From Farm to Fork: Perspectives on Growing Sustainable Food Systems in the Twenty-first Century
By Sarah Morath
Interest in the food we eat and how it is produced, distributed, and consumed has grown tremendously in the last few years. Consumers are exchanging highly processed, genetically engineered, chemical-laden, and pesticide-contaminated food often associated with big agribusinesses for fresh produce grown using organic methods. The growth of farmers markets from 1,755 in 1994 to over 7,500 today, in both urban and rural areas, is just one indication that consumers are interested in knowing who produced their food and how the food was produced. This book addresses the importance of creating food systems that are sustainable by bringing together a number of experts in the fields of law, economics, nutrition, and social sciences, as well as farmers and advocates.
Farm to Fork: Cooking Local, Cooking Fresh
By Emeril Lagasse
In this extraordinary new book, Emeril Lagasse continues his lifelong commitment to using fresh, local ingredients in his restaurants and home kitchen. He has spent the past thirty years building close relationships with farmers, fishermen, and ranchers. Farm to Fork is his guide to help you explore the great local bounty through fifteen flavorful chapters—sweet summer in “The Three Sisters: Corn, Beans, and Squash,” juicy “Berries, Figs, and Melons,” sublime naturally raised meats in “Out on the Range,” fresh catch in “Fresh Off the Dock,” and home canning tips from “Home Economics: Preserving the Harvest.” Learn how to make your own cheese and pasta at home. Emeril shares his love for fresh from-the-fields foods—and the heritage of the artisans who bring them to the table.
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The Color of Food: Stories of Race, Resilience and Farming
By Natasha Bowens
The growing trend of organic farming and homesteading is changing the way the farmer is portrayed in mainstream media, and yet, farmers of color are still largely left out of the picture. The Color of Food seeks to rectify this. Natasha Bowens’ quest to explore her own roots in the soil leads her to unearth a larger story, weaving together the seemingly forgotten history of agriculture for people of color, the issues they face today, and the culture and resilience they bring to food and farming. The Color of Food teaches African Americans about preserving culture and community, digging deeply into the places we’ve overlooked, and honoring those who have come before us.
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Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement
By Monica M. White
In May 1967, internationally renowned activist Fannie Lou Hamer purchased forty acres of land in the Mississippi Delta, launching the Freedom Farms Cooperative (FFC). FFC grew to over 600 acres, offering a means for local sharecroppers, tenant farmers, and domestic workers to pursue community wellness, self-reliance, and political resistance. Life on the cooperative farm presented an alternative to the second wave of northern migration by African Americans–an opportunity to stay in the South, live off the land, and create a healthy community based upon building an alternative food system as a cooperative and collective effort. Freedom Farmers expands the historical narrative of the Black freedom struggle to embrace the work, roles, and contributions of southern Black farmers and the organizations they formed.
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Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land
By Leah Penniman
In 1920, 14 percent of all land-owning US farmers were black. Today less than 2 percent of farms are controlled by black people–a loss of over 14 million acres and the result of discrimination and dispossession. At Soul Fire Farm, author Leah Penniman co-created the Black and Latinx Farmers Immersion (BLFI) program as a container for new farmers to share growing skills in a culturally relevant and supportive environment led by people of color. Farming While Black organizes and expands upon the curriculum of the BLFI to provide readers with a concise guide to all aspects of small-scale farming, from business planning to preserving the harvest. Woven throughout the book is the story of Soul Fire Farm, a national leader in the food justice movement.