NW Michigan Food and Farming Network Report to the Community 2015 Report to the Community | Page 21

2015 Report to the community

Igniting the Passion
for Local Food
Book to feature chefs,
gardeners, growers
By Jena VanWagner
Arbutus Press
It is very important that 100 percent of northwest Michigan residents
have access to a diverse diet, and
having 20 percent of it coming from
our region would be amazing. However, it is also important to educate
and enlighten the population on
why this should matter to them. We
all know how easy it is to get cheap
food, we need to demonstrate why
The soon-to-be-published “Michigan’s Heirloom Tomatoes” tells the stories of
this isn’t the answer.
those who grow, use, and love heirloom tomatoes. (Photos: Jena Van Wagner)
“Michigan’s Heirloom Tomatoes,”
Written by Jena Van Wagner,
just-picked, sun-ripened tomato.
a book that will be published in the
the book features mouth-watering
A series of talks will be scheduled
spring of 2015 by local publisher
photographs by Lisa Plamondon. By throughout the summer and fall to
Arbutus Press, helps ignite the passion of local food. This book features telling the stories of those who grow, bring the beauty of heirloom tomause and love heirloom tomatoes,
toes to as many people as possible.
growers, backyard gardeners, chefs
they hope to encourage more people
facebook.com/
and more that love this heritage
to experience the joy of biting into a
MichigansHeirloomTomatoes
food.

Did You Know?
An heirloom tomato (also called
heritage tomato in the UK) is an
open-pollinated (non-hybrid)
heirloom cultivar of tomato.
Heirloom tomatoes have become
increasingly popular and more
readily available in recent years.
According to tomato experts
Craig LeHoullier and Carolyn
Male, heirloom tomatoes can be
classified into four categories:

family heirlooms, commercial
heirlooms, mystery heirlooms,
and created heirlooms. They are
grown for a variety of reasons,
such as historical interest, access to wider varieties, and by
people who wish to save seeds
from year to year, as well as for
their taste, which is widely perceived to be better than modern
tomatoes. Source: Wikipedia.

16