Books Worth Reading

Today's pickers - migrant farm workers picking produce across the country - are Mexican immigrants, many of them indigenous peoples. Author Seth M. Holmes spent years with these peoples while working on his book.

Winner of the American Horticultural Society Award for Excellence In Garden Book Publishing Winner of the Silver Medal for Best Reference from the Garden Writer’s Association Filled with advice for the home gardener and the more seasoned horticulturist alike, The Seed Garden: The Art and Practice of Seed Saving provides straightforward instruction on collecting seed that is true-to-type and ready for sowing in next year’s garden. In this comprehensive book, Seed Savers Exchange, one of the…

What makes a farm sustainable and successful? And what special qualities and skills are needed for someone to become a successful farmer?Rebecca Thistlethwaite addresses these and other crucial questions in this uniquely important book, which is a must-read for anyone who aspires to get into farming, or who wants to make their farm business more dynamic, profitable, and, above all, sustainable. Over an entire year, the author and her husband-experienced farmers themselves-took a sabbatical…

Droves of people have turned to local food as a way to retreat from our broken industrial food system. From rural outposts to city streets, they are sowing, growing, selling, and eating food produced close to home—and they are crying out for agricultural reform. All this has made "local food" into everything from a movement buzzword to the newest darling of food trendsters. But now it's time to take the conversation to the next level. That's exactly what Philip Ackerman-Leist does in…

Learn how to create your own no-dig, organic garden with permaculture design and techniques. Vera’s 15 years of experience as a no dig gardener provides a vast amount of knowledge on growing fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers. The book is divided into two sections, container gardening and permaculture kitchen gardening. Part One shares knowledge especially useful to urban gardeners and those with little space. Part Two advises on starting and maintaining a garden. Vera’s specialty is…

Foodopoly book. Read 44 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Wenonah Hauter owns an organic family farm that provides healthy vegetabl...

"Turn Here Sweet Corn: Organic Farming Works" by Atina Diffley — the personal as well as political when an oil company threatens to run a pipeline through their property

"Taste, Memory: Forgotten Foods, Lost Flavors, and Why They Matter" by David Buchanan — based on experiences living and farming in Portland, ME

The Good Food Revolution, by Will Allen — this well-known farmer and activist's own story

Change Comes to Dinner, by Katherine Gustafson — highlighting food programs working to change our industrial food system

"Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating" by Jane Goodall

"Slow food Nation: Why Our Food Should Be Good, Clean, and Fair" by Carlo Petrini

The following is an excerpt from the National Catholic Reporter, which just profiled Sr. Claire McGowan, a Dominican sister and Northwest Earth Institute discussion course organizer since 20o7. She has been using NWEI guides as part of her efforts to… Read More!

"Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food" by Paul Greenberg — the story behind the fish on your plate

Food Inc. book. Read 229 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Food, Inc. is guaranteed to shake up our perceptions of what we eat. Thi...