Thursday May 3, 2012: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

What makes mushrooming such a fun and interesting activity? Where and when can mushroom hunts be planned? How can someone tell if a mushroom is safe for eating? What is involved in cooking mushrooms? How can one preserve them?

Phil Tedeschi, President of the Michigan Mushroom Hunter's Club, will discusses popular Michigan mushrooms and share his ideas on Michigan mushrooming at this informative program.

The Downtown library has a shelf in the Youth Department known as the Parent Shelf. On this shelf you’ll find a variety of parent-child related books on a multitude of topics- including everything from phonics to tantrums to potty training to diet. These books are available for checkout, and can be found in the catalog when searching “parent shelf,” if you’d like to have one sent to a branch of your choice.

There are some great books on food and nutrition for children that offer advice and guidance on topics such as dealing with picky eaters as well as nutrition facts. Check out Start fresh: your child's jump start to lifelong healthy eating, 44 things parents should know about healthy cooking for kids, or perhaps Healthy food for young children and these other nutrition books for some fresh ideas on food and children.

On this date in 1957, the BBC aired a groundbreaking report on the harvesting of spaghetti trees in southern Switzerland. Up until this time, many people in the UK did not consume spaghetti, and therefore were unaware of the painstaking process involved in spaghetti farming.

Though the images from the story are quite pastoral, spaghetti tree cultivation is not for the faint of heart. Improper care of the spaghetti tree can result in a crop of difficult-to-eat dancing spaghetti or the accidental transmogrification of the spaghetti tree into a pizza plant. At first thought, this may sound even better, but pizza plants are an invasive species, and almost always attract most of a neighborhood’s pests to one’s garden. Even worse, spaghetti storms (sometimes including meatball hail) have been known to happen in areas where genetically modified spaghetti plants are grown in large quantities. Scientists are unsure of why this may happen, but some hypothesize about a process similar to that where it rains frogs: waterspouts (spaghetti trees are largely farmed in low-lying wetlands or artificially-created ponds) rip the spaghetti from the tree limbs (which are weakened by unnaturally large spaghetti pods), transporting it to relatively high altitudes, and carrying it over large distances. The winds are capable of allowing the spaghetti to fall in a concentrated fashion in a localized area. Some tornadoes can suck up a spaghetti pond entirely, resulting in what we loosely translate as the fabled “rain of pasta.”

Charcuterie:The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn is a book which answers the question: why do we still love and need hand-preserved foods in the age of the refrigerator, the frozen dinner, Domino’s pizza, and the 24-hour grocery store? It is fundamentally about enjoyment and history: the pure pleasure you can find in preparing and eating delicious food, and the magic of preserving meat, and other foodstuffs, the way our ancestors did for thousands of years.

Even if you do not plan to make your own headcheese, duck confit or pancetta, this book is instructive and fun to read for learning the cultural histories of these, and other, foods and the timeless methods still used for preserving them. But if you DO want to try your hand at a batch of your own sausage or corned beef, you could not be in better hands, as these recipes are readily accessible to the beginner. Unapologetic about the value of animal fats for enhancing the flavor and digestability of many foods, and while praising the enduring traditions which make pork the “king” of meats, the book does cover more than just meat. One can learn here to preserve lemons, cabbage (sauerkraut), cucumbers (pickles), seafood, olives and make many sauces and relishes using traditional ingredients and methods.

It is written by two chefs/teachers/food writers, who are supremely experienced and passionate about their subject: “Embrace the sausage” – they instruct – “It’s an extraordinary luxury available to everyone, a perfect package of seasonings and juiciness unequaled by any category of prepared food, and we wish more home cooks would take advantage of it.”

Joel Salatin, the well-known organic farmer, will be coming to Ann Arbor's Michigan Theater on Tuesday, April 24th by way of the People's Food Co-op of Ann Arbor (PFC), to "share how his farm serves as a prototype to the way local food can lead to our agricultural, environmental, and nutritional salvation. Noting that our food system now faces challenges in biosecurity, food safety, energy, integrity, and humane animal husbandry, he will explain how local production, processing, distribution, and patrons in the Ann Arbor area can reshape our food future."

Salatin's ideas and progress in the world of sustainable farming have been featured in Michael Pollan’s bestselling book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, in the documentary films Food, Inc. and Fresh, and also in his very own books, Folks, this Ain't Normal and Holy Cows and Hog Heaven. "Since his cutting-edge sustainable farm, Polyface Inc., began inspiring people throughout the world, his charismatic nature and ability to produce provocative and poignant proclamations about the unfortunate state of our food system have made him one of the most influential voices in the sustainable food movement today."

The event will take place at the Michigan Theater in Downtown Ann Arbor on Tuesday, April 24th, 2012 from 8pm to 10pm. Tickets are $15 for the General Public, and $13 for Students & PFC Members. Available at ticketmaster.com or surcharge-free at the People's Food Co-op of Ann Arbor.

The Gourmand Awards are given to notable books in a variety of food and drink categories as well as magazines. They are judged by culinary arts professionals from around the world. It is free and open to anyone to enter: authors, publishers or even readers. Over 150 countries had entries for this year’s competition. This year also included best culinary app which went to America’s own Dorie Greenspan’s Cooking with Dorie. Her books have won numerous awards and she is a pioneer in developing a cooking app. Here is a sampling of other Gourmand award winners from our collection:

See mix drink: Gourmand award winner for best cocktail book
Food lover's guide to wine: Best book for Matching Food and Drink
Lucky Peach: Best cooking magazine
Eleven Madison Park Cookbook: 3rd place best authors and chef
Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook: Book of the Year Finalist
Food of Spain:Best World Cuisine cookbook
How Italian Food Conquered the World: 4th place Best Italian cookbook
How to Cook Indian: 3rd place Best Asian cookbook
Extra Virginity: the sublime and scandalous world of olive oil:Winner in the Sustainable category
Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Making:3rd Place for cookbooks about bread making
Loukoumi Celebrity Cookbook: 2nd place for Fundraising, Charity, &Community cookbooks and 3rd place went to the free (with donation going to Relief for Japan fund) online cookbook from Microsoft .Net gurus, Net Gurus can Cook

Got The Facts On Milk, known as “the milk documentary” takes a look at milk. Where does it come from, why do we drink it, why do we need it, do we need it at at all? The filmmakers talk to researchers, scientists, milk drinkers, moms, children, farmers, doctors, lobbyists, and more. Some of those interviewed and offering information are family doctor and nutritionist Joel Fuhrman, and T. Colin Campbell, author of the popular book, The China Study: The most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted and the startling implications for diet, weight loss and long-term health.

The film delves into product marketing, propaganda, brainwashing, government, and industry, and how these factors relate to milk production and consumption.

The film is utter-ly entertaining, as the documentarians make their way across the country, talking about milk, to reach their final destination: the USDA. Their adventure is filled with truths, lies, and everything in between. It also features a grocery store dance routine, and an amusing soundtrack.

Whether you agree or disagree with the findings, or love or hate milk, I recommended this if you’re into behind the scenes looks at food and food consumption and the science behind it, particularly if you don't mind a humorous look at serious issues.

Sunday February 19, 2012: 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

Consider yourself a foodie? Or just love a good meal? Don't miss a visit with award-winning chef Brian Polcyn! Chef Polcyn is nationally recognized for his creativity and culinary talents and is the visionary behind some of Detroit's most acclaimed restaurants - including Birmingham's Forest Grill and Milford's Cinco Lagos. Brian is also the author of two books: "Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing" (nominated for a James Beard award) and the upcoming "Salumi: The Craft of Italian Dry Curing."

Join us as he prepares an incredibly delicious sample dish and discusses his life and his books. This event, cosponsored by the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor, includes a book signing and books will be on sale.

Cheese was born about 4000 years ago - and now there are multitudes of delicious varieties. But, which one to choose? What is the difference?

Find out more when Simone Jenkins from Morgan & York Fine Wines & Specialty Foods describes traditional hand-made cheeses from around the world. Tastes will be included! Bring your favorite cheese quote from a story to enter in a drawing for a $25 gift card from Morgan & York!

This event, for adults and teens, will be at Malletts Creek Branch on Wednesday, Feb. 15 from 7 - 8:30 pm. Don't miss it!

Parthenon Interior

Several local restaurants have recently joined the ever-expanding list of Ann Arbor's Lost Eateries. Champion House closed suddenly last week, as did Old Country Buffet over the weekend. But I was particularly saddened to hear that the Parthenon Restaurant, which has stood on the corner of Main and Liberty Streets since John and Steve Gavas opened in 1975, will be closing its doors. Later this year Cafe Habana, formerly located on East Washington, will be moving into 226 North Main.

The Parthenon has command of possibly the best-known intersection in town, located on the same corner as Cunningham's Drugs and Mack & Co. a generation earlier.

We found some articles, a photo, and restaurant reviews on the Parthenon in our Ann Arbor News clipping file and have digitized them here for you to savor. While you're at it, you can also read about the Flim Flam Restaurant, which recently closed its doors after 30 years in business. Don't miss the Flim Flam's recipe for their famous eclair!