Today I went down to the wescott community center for a screening of Homegrown, the documentary on the Dervaes family. Expecting just a movie I was pleasantly surprised.
First off, I think my shyness is really becoming a detriment. I can't really say I had no idea there were so many in the area interested in home food production and sustainability. I had a hunch, I just did not have the courage to go looking. Today they found me. More specifically a representative wearing one of the path to freedom "revolution solution" shirts found me, and now I'm on "the list." Ok enough about me, on with the movie.
If you have spent as much time on the path to freedom site as I have, there will not be much in here that will surprise you, no new secrets of farming. It was more than anything else a story about the people, not the farm itself. I give them a lot of credit, I wouldn't want cameras in my home for that long. It humanizes and shows a glimpse of the real challenges they have faced. Without being exploitative it expressed the trials and tribulations that come with the lifestyle they have chosen. It offers a warning for those who might leap without looking, but not to the detriment of its ability to inspire. And that it does in bushels.
If it hasn't come to a theater or community center near you, get together with some people and get a showing near you.
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Book Review: Smale Scale Grain Raising
I searched high and low for this text which has become somewhat of a legend. I was not alone in my pursuit. The original print goes for around$60 used. As luck, or perhaps a change in the direction of the winds of change. A second edition was printed. I found myself on a waitlist 2 months ago and yesterday, my copy arrived.
Small Scale Grain Raising by Gene Logsdon was well worth the wait, and every ounce what it is hyped as. The content is arranged by crop and follows a clear pattern of how to prepare a field for X, planting, common problems, harvesting, storing, and a few recipes along the way.
The true value (not that the content itself should be taken lightly) is Mr. Logsdon's shall we say, wit and wisdom. Having read The Gardeners Guide to Better Soil, and Successful Berry Growing, I was accustomed to his style. He is folksy and casual without being cliche or anti-intellectual. Small Scale Grain raising is no black sheep in that regard. In fact it was a puzzlement to my wife how a book about grain could make me chuckle every few minutes.
Mr. Logsdon speaks as one who understands the science of the task at hand, and does not withhold what the "specifications" for use of say certain fertilizers for certain crops, but also has a wealth of practical experience to reassure the neophyte that in some regards, close enough is ok too.
There are brief peeks into a subject I suspect the author may elaborate on elsewhere and that is his opinion on the state of modern farming. While I have suspicions, he probably has evidence. Its one thing to hear about how a farmer has to constently get bigger or get out, its entirely another to see the numbers in front of you. There are moments that made me a tad uncomfortable, as I am perfectly content to point the finger at subsidies and giants like monsanto, Logsdon feels that farmers who have been "duped" into believing that bigger is better, take out a loan and buy more land and a bigger combine...are as much to blame. Perhaps the availability of easy credit, the cult of more more more, the dependence on technology and cheap oil have not just affected the dregs of consumers but the noblest of professions as well. Perhaps rather than look at it as just another industry, we should look at the state of food production as the true litmus test of not only the health, but the mindset of society.
I must say in closing that I have only one disappointment, the immutable laws of nature. I was hoping to incorporate a grain crop as a bed rotation. As it takes roughly 1090 square feet to make one bushel of wheat, and a healthy bushel of wheat weighs on average, 60 pounds, a single garden bed in my yard (50') will only produce about 2.5 lbs. or around 10 loaves of no-knead bread if my math is right. At 5 lbs I might consider it, but it doesn't seem likely...yet. Who knows, as the size of the mowable part in the yard shrinks. At what point do we decide its not worth keeping a mower, and if we decide its not worth keeping a mower, when do we finally commit the rest of the lawn to more productive use?
Small Scale Grain Raising by Gene Logsdon was well worth the wait, and every ounce what it is hyped as. The content is arranged by crop and follows a clear pattern of how to prepare a field for X, planting, common problems, harvesting, storing, and a few recipes along the way.
The true value (not that the content itself should be taken lightly) is Mr. Logsdon's shall we say, wit and wisdom. Having read The Gardeners Guide to Better Soil, and Successful Berry Growing, I was accustomed to his style. He is folksy and casual without being cliche or anti-intellectual. Small Scale Grain raising is no black sheep in that regard. In fact it was a puzzlement to my wife how a book about grain could make me chuckle every few minutes.
Mr. Logsdon speaks as one who understands the science of the task at hand, and does not withhold what the "specifications" for use of say certain fertilizers for certain crops, but also has a wealth of practical experience to reassure the neophyte that in some regards, close enough is ok too.
There are brief peeks into a subject I suspect the author may elaborate on elsewhere and that is his opinion on the state of modern farming. While I have suspicions, he probably has evidence. Its one thing to hear about how a farmer has to constently get bigger or get out, its entirely another to see the numbers in front of you. There are moments that made me a tad uncomfortable, as I am perfectly content to point the finger at subsidies and giants like monsanto, Logsdon feels that farmers who have been "duped" into believing that bigger is better, take out a loan and buy more land and a bigger combine...are as much to blame. Perhaps the availability of easy credit, the cult of more more more, the dependence on technology and cheap oil have not just affected the dregs of consumers but the noblest of professions as well. Perhaps rather than look at it as just another industry, we should look at the state of food production as the true litmus test of not only the health, but the mindset of society.
I must say in closing that I have only one disappointment, the immutable laws of nature. I was hoping to incorporate a grain crop as a bed rotation. As it takes roughly 1090 square feet to make one bushel of wheat, and a healthy bushel of wheat weighs on average, 60 pounds, a single garden bed in my yard (50') will only produce about 2.5 lbs. or around 10 loaves of no-knead bread if my math is right. At 5 lbs I might consider it, but it doesn't seem likely...yet. Who knows, as the size of the mowable part in the yard shrinks. At what point do we decide its not worth keeping a mower, and if we decide its not worth keeping a mower, when do we finally commit the rest of the lawn to more productive use?
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Book Review: Mycellium Running
Mycellium Running by Paul Stamets. Ten Speed Press
When most people think of fungus they think of either mushrooms like the beloved (or in some unfortunate circumstances, hated) Portabella...or the stuff that grows on toenails.
Not so for the author Paul Stamets and his fellow mycologists. The fungal kingdom has a rich history (establishing early terrestrial dominance in the primordial world) and an essential role to this day. The early portions of the book are dedicated to a quite in depth discussion of the nature, taxonomic divisions, and niche relationships between fungal species. In spite of the depth, the material is still accessible for the layperson, thanks to an abundance of diagrams, photos, and microscopic images. Comparisons between the nature of mycellial mats, and cosmic nebulae, or
most striking, a diagram of the internet itself made it quite evident that these structures permeate every cubic micrometer of living soil in a self healing network. Soil structure itself is largely determined by the presence and type of fungal species.
The discussion continues to a more in depth exploration of the three primary types of fungus as defined by role. As a general note, the author's primary frame of reference is old growth forests in the pacific northwest, which is quite apt since the variety of flora in various states of life and decomposition provides the widest selection of fungal species for study. The drawback of course is that most of us can only drool at the photos, since local sources of some specific hardwood species are not available in all areas.
The primary focus of this book is the author's thesis that since fungus build the world, fungus can save the world, or at least that is the message I took away from it. Various strategies are discussed for using fungus species to sequester heavy metal pollution from soils, break down aromatic hydrocarbon pollution (petrol), remediate toxins (amazingly including VX and sarin nerve gas). Fungal applications for pesticide (as a focused narrow spectrum solution rather than an irresponsible scorched earth application), and possible use in biofuels are also included. The variety and effectiveness of the applications in trials was quite impressive.
Medicinal applications are also discussed, and the general impression left in the reader is the author's acceptance use and appreciation for ALL members of the mushroom kingdom as having medicinal properties...save for the fatally toxic. In fact, he goes so far as to document which species have properties which promote healing of various conditions. No extensive documentation of proof in trials in mentioned. However, given the author's disposition and profession as a scientist, I doubt the recommendations come without scientific basis. His mention of fungus as the starting point in the development of most modern antibiotics lends more credence to that supposition. Also included is a quite frank discussion of why psilocybe containing mushrooms do not deserve classification as an illicit drug, since they do not cause neurological damage, and the effects of repeated use discourage frequent habitual use. Despite my initial disregard of the matter (likely due in part to a very straight laced upbringing,) I am inclined now to agree.
All of the aforementioned is "big picture" stuff, which admittedly has little to do with my garden, and quest for a more self sufficiency right? Not so fast. The latter part of the book is dedicated to the cultivation of various fungal species, including a rather nice guide to identifying and propagating specific varieties from wild specimens. One area I wish was expanded upon was the role of fungus as companions in the garden. A discussion of mycorrhizal fungus was enough to confirm the results Malcolm Beck described in Lessons in Nature. More interesting still was the possible uses of some species of above ground fruiting edibles as companions to vegetable crops. I was disappointed that more research and thus more rec commendations were not included. Perhaps this will be forthcoming in another book, perhaps I need to experiment with this myself. I am curious as to the effectiveness of using antibacterial and antiviral properties of fungus grown in proximity to species of plants susceptible to infection. Geez, is that a perfect Phd project or what!?
Perhaps the biggest endorsement I can offer for this book is the brief but poignant name dropping of my favorite fiction author, the late Frank Herbert. Apparently a friend of Stamets and fellow mushroom cultivator (of MANY different varieties,) in a few brief paragraphs, the inspiration for many key elements in the Dune series became quite apparent.
My overall rating of this work is quite dependent on audience. This book should not be one of the first to purchase on your quest to natural living. There are prerequisite pieces of knowledge that are essential to fully appreciating this book. However, I now believe that any discussion of permaculture is incomplete without referring to the research covered in this book. In the college of natural farming, this is likely 300 level curriculum. This does not provide a full discussion of cultivation, though it provides more than what I would call an introduction to it. One could certainly begin growing their own mushrooms with only this book but it would not be a complete reference to it.
Overall I give it an A but with the above caveats. As I said, permaculture is incomplete without it. If you are just starting out, grab How to Grow more Vegetables... and Gaia's Garden then while you're sitting around watching the corn grow, read Dune. And once you are more comfortable with the principles of permaculture, read this book, twice.
When most people think of fungus they think of either mushrooms like the beloved (or in some unfortunate circumstances, hated) Portabella...or the stuff that grows on toenails.
Not so for the author Paul Stamets and his fellow mycologists. The fungal kingdom has a rich history (establishing early terrestrial dominance in the primordial world) and an essential role to this day. The early portions of the book are dedicated to a quite in depth discussion of the nature, taxonomic divisions, and niche relationships between fungal species. In spite of the depth, the material is still accessible for the layperson, thanks to an abundance of diagrams, photos, and microscopic images. Comparisons between the nature of mycellial mats, and cosmic nebulae, or
most striking, a diagram of the internet itself made it quite evident that these structures permeate every cubic micrometer of living soil in a self healing network. Soil structure itself is largely determined by the presence and type of fungal species.
The discussion continues to a more in depth exploration of the three primary types of fungus as defined by role. As a general note, the author's primary frame of reference is old growth forests in the pacific northwest, which is quite apt since the variety of flora in various states of life and decomposition provides the widest selection of fungal species for study. The drawback of course is that most of us can only drool at the photos, since local sources of some specific hardwood species are not available in all areas.
The primary focus of this book is the author's thesis that since fungus build the world, fungus can save the world, or at least that is the message I took away from it. Various strategies are discussed for using fungus species to sequester heavy metal pollution from soils, break down aromatic hydrocarbon pollution (petrol), remediate toxins (amazingly including VX and sarin nerve gas). Fungal applications for pesticide (as a focused narrow spectrum solution rather than an irresponsible scorched earth application), and possible use in biofuels are also included. The variety and effectiveness of the applications in trials was quite impressive.
Medicinal applications are also discussed, and the general impression left in the reader is the author's acceptance use and appreciation for ALL members of the mushroom kingdom as having medicinal properties...save for the fatally toxic. In fact, he goes so far as to document which species have properties which promote healing of various conditions. No extensive documentation of proof in trials in mentioned. However, given the author's disposition and profession as a scientist, I doubt the recommendations come without scientific basis. His mention of fungus as the starting point in the development of most modern antibiotics lends more credence to that supposition. Also included is a quite frank discussion of why psilocybe containing mushrooms do not deserve classification as an illicit drug, since they do not cause neurological damage, and the effects of repeated use discourage frequent habitual use. Despite my initial disregard of the matter (likely due in part to a very straight laced upbringing,) I am inclined now to agree.
All of the aforementioned is "big picture" stuff, which admittedly has little to do with my garden, and quest for a more self sufficiency right? Not so fast. The latter part of the book is dedicated to the cultivation of various fungal species, including a rather nice guide to identifying and propagating specific varieties from wild specimens. One area I wish was expanded upon was the role of fungus as companions in the garden. A discussion of mycorrhizal fungus was enough to confirm the results Malcolm Beck described in Lessons in Nature. More interesting still was the possible uses of some species of above ground fruiting edibles as companions to vegetable crops. I was disappointed that more research and thus more rec commendations were not included. Perhaps this will be forthcoming in another book, perhaps I need to experiment with this myself. I am curious as to the effectiveness of using antibacterial and antiviral properties of fungus grown in proximity to species of plants susceptible to infection. Geez, is that a perfect Phd project or what!?
Perhaps the biggest endorsement I can offer for this book is the brief but poignant name dropping of my favorite fiction author, the late Frank Herbert. Apparently a friend of Stamets and fellow mushroom cultivator (of MANY different varieties,) in a few brief paragraphs, the inspiration for many key elements in the Dune series became quite apparent.
My overall rating of this work is quite dependent on audience. This book should not be one of the first to purchase on your quest to natural living. There are prerequisite pieces of knowledge that are essential to fully appreciating this book. However, I now believe that any discussion of permaculture is incomplete without referring to the research covered in this book. In the college of natural farming, this is likely 300 level curriculum. This does not provide a full discussion of cultivation, though it provides more than what I would call an introduction to it. One could certainly begin growing their own mushrooms with only this book but it would not be a complete reference to it.
Overall I give it an A but with the above caveats. As I said, permaculture is incomplete without it. If you are just starting out, grab How to Grow more Vegetables... and Gaia's Garden then while you're sitting around watching the corn grow, read Dune. And once you are more comfortable with the principles of permaculture, read this book, twice.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Monkey see Monkey do, I've got another book review
Katie at Gardenpunks just reviewed the perennial favorite (pun intended) Gaia's Garden, and I can't say I disagree with a single word she typed.
I like to hear myself talk, or type as it were, so it was kind of disappointed that I could not flex my more garrulous tendencies in response beyond a simple "right on, i agree, me too"
So I dug out one of my favorites to share.
The Self Sufficient Suburban Gardener by Jeff Ball is an out of print hardcover book from rodale press. Why it is out of print I will never know, perhaps it popularity during the initial print was not what rodale was hoping. It may have just been out before its time, regardless, its time has come.
While the book is by no means exhaustive, it is quite useful in one regard that I don't think has been truly filled and that is as a aerial view of sorts. It paints a roadmap of what the goal is for most of us. That being the transformation of our consumption only plots of land into something capable of providing a net gain beyond just a simple garden. Lots of people have gardens, this plan goes several steps further. This would be a great book to loan a friend who is more than a bit curious about "whats with the trees and stuff. "
Beyond its use in evangelism and outreach, it does one thing I think even converts like myself need. It breaks the whole project down into phases. Its easy to look at something like Path to Freedom and say "That is where I want to go with my life, but wow, there is a lot that needs to be done, where do I start and how do I get to steps 2,3,4 and so on."
Here's the caveat, if they wanted to make the book perfect it would have taken several volumes. It glosses over some things that really need deeper exploration. Were I to design a curriculum, this would be the trunk of the tree, and the discussion of each of the phases would require a different book to augment the material on any given branch. The basic intensive planting and bed preparation chapter needs support from something like "How to Grow more Vegetables..." The chapter about extending the seasons demands you read "Four season Harvest" to get the finer points.
That being said, as many of you may be suspecting, I love detail, charts, diagrams, deep deep detail. So perhaps a more courageous person could take this book, jump in head first, and be totally fine. But just because the roadmap is zoomed back does not make it useless. I refer to this time and time again.
It assumes the reader is convinced of the necessity of such things, and there is little beyond "save some money, eat some quality food" in terms of why these steps are necessary, if you need a convincer look elsewhere, if you need a map, look here.
Grade: A-
This actually gives me an idea, stay tuned.
I like to hear myself talk, or type as it were, so it was kind of disappointed that I could not flex my more garrulous tendencies in response beyond a simple "right on, i agree, me too"
So I dug out one of my favorites to share.
The Self Sufficient Suburban Gardener by Jeff Ball is an out of print hardcover book from rodale press. Why it is out of print I will never know, perhaps it popularity during the initial print was not what rodale was hoping. It may have just been out before its time, regardless, its time has come.
While the book is by no means exhaustive, it is quite useful in one regard that I don't think has been truly filled and that is as a aerial view of sorts. It paints a roadmap of what the goal is for most of us. That being the transformation of our consumption only plots of land into something capable of providing a net gain beyond just a simple garden. Lots of people have gardens, this plan goes several steps further. This would be a great book to loan a friend who is more than a bit curious about "whats with the trees and stuff. "
Beyond its use in evangelism and outreach, it does one thing I think even converts like myself need. It breaks the whole project down into phases. Its easy to look at something like Path to Freedom and say "That is where I want to go with my life, but wow, there is a lot that needs to be done, where do I start and how do I get to steps 2,3,4 and so on."
Here's the caveat, if they wanted to make the book perfect it would have taken several volumes. It glosses over some things that really need deeper exploration. Were I to design a curriculum, this would be the trunk of the tree, and the discussion of each of the phases would require a different book to augment the material on any given branch. The basic intensive planting and bed preparation chapter needs support from something like "How to Grow more Vegetables..." The chapter about extending the seasons demands you read "Four season Harvest" to get the finer points.
That being said, as many of you may be suspecting, I love detail, charts, diagrams, deep deep detail. So perhaps a more courageous person could take this book, jump in head first, and be totally fine. But just because the roadmap is zoomed back does not make it useless. I refer to this time and time again.
It assumes the reader is convinced of the necessity of such things, and there is little beyond "save some money, eat some quality food" in terms of why these steps are necessary, if you need a convincer look elsewhere, if you need a map, look here.
Grade: A-
This actually gives me an idea, stay tuned.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Book Review: Lessons In Nature
First of all a thanks is due to Gardening in Converse for his prior review of this book which enticed me to read. I will attempt to offer my own thoughts without duplicating his.
Malcom Beck (the author) has lived at the forefront of the organic movement for most of his life. This book is as much a memoir of trial and error as it is a series of short vignettes on a variety of garden oriented subjects. In that regard it bears similarity to another work "The One Straw Revolution" by Masanobu Fukuoka. The similarity does not end there, in fact barring a likely language barrier I think the two men might find decades of common ground on which to discuss. I would even go so far as to say that as Fukuoka is to Buddhist farming, Beck is to "western faith" gardening. While Beck makes no mention of the specifics of his particular faith, evident in some of his axioms are the need for trust in the providence of and thanks for the blessings of God. I would safely assume that he probably speaks from a Christian perspective given some other clues.
At the risk of venturing into rarely walked territory in the sustainability arena I'd like for a moment to explore perhaps how where I believe his faith has informed his technique. His respect for (though begrudging at time) pests from both the plant and animal kingdom resonates clearly the idea expressed in the Genesis account that all of creation is good and there for to some degree necessary. "bad bugs" seemed predisposed to select and feed upon weak plants. Disease, infestation and weeds while detrimental to the short term goal of this season's harvest are necessary to the long term survival of the plant species. Certain weeds prefer and even correct certain soils. Insect pests exist to such that when their numbers are kept in check by other natural factors, they are only capable of suppressing plants which are ill suited to pass on their genes to the next generation. As was made famous in the song there is a time for every purpose. Beck displays a rare patience when discussing the notion of cover crops, if I'm not mistaken growing green manures for seven seasons to improve deficient soil before planting a single carrot.
And just as Fukuoka and Beck might come from different backgrounds and different perspectives, their conclusions are nearly identical. Both have observed over many years that the system which closest duplicates natural conditions is the system which shines brightest. Corrections to any system should only be aimed a restoring a balance rather and completely eliminating or creating an abundance of certain factors. Corrections to the system should be as closest to natural conditions as possible, i.e. using rock phosphate instead of refined "super-phosphate" or adding a large number of predatory insects to correct for a large number of pest insects rather than spraying a pesticide.
Beck advises and I'm sure Fukuoka would agree that when intervention is required as in the case of applying acetic acid to prevent root suckers in a vineyard, that the proposed solution have a very specific intended effect, be composed of simple and organic components, and should not incur a long term effect on the system. Long term solutions to any problem for both men lie almost exclusively in the improvement of the soil.
In summary this is not a book full of "new information" Anyone interested in the subject by now knows that compost is necessary, that organic methods are intrinsically more successful in the long term, that patience and careful observation are what truly builds great gardens. We have all learned this by now, but after reading "Lessons in Nature" I feel I now understand it.
I can definitely without caveat recommend this book, there are a few tips and trick, but the real value lies in the message. Borrow it or buy it, either way...read it.
Malcom Beck (the author) has lived at the forefront of the organic movement for most of his life. This book is as much a memoir of trial and error as it is a series of short vignettes on a variety of garden oriented subjects. In that regard it bears similarity to another work "The One Straw Revolution" by Masanobu Fukuoka. The similarity does not end there, in fact barring a likely language barrier I think the two men might find decades of common ground on which to discuss. I would even go so far as to say that as Fukuoka is to Buddhist farming, Beck is to "western faith" gardening. While Beck makes no mention of the specifics of his particular faith, evident in some of his axioms are the need for trust in the providence of and thanks for the blessings of God. I would safely assume that he probably speaks from a Christian perspective given some other clues.
At the risk of venturing into rarely walked territory in the sustainability arena I'd like for a moment to explore perhaps how where I believe his faith has informed his technique. His respect for (though begrudging at time) pests from both the plant and animal kingdom resonates clearly the idea expressed in the Genesis account that all of creation is good and there for to some degree necessary. "bad bugs" seemed predisposed to select and feed upon weak plants. Disease, infestation and weeds while detrimental to the short term goal of this season's harvest are necessary to the long term survival of the plant species. Certain weeds prefer and even correct certain soils. Insect pests exist to such that when their numbers are kept in check by other natural factors, they are only capable of suppressing plants which are ill suited to pass on their genes to the next generation. As was made famous in the song there is a time for every purpose. Beck displays a rare patience when discussing the notion of cover crops, if I'm not mistaken growing green manures for seven seasons to improve deficient soil before planting a single carrot.
And just as Fukuoka and Beck might come from different backgrounds and different perspectives, their conclusions are nearly identical. Both have observed over many years that the system which closest duplicates natural conditions is the system which shines brightest. Corrections to any system should only be aimed a restoring a balance rather and completely eliminating or creating an abundance of certain factors. Corrections to the system should be as closest to natural conditions as possible, i.e. using rock phosphate instead of refined "super-phosphate" or adding a large number of predatory insects to correct for a large number of pest insects rather than spraying a pesticide.
Beck advises and I'm sure Fukuoka would agree that when intervention is required as in the case of applying acetic acid to prevent root suckers in a vineyard, that the proposed solution have a very specific intended effect, be composed of simple and organic components, and should not incur a long term effect on the system. Long term solutions to any problem for both men lie almost exclusively in the improvement of the soil.
In summary this is not a book full of "new information" Anyone interested in the subject by now knows that compost is necessary, that organic methods are intrinsically more successful in the long term, that patience and careful observation are what truly builds great gardens. We have all learned this by now, but after reading "Lessons in Nature" I feel I now understand it.
I can definitely without caveat recommend this book, there are a few tips and trick, but the real value lies in the message. Borrow it or buy it, either way...read it.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Book Review: One Circle
Having tore through "the basics" like "How to Grow..." "Lessons in Nature, and "Gaia's Garden" I think I have a pretty good handle on the theory at this point. I have been really looking for some texts of the nuts and bolts of subsistence growing. I found it in One Circle: How to Grow a Complete diet in less than 1000 square feet" by Dave Duhon and Cindy Gephard. You can get it here from ecology action.
Make no mistake this is a no holds barred exercise in fine details. If you ever wondered whether someone had taken the time to compile and tabulate the facts and figures to properly calculate the required nutrient intake for a given individual, and then determine how much and of what type of crop to grow to meet those needs, let me end the suspense...Someone did and it is documented down to the finest detail. Which likely explains why this book will never be on a best seller list.
That is not an indictment of the efforts of the authors, just that most people will start looking at this and their eyes will glaze over. Most people will look at the fact that the crops grown to satisfy the nutrient and area efficiency requirements of meeting "on as little land as possible" number as few as 8. Add in the fact that, barring potatoes and wheat, most people do not consider the vegetables grown as anything more than a condiment at best or a punchline of a joke at worst. This is therefore, not a book for most people.
Documented carefully within its pages are a slough of tables (and slide rules) to calculate the nutritional needs for any given person, and planting recommendations accordingly. There are also examples so that people like me who don't plan on doing the calculations can use samples to satisfy their curiosity.
So if its not for most people then what is the upside? There are a couple of fantastic essays from a number of people, some excellent growing guides for the crops that are recommended, and while the content of the main segment of the book is quite heavy, it is an excellent explanation of why some crops are less efficient than others if one is growing for sustenance.
If I could have picked a different title it would be "Forget Tomatoes: using biointensive methods to grow crops which will technically provide you with all of your vegan diet using the absolutely smallest amount of space possible." It answered a question for me, what a diet using only the land I own would look like.
In the end I have give this work a thumbs up with a caveat...If you dig textbooks about nutrition and agriculture, pick it up. If not, ask to borrow it from a friend and just read the essays.
Make no mistake this is a no holds barred exercise in fine details. If you ever wondered whether someone had taken the time to compile and tabulate the facts and figures to properly calculate the required nutrient intake for a given individual, and then determine how much and of what type of crop to grow to meet those needs, let me end the suspense...Someone did and it is documented down to the finest detail. Which likely explains why this book will never be on a best seller list.
That is not an indictment of the efforts of the authors, just that most people will start looking at this and their eyes will glaze over. Most people will look at the fact that the crops grown to satisfy the nutrient and area efficiency requirements of meeting "on as little land as possible" number as few as 8. Add in the fact that, barring potatoes and wheat, most people do not consider the vegetables grown as anything more than a condiment at best or a punchline of a joke at worst. This is therefore, not a book for most people.
Documented carefully within its pages are a slough of tables (and slide rules) to calculate the nutritional needs for any given person, and planting recommendations accordingly. There are also examples so that people like me who don't plan on doing the calculations can use samples to satisfy their curiosity.
So if its not for most people then what is the upside? There are a couple of fantastic essays from a number of people, some excellent growing guides for the crops that are recommended, and while the content of the main segment of the book is quite heavy, it is an excellent explanation of why some crops are less efficient than others if one is growing for sustenance.
If I could have picked a different title it would be "Forget Tomatoes: using biointensive methods to grow crops which will technically provide you with all of your vegan diet using the absolutely smallest amount of space possible." It answered a question for me, what a diet using only the land I own would look like.
In the end I have give this work a thumbs up with a caveat...If you dig textbooks about nutrition and agriculture, pick it up. If not, ask to borrow it from a friend and just read the essays.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
book review: sort of
First a confession: Since I (a mere two posts down) began the paper chase of wondering why we work so much and buy so much stuff we dont need, I took a look in the mirror and noticed the bookshelf behind me. I have lots of books, I buy them and I hang on to them, almost compulsively. I love having them at hand so I can reread whenever I want, and I love lending them out to friends so we can talk about them afterwards. I haven't actually been in a public library in several years, so yesterday I walked across the street from my office to the central branch of the county library system...yes, I work a few yards from the second largest library in the area, and me, an avowed book junkie, had never been in it.
So I figured I would try to find a few items on my amazon list and maybe get a free fix. So I got myself a library card and checked out Permaculture:One and the One Straw Revolution. I only got a chance to start Permaculture: One, but I tore through One Straw Revolution with reckless abandon so onward we go.
Firstly, the translator notes that there are certain terms or phrases which will require footnoting as the work was originally written in Japanese. I would argue that the barrier to translation is not necessarily a matter of linguistics but of culture. Mr. Fukuoka cannot, nor should he try, to separate his Buddhist outlook on live with his explanation of what he calls natural farming. Certainly anyone interested in the state of the world could read this book and benefit, but there are most definitely areas where he puts his ideas into words that would be lost without some knowledge of Buddhist concepts.
Second it is important to bear in mind the setting of this book. Mr. Fukuoka is clearly a rebel in a culture of conformity. The turning point of his discovery of natural farming (and some might argue a buddhist enlightenment as well) centers in Japan just after WWII. As such there was significant pressure on Japan as a nation to westernize, perhaps even moreso than the late 1800's when Japan forcibly abandoned the traditional castes in favor of a mercantile culture. In the United States, the war had ended and industry was looking for an outlet to continue its frantic level of production. In agriculture this took shape as the so called Green Revolution, where farmers saw miraculous short term gains from using petroleum derived fertilizer, and herbicide and pesticide made in factories originally producing poison gas weapons. During the war Japan understood the need to maximize crop production from their limited land resources, and following the war as a de facto vassal of the US, felt industrial pressure to continue using chemical treatments of the land and crops.
Fukuoka was a botanist by training originally and encountered an existential crisis early in his career. While some might argue that his lashing out at industrial agriculture was part and parcel of a rejection of his previous life, I believe it goes deeper than this. What appears at the center of his ethos is the buddhist notion of no mind. That to truly see things as they are, (if we are capable of seeing them at all) we must first discard the lenses through which we see and judge. Science, as he encountered it was less concerned with true dedicated study, and more concerned with confirming notions which they found acceptable, believable or profitable.
Fukuoka continuously rails against accepted notions of what makes an effective agricultural program. He deals rather causticly with his fellow farmers who blindly accept whatever the local research boards profess to be the next great advance, locking them in a cycle of dependence and depletion.
It would be disingenuous to say that he rejects science, indeed he may actually have restored it. His methods are derived from careful observation of natural activities in nature, rather than in a lab. Built into this is the advice to anyone who chooses to adopt natural methods that there are a great number of variables. He does not write a perscription to be followed militantly but instead shows a path where the farmer can discover natural farming. To truly farm naturally one must stop concerning one's self with the mechanics of when to sow what, to apply what, and to truly feel the pulse of the land. Restore balance and work with rather than against nature. In order to appreciate the cycle of the seasons, the ebb and flow of certain crop growths, insect manifestations, etc. he posits the necessity of observing with clear eyes. We cannot let our egos get in the way of our discovery.
Fukuoka extends this buddhist notion of ego destruction to every aspect of life. Observing the music of the stream, and poetry born from the land, he has rejected material notions of maximizing profit and tells a story of a rather bad ordeal with a "natural foods" supplier he was previously selling to. Despite being thousands of miles away and decades ago, I'm sure this saga continues to play out across america today. Farming for commercial profit is detrimental to both the farm and the farmer, as well as society at large. In fact, as Fukuoka once again draws from his well of buddhist experience, the three are not really separate at all.
Thusly he urges a mass conversion to agrarian life. While he does not offer a prescription for natural farming, his method is itself a prescription to heal a dying land, a dying way of life, and a dying society. I could not help but be moved by these pages. Being what might be described as a Zen Catholic, I found myself repeatedly nodding in agreement as the author illuminated certain ideas that I felt but could never describe. In my case (even with my admittedly salad bar predilection towards religion) Fukuoka clearly preaches to the choir. If I can contribute anything to the discussion of this book it is this.
Science conducted separate from nature is not science
Farming conducted separate from nature is not farming
Life conducted separate from nature is not life.
Even with my verbose tendencies I could never hope to truly do this book justice. Read it for yourself if you haven't already.
So I figured I would try to find a few items on my amazon list and maybe get a free fix. So I got myself a library card and checked out Permaculture:One and the One Straw Revolution. I only got a chance to start Permaculture: One, but I tore through One Straw Revolution with reckless abandon so onward we go.
Firstly, the translator notes that there are certain terms or phrases which will require footnoting as the work was originally written in Japanese. I would argue that the barrier to translation is not necessarily a matter of linguistics but of culture. Mr. Fukuoka cannot, nor should he try, to separate his Buddhist outlook on live with his explanation of what he calls natural farming. Certainly anyone interested in the state of the world could read this book and benefit, but there are most definitely areas where he puts his ideas into words that would be lost without some knowledge of Buddhist concepts.
Second it is important to bear in mind the setting of this book. Mr. Fukuoka is clearly a rebel in a culture of conformity. The turning point of his discovery of natural farming (and some might argue a buddhist enlightenment as well) centers in Japan just after WWII. As such there was significant pressure on Japan as a nation to westernize, perhaps even moreso than the late 1800's when Japan forcibly abandoned the traditional castes in favor of a mercantile culture. In the United States, the war had ended and industry was looking for an outlet to continue its frantic level of production. In agriculture this took shape as the so called Green Revolution, where farmers saw miraculous short term gains from using petroleum derived fertilizer, and herbicide and pesticide made in factories originally producing poison gas weapons. During the war Japan understood the need to maximize crop production from their limited land resources, and following the war as a de facto vassal of the US, felt industrial pressure to continue using chemical treatments of the land and crops.
Fukuoka was a botanist by training originally and encountered an existential crisis early in his career. While some might argue that his lashing out at industrial agriculture was part and parcel of a rejection of his previous life, I believe it goes deeper than this. What appears at the center of his ethos is the buddhist notion of no mind. That to truly see things as they are, (if we are capable of seeing them at all) we must first discard the lenses through which we see and judge. Science, as he encountered it was less concerned with true dedicated study, and more concerned with confirming notions which they found acceptable, believable or profitable.
Fukuoka continuously rails against accepted notions of what makes an effective agricultural program. He deals rather causticly with his fellow farmers who blindly accept whatever the local research boards profess to be the next great advance, locking them in a cycle of dependence and depletion.
It would be disingenuous to say that he rejects science, indeed he may actually have restored it. His methods are derived from careful observation of natural activities in nature, rather than in a lab. Built into this is the advice to anyone who chooses to adopt natural methods that there are a great number of variables. He does not write a perscription to be followed militantly but instead shows a path where the farmer can discover natural farming. To truly farm naturally one must stop concerning one's self with the mechanics of when to sow what, to apply what, and to truly feel the pulse of the land. Restore balance and work with rather than against nature. In order to appreciate the cycle of the seasons, the ebb and flow of certain crop growths, insect manifestations, etc. he posits the necessity of observing with clear eyes. We cannot let our egos get in the way of our discovery.
Fukuoka extends this buddhist notion of ego destruction to every aspect of life. Observing the music of the stream, and poetry born from the land, he has rejected material notions of maximizing profit and tells a story of a rather bad ordeal with a "natural foods" supplier he was previously selling to. Despite being thousands of miles away and decades ago, I'm sure this saga continues to play out across america today. Farming for commercial profit is detrimental to both the farm and the farmer, as well as society at large. In fact, as Fukuoka once again draws from his well of buddhist experience, the three are not really separate at all.
Thusly he urges a mass conversion to agrarian life. While he does not offer a prescription for natural farming, his method is itself a prescription to heal a dying land, a dying way of life, and a dying society. I could not help but be moved by these pages. Being what might be described as a Zen Catholic, I found myself repeatedly nodding in agreement as the author illuminated certain ideas that I felt but could never describe. In my case (even with my admittedly salad bar predilection towards religion) Fukuoka clearly preaches to the choir. If I can contribute anything to the discussion of this book it is this.
Science conducted separate from nature is not science
Farming conducted separate from nature is not farming
Life conducted separate from nature is not life.
Even with my verbose tendencies I could never hope to truly do this book justice. Read it for yourself if you haven't already.
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