Eat Local, Kalamazoo!

Plant. Prepare. Preserve.

For 2009 we bring you Practical Local Food. In May we kicked off Eat Local, Kalamazoo! with a Worm Composting Workshop by Flowerfield Enterprises. It was a great introduction to our continuing celebration, featuring how to grow, cook and preserve the bounty of our community. Check back often as we schedule exciting events, classes and presentations. You can also find all Eat Local, Kalamazoo! events on the Fair Food Matters Events calendar.

• Our June 22 event is "Preserving Food 101," with tips and recipes from Heidi Butler and Amolia Moore at the Kalamazoo Public Library.
• "Is That a Hen in Your Yard?": Come to KPL August 3 to meet some feathered creatures (and their owners) in Part 1 of a two-part presentation.

Explore With the Passport

September will bring back the Eat Local Challenge. You'll be able to pick up a passport from several locations. Then you're off on an adventure to experience and enjoy a variety of local foods. Turn in your passport at the end of the journey, and you could even win a prize! Click here to read about Eat Local Challenge.

5 Reasons for Locally Grown Food

1. Taste: Fresher is often better than produce that's traveled hundreds even thousands of miles. Or been bred and sprayed to travel.
2. Economy: If Michigan residents spent $10/week on local foods, over $37 million/week would cycle back into our state. And supporting your local economy is just plain smart.
3. Health: Variety and freshness equals nutrient power. Local foods also shorten the accountability chain and safeguard your health.
4. Environment: What's not to like about food requiring less fossil fuel and supporting sustainable farming?
5. Community Spirit: You can find out who produced your food, where your food was produced, how it was produced and under what conditions. What you eat begins to have a story in which you take part - a story that includes growers, neighbors and friends.

To find out how you can help with Eat Local, Kalamazoo!, as a volunteer or financially, please contact us.

Eat Local Kalamazoo! is brought to you by a fantastic coalition: Bronson Hospital, Food Dance, Kalamazoo Public Library, Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo Community Foundation, Michigan Land Trustees, People's Food Co-op, Southwest Michigan Community Harvest Fest, Water Street Coffee Joint and Fair Food Matters.