Don’t miss this weekend’s ninth annual Empire Asparagus Festival, which celebrates the arrival of spring and precedes the official opening of Northern Michigan’s tourism season a week later.

This intimate celebration in the eclectic village has been dubbed one of the world’s weirdest festivals by MSN.com, and it brings out the local yokels after months of near hibernation.

The Empire Asparagus Festival kicks off Friday with a screening of The History of the Sleeping Bear Dune Rides at 6:30 p.m. at the Township Hall. A dance and pig roast (music by the Benzie Playboys, pork supplied by Art’s Tavern in Glen Arbor) follows from 7-10 p.m. Wash down that pork, and find the courage to dance by drinking beer from Right Brain Brewery.

Saturday features at 5K Kick Ass-paragus Fun Run/Walk at 10 a.m. at the Lake Michigan Beach, an Asparagus recipe contest Asparagas cook-off at 11 a.m. at the Town Hall, the Ode to Asparagus poetry contest at 12:20 (check out last year’s winners), and Asparagus Eats, Wine and Beer Tasting under the tent downtown from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Vendors of delicious (asparagus) foods include Scalawags Fish & Chips, Stone House Bread, Norconks Asparagus, Empire Village Inn, Gemmas Coffee Shop & Baked Goods, Joe’s Friendly Tavern, Phils On Front, Art’s Tavern, Deerings Market, BLU, Trattoria Stella, Black Star Farms and Right Brain Brewery. Bo Bossa Swing & Jazz band will provide entertainment.

As you digest your food, enjoy the “GREEN” Parade, Empire’s non-motorized Asparagus Parade, which rolls through town at 3:30 p.m. All are welcome to participate (Walk, Pedal, March, Dance or come on Horse Back), but you MUST salute asparagus. Then at 7 p.m., enjoy the Asparagus Fiesta with local fare provided by Joe’s Friendly Tavern and live music by the Mittenauts.

Polish off the weekend on Sunday morning with the Empire Eagles breakfast from 8-noon at the Town Hall.

Click here for a detailed schedule of events and prices.

With asparagus spears and rhubarb stalks poking up above the ground, schools throughout northwest Lower Michigan are spending their last weeks of school capping off a big year of celebrating and serving locally grown food.

This, in turn, offers a number of opportunities for compelling in-school photos and video of the local Farm to School celebration. These media opportunities include:

Leelanau County
Wednesday, May 23: 10:50 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. Northport Public Schools, grilled asparagus for lunch at the school picnic.

Wednesday, May 23: Stir-fry asparagus for lunch at Suttons Bay Public Schools.

Wednesday, May 23: Bardenhagen Blackberries for Waffle Wednesdays.

Tuesday, May 29: Stonehouse Bread sandwich bar or Wellness Wraps with local 9 Bean Rows lettuce and mustard; and an asparagus dish.

Suttons Bay and Northport Cooking & Garden Activities
More info: Kirsten.gerbatsch@foodcorps.org, 551-427-8630

Tuesday, May 15, 3-6 p.m., Suttons Bay High School: SEEDS Good Grubs Farm & Cooking Club will be cooking up some healthy meals using some of Michigan’s most delicious Spring produce: Rhubarb and asparagus!

Thursday, May 17, 9 a.m. – 1:45 p.m., Suttons Bay Schools: Hosting Inland Seas Project Greenagers for a day of hands-on environmental stewardship, service projects, and hands-on dirty work! Teenagers will be helping out at the Suttons Bay School gardens for the day, learning about compost, gardening, and taking care of our soil while building a compost bin system, planting seeds, and building trellis structures.

Thursday, May 17, 3-5 p.m., Northport School after school program: Out in the school garden!

Monday-Tuesday, May 21-22, 3-6 p.m., Suttons Bay High School: SEEDS Good Grubs Farm & Cooking Club in the school gardens for the afternoon.

Tuesday, May 22, 2-3 pm, Suttons Bay High School: Healthy Cooking Class, learning about herbs and cooking with them

Thursday, May 24, 12:15 – 2:30 p.m., Northport School: Planting seeds in the school garden with elementary school students.

Tuesday, May 29, 8:15 to 9:15 a.m., Northport School: Planting transplants and seeds with Mr. Martin’s middle school science class in the school garden.

Wednesday, May 30, 12 – 1 p.m., Northport School: Planting herb transplants and edible flowers in the school garden with 2nd grade class.

Thursday, May 31, 12:30 – 1:15 p.m., Northport School: Planting Three Sisters Garden in school garden with 3rd grade class.

Antrim County
Wednesday, May 16: Roasted asparagus from Bolt Farm for lunch at Central Lake Elementary.

Thursday, May 31, 11:20 a.m. – 12:20 p.m., Central Lake Elementary, asparagus at the school picnic.

Benzie County
Tuesday, May 15: Asparagus for lunch, Platte River Elementary School, Honor.

Tuesday, May 22, 10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.: Chef Susan Mundt from the Northern Michigan Culinary Arts Community (NMCAC) will come to Frankfort Elementary School in a Chefs Move to Schools initiative in partnership with the Michigan Land Use Institute’s FoodCorps program. Activity: Teaching students how to make a frittata filled with local ingredients including Cream Cup Dairy milk, farm-fresh eggs, and Michigan asparagus. During the cooking, students also will learn about volume and fractions for a fun, hands-on way of learning math.

Tuesday, May 29: Farm field trip planned for Frankfort Elementary School students. Contact Daniel Marbury, FoodCorps Service Member, at 770-653-3805 for details.

Wednesday, May 30: Chef Jim Barnes of Northern Michigan Culinary Arts Community (NMCAC) will visit Platte River Elementary in Honor as part of the Chefs Move to Schools initiative in partnership with the Michigan Land Use Institute’s FoodCorps program. Contact Daniel Marbury, FoodCorps Service Member, at 770-653-3805 for an update on time and theme.

Grand Traverse County
Thursday, May 17: Asparagus stir fry tasting at Interlochen Elementary School.

Wednesday, May 23: Asparagus for lunch: all TCAPS schools.

Wednesday, May 30: Asparagus for lunch, all TCAPS schools.

Please be advised:

Lunches in schools generally are served from 11:30 – 1 p.m., but reporters should call the schools first to make media arrangements.

Other contacts are:
• Daniel Marbury for Central Lake, Platte River Elementary, Frankfort Elementary, Interlochen Elementary, and Suttons Bay and Northport lunchroom, picnic, classroom, and tasting activities. Daniel.marbury@foodcorps.org, 770-653-3805
• Kirsten Gerbatch for Suttons Bay and Northport school garden activities. Kirsten.gerbatsch@foodcorps.org, 551-427-8630
• Dorothy Sirrine for Leland Public School activities, 231-946-4199, 301-938-9708, dorothy.sirrine@gmail.com
• Gary Derrigan, food service, Traverse City Area Public Schools, 231-933-1911
• Sam Hybels, Glen Lake Community Schools, 231-334-3061 ext. 503
• Diane Conners, MLUI & Leelanau Learning Circle, 231-499-3937.

About the Institute
The Michigan Land Use Institute is an independent, nonprofit research, educational, and service organization founded in 1995. More than 3,000 households, businesses, and organizations have joined the Institute in support of its mission to establish an approach to economic development that strengthens communities, enhances opportunity, and protects Michigan’s unmatched natural resources.

Miranda Monroe, a Registered Dietitian and principal of Grand Traverse Nutrition, will share tips for easy and healthy meal preparation using local foods available to everyone in Leelanau County.

Featuring MyPlate meal planning, Miranda will demonstrate, with a little class participation, how to quickly and easily prepare balanced meals — with local foods. Recipes, nutrition and simple cooking tips, with yummy food sampling included.

A series of four, hour-long classes, will be held at the Glen Arbor Athletic Club every other Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

Free introductory class offered Wednesday May 16 at 5:30 p.m.

The prepayment rate of $12 per class; series cost of $48, reserves your spot. Walk-in rate is $15 per class. Sign up for walk-in must be completed by noon the day prior (Tuesday)

Grand Traverse Nutrition and the Glen Arbor Athletic Club are offering a FREE Introductory Class for the community to learn more about how easy it is to quickly prepare balanced meals featuring local foods. Scheduled at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 16 at the Glen Arbor Athletic Club, 6363 Western Avenue (M22), nutritionist Miranda Monroe will provide a preview of her EAT HEALTHY, EAT LOCAL series of four classes. Miranda Monroe is a Registered Dietitian and principal of Grand Traverse Nutrition.

The series consists of four, one-hour classes, held every other Wednesday at the Athletic Club in Glen Arbor. Each class focuses on a nutrition topic and local food. Miranda will demonstrate, with a little class participation, how to quickly and easily prepare a balanced meal incorporating fresh, local ingredients, such as asparagus, strawberries, and more.

For more information about the series of classes and to register for the FREE Introductory Class, call the Glen Arbor Athletic Club at (231) 334-7007.

May 30 Liven Up Your Meals with Veggies featuring fresh, local asparagus
June 13 Protein Power: variety is the key. A focus is on lean protein!
June 27 Focus on Fruits, featuring fresh, local strawberries
July 11 Seasoning without Salt using locally grown Herbs & Spices

This GlenArbor.com story was sponsored by the Foothills Motel, a year-round motel and cafe on the east side of Big Glen Lake.

This GlenArbor.com story was sponsored by Cedar Rustic Inn and Longview Winery, blending an artist’s vision, a chef’s craft, and an entrepreneur’s spirit.

Google insights show an increased interest about Michigan restaurants, wineries and local foods. Several researchers from Michigan State University including Dr. Dan McCole predict that this will lead to a rise in culinary tourism for 2012.

This is exciting news for agriculture and culinary destinations such as Black Star Farms that regularly host culinary tourism-based events at their inn and winery tasting rooms. Managing Partner Don Coe notes that he has seen a tremendous surge in the amount of visitors who have planned a trip around fun and educational food and beverage experiences. In response to this interest Coe and his team of employees have created the Harvest Dinner Series that is centered on this type of tourism.

Offered at the Inn the second Wednesday of every month these dinners include a five course meal that features the best of what’s in season from the farm at Black Star Farms as well as from other local area providers. Cost is $75 per person. This first in this series, Morels in May on May 9 showcases a savory sampling of morel dishes paired with Black Star Farms’ wines. Future dates and culinary themes for these dinners include:

June 6 – Asparagus
July 11 – Cherries and Blueberries
August 8 – Zucchini & Summer Squash
September 12 – Tomatoes and Basil
October 10 – Apples and Squash

The culinary themes are based off of what is typically in season during these months. These are subject to change depending on this year’s agricultural crops. For more information and menus please contact Coryn Briggs at (231) 944-1311.

In addition to these dinners Black Star Farms is also home to the Hearth & Vine Café. The café uses local ingredients to produce their wood-fired pizzas, gourmet sandwiches and other unique menu offerings. The Hearth & Vine Café will reopen mid-May for the 2012 season.

Black Star Farms is a popular Northern Michigan agricultural destination featuring an inn, artisan wines and spirits. The guestrooms are named for various stars in the Northern galaxy. Each has its own private bath, some have fireplaces or spa tubs. All guestrooms have Wi-Fi and satellite TV. The company also proudly supports Taste the Local Difference, a program that promotes local farm foods, helps schools serve them, links new farmers to land and other resources, and supports food and farm business networks (www.localdifference.org).

BETHLEHEM — Walls are often built to make us fear what lurks on the other side — be they neighborhood thieves, or people we perceive to be our enemies.

In Jerusalem, the wall the Israeli government has erected between Jewish Israel and the Palestinian West Bank has dissuaded (and scared) Israelis from visiting their Arab neighbors, made life difficult for Palestinians who work in “Israel proper”, and created a general illusion of a tense conflict between these two proud peoples who currently share the same state. This wall, like other walls built for political reasons, is an unsightly and seemingly archaic approach to urban architecture and problem solving. The Berlin wall comes to mind, as does the wall on the U.S.-Mexican border.

But when Traverse City videographer Aaron Dennis and I crossed through Israel’s “Separation Barrier” yesterday and entered the West Bank town of Bethlehem (known, of course, for its Biblical fame), we experienced not fear but joy at the boisterous sounds of taxi cabs honking, food vendors hawking shawarmas, and hard-working Palestinians returning home to their families. For me as a world traveler, it’s always felt euphoric to depart from the solemn and ritualistic “West” and enter a culture where even strangers exhibit hospitality, handshakes and laughs toward each other.

Dennis and I are in the “Holy Land” to document the Run Across Palestine, a philanthropic venture organized by a team of northern Michiganders who will run 129 miles over five days across the West Bank. The project will raise awareness about the struggles facing olive farmers in Palestine and attempt to reestablish sustainable olive growing practices in a place where the economy, culture and identity are rooted in the ancient tree. Forty-five percent of the agricultural land in the West Bank is used for growing olives, employing 100,000 Palestinians. The money raised by the run will go to fund the replanting of olive trees uprooted in recent years, and to fund scholarships for the children of the farmers.

“The olive tree plays a very important role as a symbol of our perseverance,” said Run Across Palestine coordinator Vivien Sansour. “Planting an olive tree is a huge message of hope. When you plant an olive tree, you’re planting a vision for the future.”

In advance of the run, we’ve visited particular villages in the West Bank, including Bethlehem, Beit Jala, Beit Omar and A’twani and talked with activists, professors, clergymen, students and olive farmers to learn about how Palestinian olive farmers are struggling to overcome the occupation and the challenges it poses to their livelihood.

We’ll ultimately produce a seven-part documentary web series entitled “The People and the Olive”, which will tell stories of hope and perseverance in the West Bank. Check back here in the days to come for videos and blog updates from the Run Across Palestine.

In the meantime, here’s a video of students in A’tawani, a village near Hebron, dancing to traditional music and performing a skit about how they experience the occupation of their land, and their interaction with Israel’s settlement communities.

Local writer Kim Schneider penned this great piece for the Grand Rapids Press titled “Get a taste of Italy during cooking classes at The Homestead Resort” about Italian cooking classes that the local resort will offer during Saturdays in March.

Read this excerpt below, or check out the entire piece here.

After a tasty and entertaining cooking class at The Homestead Resort in Glen Arbor recently, I now know you should never cook with wine you wouldn’t want to drink (ie: there’s no such thing as “cooking” wine) and you don’t dare substitute for San Marzano tomatoes a generic Roma that didn’t grow in the terroir at the base of Mount Vesuvius in Naples.

The resort’s first series of Italian cooking classes are as much about food history, tasting and fun as they are about technique as run by Italian-trained chef and history buff Chef John Piombo. The resort’s head chef for most of the past eight years, Piombo was trained at L’alberghiera Maria Mazzini in Genoa, Italy, where he also spent much of his childhood being inspired by whatever was cooking on his mother’s stove.

Are you interested in food from all around the world? Would you like to experience a different culture’s food?

Join The Leelanau School in the Karman Activity Center for a multi-continental dinner on Dec. 3 or Dec. 9 from 6:30-8 p.m. Your taste buds will be satisfied.

There are two meal options:
• $15 includes a meal with one entrée, drink, appetizer and dessert.
• $20 includes a sampler platter with food from all six continents, with a drink.

The whole event will be run by Leelanau School students. The event is open to faculty, local residents and anyone in between. Student Jonathan Sloan is conducting this event for his Senior Seminar class. Sloan is interested in the restaurant business.

Why Should you come? It’s a unique dining experience in a beautiful setting.

To RSVP, email jon23sloan@yahoo.com or call (248) 756-1146.

This GlenArbor.com story was sponsored by Sugarfoot Saloon, serving Mexican fair in Leelanau County.

Share the love of Leelanau (and Leelanau wine) at the “Taste the Passion” wine tour on Feb. 4-5, 2012. This special weekend celebrates wine, chocolate and love at the wineries of the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail in northern Michigan.

Your ticket allows you to chart your own course, enjoying food and wine pairings at 17 wineries along with a optional winter and Valentine-themed activities at many of the wineries.

“Taste the Passion is definitely our most intimate event,” says winemaker Larry Mawby. “Our tasting rooms are cozy refuges in wintertime, and with less people on the trail, it’s a great opportunity to talk directly with winemakers and vineyard owners. To top it all off, Leelanau County is a winter paradise, offering everything from cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, to enjoying great meals at our restaurants, and evenings by the fireplace. This is a perfect chance to hit a Christmas gift or Valentine’s Day home run!”

Tickets are just $30, and quantities are limited. Secure yours as soon as possible, as most of our trail events do sell out. There are also lodging packages that include tickets. Come early for a Friday night reception at the Homestead Resort. Visit www.lpwines.com for complete details.

Taste the Passion Food Pairings:

Bel Lago will feature its Pinot Noir paired with a slice of Decadent Chocolate Cake.

Black Star Farms presents a molten chocolate cake with vanilla bean infused crème anglaise and pistachio cranberry white chocolate bark paired with its Sirius Cherry dessert wine.

Brengman Brothers will pair Runaway Hen Syrah and a bittersweet chocolate truffle with Parmesan cheese, coarse sea salt and bacon.

Chateau de Leelanau is serving up Cherry Chipotle Mole Chicken Wings paired with its Riesling Harvest Select.

Chateau Fontaine offers Greek-inspired Chocolate Chili Dogs, topped with Cheddar Cheese and optional onions paired with its Big Paw Red.

Cherry Republic will be serving a chocolate coffee cake truffle with its Shook Dessert Wine.

Forty-Five North will have red wine marinated figs wrapped in bacon with mascarpone cheese and drizzled with a red wine chocolate sauce paired with 45 Red, a blend of Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, & Merlot.

Gills Pier will be serving mini chocolate/honey mousse cups with sea salt and cocoa nibs, paired with its Whitewater, a semi-sweet white wine made with Vignole grapes.

Good Harbor offers Chicken Jalapeno Soup paired with their Fishtown White.

L. Mawby will give you one piece each of chocolate/bacon and maple/bacon fudge from 45 Parallel Candy World along with its sparkling JADORE.

Silver Leaf entices you with chocolate almond & cherry clusters, paired with two-time gold medal awarded, “Chafia Cherry” wine featuring their new label.

Tandem is serving crepes with chocolate cream cheese filling topped with a Bardenhagen Farms strawberry sauce and paired with cider, of course.

Verterra is serving Vol au Vent Baked French Brie with Verterra Jam (preserves made from wine grapes) and Granny Smith matchstick apples paired with their award-winning Pinot Gris.

The Leelanau Peninsula Vintner’s Association (LPVA) is a 501c3. The LPVA was formed in 2000 with a goal to help spread the word about all the wonderful things the Leelanau Peninsula has to offer including a growing number of award-winning wineries, excellent restaurants and a rich agricultural history. Today, it is the largest and strongest of the four organized wine trails in Michigan which promote the state’s nearly $790 million grape/wine industry.

This GlenArbor.com article was sponsored by Ruth Conklin Gallery, featuring exquisite artwork and handcrafted pieces by over one hundred talented artists.

Are you bored with your mid week dinner routine? Spice it up and come out to Black Star Farms for a gourmet five-course meal prepared from locally grown ingredients. The next Autumn Harvest dinner is scheduled for Oct. 12 and is for anyone who loves fresh garden tomatoes. Dinners begin at 6:30 p.m. and are $45 per person. Take a look at the menu below and be sure to call 231.944.1251 to make your reservation.

This GlenArbor.com online story was sponsored by the Sylvan Inn, nestled in the tall pines at the edge of Glen Arbor.