much of their own food. It was an absolute necessity for them to preserve the food they grew by canning, drying, pickling, salting and cold storage to see them through the lean times of winter. While today’s supermarkets provide virtually any fruit or vegetable regardless of season, I invite you to purchase some locally grown produce from the Farmer’s Market and try two simple food preservation methods; freezing and drying. It’s simple, nutritious, economical and it can connect you and your family to nature through the harvest. As a child, my sisters and I spent many hours cutting up green beans, picking cucumbers, tomatoes and apples, husking sweet corn, digging potatoes and scrubbing carrots with my parents in order to enjoy through the year. Like most kids doing chores, I did my share of grumbling to try and escape the drudgery of the task at hand. I now look back on those experiences from twenty-five years ago as an important part of developing my interest in our rural heritage and the skills associated with living close to the land. Freezing is the modern way to preserve food and it’s probably the simplest way to get started enjoying the harvest year round. If care is taken to properly prepare and package the food the flavor is quite good. I recommend starting with pea pods, corn, cherries and blueberries. To prepare the pea pods start by removing the tip of the washed pea, peal the “strings” of both sides and remove the stem end. Blanch them in boiling water for no more than 2-3 minutes and then immediately cool in ice water for 5 minutes. Place the blanched and cooled peas on trays in a freezer and when frozen solid, store in plastic bags or containers, leaving 1" headroom in rigid containers. You can add the frozen peas to recipes just before serving because they only need a few minutes of cooking. Corn is just as easy! Heat the washed, husked cobs in boiling water for 4 minutes, cool immediately, drain and cut the corn from the cob. Pack the corn into plastic bags, seal and freeze. To freeze cherries and blueberries, wash, sort and drain them. Pit the cherries using a cherry pitter or a sharp kitchen knife. Place on a cookie sheet and freeze until firm. Pack into rigid containers, leaving 1" headroom, and keep frozen. You can use the fruit for cooking or in cereals and oatmeal. Another simple method of preserving food is by drying. If you’re just starting out there’s no need to buy a dehydrator; you can oven-dry vegetables by setting your oven to its lowest temperature, (no more than 150degrees F). Place them on a tray with a screen and leave the oven door slightly ajar to let the moisture escape. I’ve made delicious dried tomatoes by slicing them 1" thick and drying them for 6-12 hours or until leathery throughout. If dried until brittle you can store them in a cool dry place. I like mine a little softer so I pack them in a glass jar with olive oil and garlic and put them in the refrigerator. They’re excellent on pizza. The preservation methods described only scratch the surface of keeping the harvest. If you get serious about it you’ll want to start canning produce, a great way to put up dozens of quarts of vegetables. There are many excellent books available to give you all the details on canning, as well as great recipes for sauerkraut, delicious tomato sauces, dried apples, pickled cucumbers and much more. My favorites book is Keeping the Harvest: Preserving Your Fruits, Vegetables & Herbs by Nancy Chioffi and Gretchen Mead. The benefits of preserving the home harvest or locally grown produce are many. You ensure a quality product because it’s picked and preserved at the peak of freshness and nutrition, you help out the local economy and you connect to the seasonal cycles of nature through the food you eat everyday. Dennis Pilaske, Director of Interpretation

Purely Local

In Michigan, many of us take for granted the sweet smell of boiling maple sap and the tasty syrup that results. As I type, I'm looking at a table brimming with maple products in the Nature Center's small store. Pure maple syrup, two kinds of maple candy and even maple glazed popcorn is all there to tempt the palate! Buying Michigan maple products is a great way to start the year off right by buying local food. Buying local has a great effect on your environmental "footprint" and people are beginning to realize the many benefits of becoming a "locovore" (someone who buys local food). Food from far away consumes large amounts of fossil fuels which are used up as goods are shipped thousands of miles over land and sea. Local foods are also fresher and come in a many tasty varieties you simply can't find in most grocery stores. Buying food from local farmers helps preserve plant diversity and also supports the local economy. This year, check the label before you buy and seek out locally-grown foods. Visit the Farmer's Market, a roadside stand, or better yet join a Community Supported Agriculture group (CSA). Watch for more information about CSAs in another post soon!