Scott Allman & Eric Villegas of the TV show Fork in the Road visited the Traverse Epicurean Classic in 2006 - you can visit in 2008 if you enter Absolute Michigan's Epicurean Classic Giveaway! The winner will be announced on Friday so be sure to get your entry in now! (click to YouTube to see in high quality)

More videos from Scott Allman on YouTube and also visit Fork in the Road!

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courtesy Leelanau.com

The Michigan Land Use Institute hosts nationally known author Bill McKibben whose work includes The End of Nature and the new Deep Economy to explain how doing simple things like eating more local food, living in more vibrant urban communities, investing locally, and enjoying our own area's entertainment and culture can be a big part of stopping global warming and encourage genuine prosperity in Michigan.

Special Guests Seth Bernard and Daisy May Erlewine, two of northern Michigan's most acclaimed and popular singers and songwriters, will perform as well.

The event takes place on Sunday, September 7 at Lars Hockstad Auditorium on 301 W. 7th Street in Traverse City from 6-9 PM. Admission is free and the first 350 people under 21 get free T-shirts. More details at mlui.org.

For more on the author, check out the Wikipedia entry for Bill McKibben and billmckibben.com, where you can read an excerpt from Deep Economy.

How is our nation going to cope with global warming, peak oil, inequality, and a growing sense of isolation? Bill McKibben provides the simple but brilliant answer the economists have missed—we need to create 'depth' through local interdependence and sustainable use of resources. I will be requiring this inspiring book for my students, and passionately recommending it to everyone else I know."

—Juliet Schor, professor of sociology, Boston College
author of The Overspent American

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Currant harvest - get ready for jam!
photo courtesy Earthworks Urban Farm

Back in August, Detroit Make It Here - a site produced by Crain's Detroit Business that is targeted at young professionals - had an interesting article titled The urban prairie: Detroit farms connect people, food that explores the rise of urban farming in Detroit.

They quote Bill Knudson, Michigan State University agriculture economist, saying that Detroit is among the cities showing leadership with urban farming and that 100 years ago, the land beneath the city was fertile farmland. He adds that "Traditional supermarkets have moved out of the inner cities and created a food desert. These farm communities increase access to healthier food and fresh produce to inner-city people … land around Detroit has an opportunity to be productive."

27% of this land is vacant, says Ashley Atkinson of the Greening of Detroit, a collaborative that includes 320 family and 170 community gardens for a total of 80 acres.

The collaborative, formed in 2003, grows 41 different fruits and vegetables, and has extended its season into the fall so there are multiple harvests. The yield, which last year totaled 120 tons, is sold at farmers’ markets and to restaurants and food banks, but the majority ends up on family tables, she said. Many of the volunteers live near the farms they work on.

"We have the first opportunity for our city to be food-sufficient. We’re getting there, and it’s exciting to be part of that. The rest of the country is coming awake to the fact that food of the future needs to be local and grown in urban areas, where most of the people are," Atkinson said.

One of the organizations they highlight is the Garden Resource Program, an effort to provide hundreds of home, school and community gardens access to resources and information to grow, harvest, prepare, and preserve food for their families in their backyards and neighborhoods. They have a copious links page that highlights some other organizations at the forefront of this new urban farming wave.

One organization that is leading the way is the Earthwork Urban Farm, a program of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen. The Capuchin's are inspired by the spirit of St. Francis and through Earthworks, they work to restore the connection to the environment and community. Check out their site for many more photos and lots more information.

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so i've got my ducks in a row by artsy_T

Welcome to the Week for September 1 - 7. School bells are ringing, summer is fading but being a true four seasons state, Michigan has something for everyone no matter what time of year. A quick glance at this week we see that the Smokin' Jazz Barbecue Blues Festival in Brighton features authentic jazz, blues and zydeco, but it also offers some of the tastiest barbecue this side of the Mason/Dixon line. The Hopps of Fun Beer & Wine Festival in Mackinaw City features an extensive sampling of 50 plus award winning Michigan microbrewed beers and over 40 wines from Michigan’s four internationally recognized wine regions. The Wheatland Music Festival boasts a wide variety of activities, as well as the star-studded lineup on the main stage. Some of the acts include nationally known performers like Pine Leaf Boys, Dale Watson, Crooked Still, Cheryl Wheeler, David 'Honeyboy' Edwards, The Cherryholmes Family, The Chicken Chokers, Tim Graves & Cherokee along with Michigan favorites like Earthwork Music, The Ragbirds, Madcat & Kane with Mark Schrock. Check out the Great Lakes Cider & Perry Festival in St. Johns and sample of the finest cider and perry (cider made from pears) from the Great Lakes area will be available for tasting. In addition to the cider and perry tastings, food vendors will be selling sweet and savory selections.

Feel free to add news, interesting blog posts, cool video and media and coming events for the week of September 1 - 7 in the comments section below.

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