Food & Farming

 

“How and what we eat determines to a great extent the use we make of the world – and what is to become of it,” acclaimed food author Michael Pollan has written. With a food system that relies largely on factory farms, manufactured ingredients and meals that travel thousands of miles before arriving on a plate, more and more of us are asking how we can better nourish both the earth and our bodies. The selections below celebrate the earth’s edible bounty and the farmers who grow it, and engage in the great food debate.

Titles

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
– Michael Pollan
On a journey to follow the course of four meals from farm (or forest) to table, Pollan leads a thoughtful investigation of the ethical and health implications of the way we choose our food.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
– Barbara Kingsolver with Steven L. Hopp & Camille Kingsolver
Best-selling author Kingsolver moved her family to the hills of Appalachia with a vision of eating only home-grown and local food, and shares their joys and struggles on the road to a successful harvest.

The Earth Knows my Name: Food, Culture, and Sustainability in the Gardens of Ethnic Americans
– Patricia Klindienst
A literal way to put down roots, gardens offer the eight families in this book a place of healing and a treasured link between past and present lives.

Food, Inc.: Mendel to Monsanto – the Promises and Perils of the Biotech Harvest
– Peter Pringle
Are genetically modified foods the key to ending world hunger and disease, or are they dangerous to our health and to the environment? Author Pringle explores both sides of the controversy.

Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables
– John Peterson
An informative look at the vegetables available in farmers’ markets, sprinkled with stories and facts from Angelic Organics in Caledonia, Illinois.

All Over Creation
– Ruth Ozecki
Estranged daughter Yumi returns to her family farm in Idaho to find her parents in the middle of a struggle over genetically engineered crops.

The End of the Line: How Overfishing Is Changing the World and What We Eat
–Charles Clover
Sounding a warning bell for the world’s oceans, award-winning author Clover investigates the fishing industry and the widespread environmental and social damage that results from our unsustainable desire for cheap, healthy protein.

Chew On This: Everything You Don’t Want to Know About Fast Food**
–Eric Schlosser & Charles Wilson
Witty and informative, this book from the bestselling author of Fast Food Nation is a chilling look at the production and preparation of fast food, as well as its effects on both people and animals.

 

**Breezy Reads: light, entertaining books for both adult and teen readers.