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.

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!