Manager's Notes, May 7th, 2014

Greetings!

I have had the best time with some visits to interesting food operations lately! I went with Mo Tressler of All Things Food in Bryan, Ohio, to the Washtenaw Food Hub above Ann Arbor on Monday to see how the local farmers have banded together to be of mutual benefit. They have a beautiful site with rolling hills, many outbuildings, and a farmhouse where the interns live on grant money while helping that co-op (well, that's the way I see it) come into fruition.

Last Friday, I visited Wade Smith in Whitehouse to see his greenhouse tomato farm. You might know him better by his business name, the White Daylily Farm, but he is really passionate about his slower growing (and hence, better tasting) food production. I have never seen tomatoes so tall! We've brought them into the co-op, and I vouch for their good taste. (So does Helen - she admits to having three so far, and they are enormous.) If he ever has an open house, you must go. I love hearing these farmers talk so excitedly about what they've learned works as the newer technologies extend growing seasons and help small operations become profitable.

And save the date! May 24 is the March Against Monsanto from 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. across from the Maumee Indoor Theatre. This outdoor event is not a negative Down-With-Bad-Guys affair, but a dress-up-as-your-favorite-Frankenfood event. The signs have been very creative in the past, and I remember the excellent bank. I'll provide more details as they become available. The movement for better food is growing, if you'll forgive the pun. Do find time to consider joining in by growing a garden, joining a group like the Slow Foods Movement, or eating more local, organic food. You don't have to carry a sign and protest unless you've a mind to. Slow down, buy a good cookbook, take a whole day to cook something for friends and get into the swing of Spring.