Friday, January 22, 2010

Spring

I'm working through what I learned from The End of Food, but for now here's a simple list of educational spring objectives:

1. Visit farms, mostly in the mid Tennessee area. I'd like to hear the stories of the different farmers in our area. I know some were born into a farming heritage (like the Delvins, who have three generations contributing) and some followed a passion that led to striking out into unknown territory.
  • Delvin Farms (produce)
  • Hatcher Dairy
  • Peaceful Pastures (grass-fed meat)
  • Mamushi Nature Farms
  • Cloverbell Farm (Dexter cattle breeders)
  • Arugula Star
  • Noble Springs (goat dairy)
  • The Farm (in Summerville)

2. Continue with book-learning. This covers anything from the practical to the theoretical to the personal. Here are a few on my list.
  • Food Politics
  • Wendell Berry (so so so so SO excited to finally get into his writing)
  • Barnyard in Your Backyard: A Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Rabbits, Goats, Sheep and Cows
  • Made From Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life
  • Slow Food Nation: Why Our Food Should Be Good, Clean and Fair
  • The Omnivore's Dilemma
  • Just Food: How Locavores Are Endangering the Future of Food and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly - This book is against the main beliefs I've grown into, but I want to read it for that reason, to understand the other side of the argument.
  • Slow Food Revolution

3. Learn/research more about:
  • Urban homesteads
  • Micro-farms
  • Urban farming (Chicago, Detroit)
  • Food Cooperatives
  • Beekeeping
  • Cheese making
  • Canning/preserving
  • Raising poultry, particularly chickens

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