Furthermore: Where the Headlines Take You

Grow Your Food, Know Your Food!

My colleague Emily-Jane found this great blog post about the Obamas starting a vegetable garden at the White House. I was so excited to hear about this, as I've been doing a lot of research lately on similar topics for the St. Johns Farmers' Market. I have to say, I've become a bit obsessed with the idea of growing your own food, supporting small farms and buying locally. The library has a bounty of how-to books on growing vegetables, preparing these delicious wonders, and preserving them for later. We also have books on starting your own farm, raising chickens in your backyard, and other ways to support yourself and your local economy. It's been really hard for me to choose just a few for this post, but here we go.

So now that the Obamas are doing it, maybe vegetable gardening will become all the rage. You want to try your hand in it? Let us give you some help. We have many books on vegetable gardening - from raised beds, to your own small farm. We even have some specific to growing vegetables in the Pacific Northwest. Steve Solomon provides one of the seminal works on growing vegetables in our wet, beautiful Cascade Region in his book, Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades. Though some of his ideas may be considered controversial, this book is unquestionably thorough in its discussion of the unique conditions we find in our region, such as "no sun in the winter, no rain in the summer and nutrients washed out of the soil by a thousand years of endless rain." This book was first published in 1980, and he updates it every few years. We carry the most recent 2007 edition as well as the 2000 edition (which has fewer holds on it). This is a very popular book!

While Solomon believes you need lots of space to do it right, many of us do not have acreage in which to plant rows of crops. But never fear, according to R.J. Ruppenthal in Fresh Food From Small Spaces, almost no space is too small or too dark to raise food! This is an entertaining and practical guide to growing productive vegetable gardens in small spaces including balconies, windowsills and counter tops. It even includes information on raising chickens and beekeeping within the city.

So now that you have your garden planted, with the promise of fresh produce to come, it's time to start thinking about how to prepare delicious meals from your bounty! I wanted something that emphasized using seasonal, local products and I ended up going with chefs Vitaly and Kimberly Paley's Paley's Place Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from the Pacific Northwest. This beautifully photographed cookbook uses locally found ingredients in its recipes, but the meals are influenced by many different cultures. And just as appealing as the scrumptious meals you will create, are his stories of local "farmers, fishers, and foragers" who supply Paley with ingredients and inspiration. We live in a beautiful and fertile region and this book really brings that home in pictures and words.

The New York Times mentioned that Mrs. Obama hoped their new garden would help "educate children about healthful, locally grown fruit and vegetables at a time when obesity and diabetes have become a national concern." Add to that people being hit hard by the economic downturn, worry over large-scale salmonella scares, and our planet's environmental future, and you find more and more folks trying to make good choices for themselves, their families and their communities. I like to think the Pacific Northwest is a leader in the green movement, including sustainable food and farming.  The documentary Good food, produced and directed by Melissa Young and Mark Dworkin, talks about the growing number of small farms in our area, as well as the co-ops, grocery outlets and consumers that support them.

The timing is perfect, go forth, get your hands dirty and reap the benefits of your harvest! Be sure to check out the library's guide to Farmers' Markets for even more fresh, local produce options. Eat well!