Shop West Michigan

Recently I heard that if every Michigan household would spend $10 on Michigan food each week, an additional $37 million would be infused into our struggling economy. It's no secret that Michigan's economy is in trouble. Just this morning I read the long list of cuts that are proposed by our new governor, and trembled. No one will be unaffected by this, it seems. The one that worries me the most is the farmland preservation tax credit. We will see if we can afford to pay the property taxes on our land if that one passes.

But I digress, and bring my worries into this post, which was going to be about shopping locally. When you buy items from a Michigan retailer, you are helping.

When you buy Michigan-made or grown products from a Michigan retailer, it's even better! I recently visited a nearby shop in a formerly- (and perhaps still)-dying mall. Tree Huggers is owned by a couple who is passionate about the environment. They realize that part of environmental stewardship is the local factor. So they source some of their inventory locally. Let me tell you, it's a joy to behold.

Many Tree Huggers items are made by local etsy shop owners. EtsyWMI is a group of etsy shop owners who produce and sell items, often as a supplement to their main income and sometimes as their only income. If you're in West Michigan and you'd like to shop local, check out Tree Huggers and visit the EtsyWMI blog here to help you find what you're looking for.

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Bloggy Giveaway--Now Closed

**This bloggy giveaway is now closed** Thanks to all who participated and gave such great comments. Janette is the winner of the $15 gift certificate to our etsy store . I'm participating in the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival . Click the link to go to the carnival where you can enter to win literally hundreds of things. The good news is that even if you have no time to play on the computer trying to win hundreds of things, you can still enter to win one thing right here. This week, I will be giving away a $15 gift certificate to be used toward the purchase of an item in my etsy shop . This contest is open to residents of the United States or Canada only. The winner will receive free shipping on whatever item they choose. Items in my etsy shop include handwoven rugs, wool yarns and roving from our farm, and the ever-popular cotton dishcloth! To be entered in this wonderful drawing, you must go to the etsy shop and look around a bit. Then come back here and type a comment that

Haying 101

A few posts back, "deep end of the loom" (love that name!) asked me to tell a bit more about the haying process. If you want my version, read on. If you'd like to read the official wikipedia version, click here . Haying happens in three steps: cutting, raking and baling. This process takes several days, as the hay must be dry when baled. Moist hay molds and heats up and has even been known to spontaneously combust, burning down the barn. Gotta have dry hay. This first photo is of our haybine. The haybine not only cuts the hay, it also crimps each piece of long grass in several places, to allow for faster drying. We usually cut hay in the early afternoon, when the dew is gone. When we're done, long row of cut grass lie waiting. The hay is allowed to dry for two to three days, depending on wind and sun conditions. Obviously, the more wind and sun the days hold, the quicker the hay will dry. When we feel like the hay is nearly dry, we go out with the rake. There are diff

This Giveaway Is Now Closed!

Today starts a giveaway at Farming in the Shade! I am happy to contribute this complete hat kit (needles not included) to someone who has a knitting obsession and a small person in their life. Here are the rules (contest open to US or Canada residents only): Giveaway ends May 1 at 9 p.m. EST. Winner will be announced by Sunday, May 3. Enter by posting a comment on this blog post. Tell me something about your knitting--who taught you to knit, your favorite yarn, the coolest thing you ever knitted. Make sure you leave contact information! Earn extra entries by: 1) Following me on twitter. (If you don't know what twitter is, don't worry. It's another way to waste your time on the computer.) Add a comment here so I will count it as one entry. 2) Tweeting this giveaway (no more than once daily). Add a comment here so I know you did it. 3) Blog about this giveaway. Add a comment (with link) here so I can go visit your blog. 4) Follow or subscribe to this blog (or tell me if have

Farming in the shade

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