And I'm not sure I can adequately express how excited I am. (I know, I know. Vegetables. In winter. That's what the grocery store is supposed to be for.) But I've been seriously uncomfortable with getting all of our food from mostly unknown sources, exposed to who knows what (pollution, unwashed hands, the treatments allowed under the "organic" label), and harvested long, long ago. A Safeway produce lady told me they warehouse their produce for two weeks before it gets to the store. I was astounded. Not only does that mean it doesn't keep (good for them, I guess), but the nutritional value is pretty much gone by then. Safeway successfully changes fresh, reasonably healthy produce into empty calories. With fiber.
Since most of our diet is now fruits and vegetables (along with sprouted nuts & seeds, and fermented foods), the idea of providing our own, even in winter, is wildly attractive. (Have you SEEN the prices of organic produce lately? Ay yi yi.) And as our growing season here is between 4-5 months, knowing how to continue to provide for ourselves gives me this great, warm feeling inside.
So, I'll let you know what I think of this book. It seems to be the small-scale farm version of his Four Season Harvest, which I really really love. Elliot Coleman has a respect for, and understanding of, the earth, its seasons, plants, and their needs. The kind of understanding that I'm eager to gain; first through study, and then through faith*.
(You know, I really should probably post a few book reviews of books I actually ready lately . . . like Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Thy Gold to Refine, 12 Steps to Raw Foods, Signature Family Dishes, Kabul Beauty School, La Hacienda, or any of the fourteen Georgette Heyer novels I devoured during the first half of the year. Requests on which goes first welcome.)
*My definition of Faith: a belief which moves one to action, or the application of knowledge gained by teaching (as opposed to the knowledge gained by experience). Faith is work--the application of principles learned and the true test of a principles truthfulness or validity.
