SW Michigan Dining

Got the following from Blue House Bistro in Holland…

Holland, MI,–Blue House Bistro will be participating in the American Farmland Trust’s (AFT) inaugural “Dine Out for Farms” week October 10th-16th.  “All food in the grocery, in your home kitchen, in the  restaurant, depends on farmers.  No matter if it’s animal, vegetable, fruit, or grain in origin, it involved farms and farmers.  In Michigan, especially, this is an important issue of supporting the local economy and keeping people in their homes and on their land.  I think that in our modern era of processed/convenience culture there is too much of a separation between growing and eating especially in restaurants where somebody else is doing the cooking.” says Chef Angie K of Blue House Bistro

“By participating in the October Dine Out for Farms event, restaurants and diners will help American Farmland Trust raise the visibility of a critical issue—that just as the chef depends on a variety of foods  to create their dishes, farmland is a necessary ingredient for our nations farmers” says Jane Kirchner, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications for ATF.  “Most of the small farms in this country are located around urban areas, and 86 percent of our country’s fruits and vegetables are grown in urban fringe areas.  Those are the same farms that are most at risk from sprawling development and a host of other challenges.”

American Farmland Trust is the leading conservation organization dedicated to saving America’s farm and ranch land, promoting environmentally sound farming practices, and supporting a sustainable future for farms.  Since its founding in 1980 by a group of farmers and citizens concerned about the rapid loss of farmland to development, ATF has helped save millions of acres of farmland from development and led the way for adoption of conservation practices on millions more.

“At AFT, we’re committed to keeping farms economically viable and using good practices in our land, and providing landowners with tools to keep their land in farming.  Dining out is among the many ways consumers can support a healthy future for agriculture and for their communities.”

Says Chef Angie K, “I wanted to get involved to show support for local small scale and sustainable farms and help benefit our farm suppliers who might be struggling to stay on their land.”

Blue House Bistro will be participating by creating special dishes that feature ingredients from local area farms.  A portion of sales during the event will be donated to the AFT to support their work of keeping local farmers on their land.