A local food reading list
by Brenna Spurgeon
The local food movement already includes several classic reads that illuminate the community, environmental, and economic issues involved in food systems. Below is only a partial list of recommended readings for anyone interested in locally grown food or the industrial food supply chain.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver
Chronicles her family’s year of eating food only grown by themselves or in their neighborhood.
The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan
Explores the “ecological and ethical dimensions of eating” by detailing the supply chain of four different meals
In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan
Food for personal health - why we should just eat real food, rather than accepting processed alternatives
Everything I Want to Do is Illegal: War Stories from the Local Food Front, Joel Salatin
Michael Pollan’s week-long stay at Joel’s Virginia farm is described in the Omnivore’s Dillemma; this is a good follow-up book to expand on that chapter.