About
Hi. My name is Emily. Welcome!
This blog is dedicated to exploring foods grown and produced within 100 miles or so of Ann Arbor, Michigan, where I currently reside. You’ll often hear the words “locavore” and “ethicurean” from me - terms that mean “to eat locally” and “to eat things that were raised ethically and taste very good.” I’m also a big gardener, so chances are you’ll hear about that, too.
There are lots of reasons to eat locally-produced food - environmentalism, supporting local economies, keeping farms from turning into subdivisions, avoiding contaminated foods, and so on. It just makes sense to me that in a state with a rich an agricultural heritage as Michigan, most of our diet should be grown in Michigan, not California or China. Along the way, we get food that tastes better, uses less fossil fuel to transport, and keeps our neighbors employed.
Most people don’t have the time or interest to figure out where those carrots actually came from. I have some of both, and I’d like to share my finds with you. For a list of common grocery store foods and their origins, see my wiki at http://foodorigins.wikispaces.org/ .
Most clip art comes from ClipArt.com and, to the best of my knowledge, is used in accordance with their non-commercial usage policy.
Momster said,
November 8, 2007 at 2:49 pm
This is terrific! Sign me up! I will start exploring–let’s not forget local maple syrup and honey!
Emily said,
January 22, 2008 at 1:54 pm
I’m glad I can still get syrup that’s local to me, even if I can’t have the stuff from the maples I grew up with.
thedadreport.com » The Holy Grail: Chinese Brown Sauce at home said,
March 5, 2008 at 8:39 pm
[...] of close. I am happy to report that our quest has come to and end thanks to fellow blogger Emily at Eat Close To Home. Emily has 3 basic sauce recipes, Brown Sauce, White Sauce and Spicy Orange [...]
Warda said,
April 8, 2008 at 11:44 am
Hi Emily!
My name is Warda and I am a fellow SE MI food blogger. Sorry to drop the invitation here but I couldn’t find yur e-mail anywhere:
To celebrate this year Earth Day, I thought we could have a second food bloggers reunion on the 20th of April for a potluck at my house in Farmington. The theme of this potluck will be “Local goes Global”: Dishes from around the world made with local ingredients.
I was thinking we could meet at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market on Saturday the 19th to do our shopping and meet on Sunday at my house at 1PM to share our concoctions.
And if you don’t feel like cooking or baking, you can always bring a loaf of bread, some cheese or any ready-made item as long as you are supporting a local store.
Christine from Holybasil has kindly offered to bring a dessert and I will be in charge of the main course, which will be North African.
We hope to have you joining us to celebrate our beautiful planet and to share a fun time and the simple pleasure of a get-together.
I will send you my address if you want to come and we will arrange a time to meet at the farmer’s market.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know!
Happy Day!
Warda
Emily said,
April 8, 2008 at 11:48 am
Oh, Warda, this sounds wonderful! Thank you for the invite. Sadly, I will be out of town that weekend. I wish I could attend! Maybe next year?
Hanna Raskin said,
May 13, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Hi Emily –
Great web site! I wanted to alert you to an event my non-profit organization is hosting next month that encapsulates the Eating Close to Home philosophy. In keeping with our mission to celebrate the nation’s diverse vernacular foodways, we’re sponsoring “Laboring Over the Stove: A Working Definition of Detroit Cuisine” on June 28-28. This three-day tour will explore the city’s unique diet through a series of one-of-a-kind, interactive experiences, including a tour of the Eastern Market led by the women who literally wrote the book on the topic, a progressive lunch of ethnic favorites that will wind through the city’s landmark houses of worship and small-group pastry making lessons at top ethnic bakeries.
We’d love for you and your readers to consider joining us for this edible adventure. To learn more, check out our web site at http://www.tabletours.org. Or just shoot me an e-mail at hanna@tabletours.org. Hope to see you in the D!
Yours in good eats,
Hanna
Hanna Raskin
Director
The American Table Culinary Tours
Lois Smithers said,
June 14, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Hi Emily…
I’d love to contact you personally but do not see a contact button.
Thanks….
Lois Smithers