Supporting Farmers, Eating Local Food

1 / 9
A garden in Philadelphia puts formerly unused space to work growing food.
A garden in Philadelphia puts formerly unused space to work growing food.
2 / 9
Will Allen (right) shows off rich vermicompost to students at Growing Power in Milwaukee. Allen modeled his system after nature, and the only input from outside the garden is kitchen waste.
Will Allen (right) shows off rich vermicompost to students at Growing Power in Milwaukee. Allen modeled his system after nature, and the only input from outside the garden is kitchen waste.
3 / 9
Rooftop gardens make good use of empty space.
Rooftop gardens make good use of empty space.
4 / 9
Why grow grass in your front yard when you can grow food for yourself and your neighbors?
Why grow grass in your front yard when you can grow food for yourself and your neighbors?
5 / 9
Growing food and flowers in waste space is an old custom we should revive.
Growing food and flowers in waste space is an old custom we should revive.
6 / 9
A rooftop garden at South Bank Centre in London puts dead space to work.
A rooftop garden at South Bank Centre in London puts dead space to work.
7 / 9
Growing Power chickens scratch up compost, helping it decompose.
Growing Power chickens scratch up compost, helping it decompose.
8 / 9
Joel Salatin is a third-generation family farmer in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.
Joel Salatin is a third-generation family farmer in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.
9 / 9
From farmer Joel Salatin’s point of view, life in the 21st century just ain’t normal. In “Folks, This Ain’t Normal,” he discusses how far removed we are from the simple, sustainable joy that comes from living close to the land and the people we love. 
From farmer Joel Salatin’s point of view, life in the 21st century just ain’t normal. In “Folks, This Ain’t Normal,” he discusses how far removed we are from the simple, sustainable joy that comes from living close to the land and the people we love. 

Joel Salatin’s newest book, Folks, This Ain’t Normal(Center Street, 2011) describes, with Joel’s distinctive voice, how far removed we are from the simple, sustainable joy that comes from living close to the land and the people we love in the 21st centuryExplore how local food and seasonal eating, when done right, are ways to return our food system to normalcy. The following excerpt was adapted from Folks, This Ain’t Normal.

The average morsel of food sees more of the world than the farmer who grows it, traveling an average of 1,500 miles from field to fork. It takes 15 calories of energy to put 1 calorie on the table, and 4 of those are expended in transportation.

Folks, this ain’t normal.

When you go to the supermarket, the majority of what’s for sale came from some other state. Imagine walking down the aisles, then ask yourself, “What could be produced within 100 miles of here?”

In most areas, the list is lengthy: Apples, barley, beef, beets, cabbage, carrots, cherries, chicken, corn, cucumbers, dairy products, grapes, honey, oats, pork, potatoes, tomatoes, wheat, coffee.

  • Published on May 16, 2012
Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368