“You see the story in full color, feel the wind and smell the farm through Brockman’s vivid descriptions.” *
THE SEASONS ON HENRY’S FARM
A Year of Food and Life
on an Organic Farm
by Terra Brockman
Surrey Books / Agate Publishing / PGW
http://agatepublishing.com
$25.00, Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-1-57284-103-1
Cooking and Wine / Environment
“THE SEASONS ON HENRY’S FARM was an interesting read. It is part journal, part daily log, and biography, but the language used to tell the story compelled me to go on. Often I found myself re-reading passages to take in the beauty of the scene described and the language used. Even though all the illustrations are black and white, you see the story in full color, feel the wind and smell the farm through Brockman’s vivid descriptions. Her love of the farm, her family and the environment shines through. I am sure it is no coincidence that it reminds me of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden.”
– Angie Grafstrom, Inspiration Hollow, Roseau, MN *“This book arose from the author’s e-mail chronicle of her brother Henry’s organic farm each week throughout the year. Henry grew an amazing variety of produce, and the anecdotes related in the book, as well as the recipes and photos, are informative as well as entertaining. I’ll never look at food the same way again!”
– Cheryl Kroger, Chapters Books & Gifts, Seward, NE“Terra Brockman’s new book is such a delightful synergy of poetic inspiration and realistic descriptions of life on a farm. Given the recent renewed interest in gardening and urban farming, the appearance of this inspiring book could not be more timely.”
– Frederick Kirschenmann, president, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture
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Terra Brockman will conduct a workshop at the 2009 Illinois Master Gardener Conference on September 12. (Thelma Keller Convention Center, 1202 N. Keller Dr, Effingham, IL) The workshop will be a part of an educational session from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. A link to the event’s site can be found here: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/mg/events/mgconference2009.cfm
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THE SEASONS ON HENRY’S FARM (ISBN 978-1-57284-103-1, $25) is available from Publisher’s Group West, or you can order it from your preferred wholesaler. Be sure to contact your PGW sales rep for more information about this title. He/she can advise you about coop availability, too.
Visit the Agate Publishing website for more information about this book: http://agatepublishing.com
If you’d like to inquire about events with the author or setting up a phoner for her to talk with a book club or reading group, please contact Jennifer Sikora, Agate Publishing Inc., 1501 Madison St., Evanston, IL 60202, 847.475.4457, Ext. 3#, sikora@agatepublishing.com .
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ABOUT THE BOOK
“THE SEASONS ON HENRY’S FARM, a book to be reckoned with, lifts you high enough to witness the tremendous possibilities people are capable of expressing in their working lives—in this case, through farming. If you’re a fan of Aldo Leopold, or have long suspected that time-honored methods of farming are best for the earth (and our taste buds) and require intelligence and thoroughness exceeding the levels demanded by most occupations, you will discover here that your suspicions are well founded….
“THE SEASONS ON HENRY’S FARM is an exhilarating story of observation. It’s a humbling one, too, for few of us can imagine mustering the endurance and precision needed to farm this deeply. But that Henry and his familial band of followers can and do, again and again, makes the world of the farm more than a dream or an ideal. It’s a great encouraging kick in the pants for all of us, regardless of how we spend our time, or what we do, to achieve such excellence in full consciousness of all its complexities and consequences. This book tells a tale as raw and vivid as one could hope for, while gently imparting what we need to know about the soil, plants, and animals that sustain us.”
– from the foreword by Deborah Madison
Henry’s Farm, run by Henry Brockman, is in central Illinois–some of the richest farming land in the world. There, he and his family–five generations of farmers, including sister Terra, the author–have bucked the traditional agribusiness conventional wisdom by farming in a way that’s sensible, sustainable, and focused on producing healthy, nutritious food in ways that doesn’t despoil the land. Terra Brockman tells the story of her family and their life on the farm in the form of a year-long memoir–with recipes–that takes readers through each season of life on the farm. Studded with vignettes, digressions, photographs, family stories, and illustrations of the farm’s vivid plant life, the book is a one-of-a-kind treasure that will appeal to readers of Michael Pollan, E.B. White, Gretel Ehrlich, and Sandra Steingraber.
Through closely observed natural phenomena and engagingly told stories, THE SEASONS ON HENRY’S FARM takes readers deep inside the world of a small-scale farmer, and in so doing, opens a window into what sustainable farming really entails and why it is vital and relevant to everyone–everyone who eats, that is. Though rooted in the rolling oak-hickory hills and fertile fields and flood plains of the Mackinaw River Valley, the book ranges widely, incorporating literary, scientific, and culinary reflections occasioned by the week-by-week events of farm life.
THE SEASONS ON HENRY’S FARM takes readers inside the cyclical rhythms of nature and of sustainable agriculture, which mimics nature, and the life of an extended family that not only believes in the importance of stewarding the land but lives it every day. Brockman invites us both to recognize our place in the cosmos, and to understand that growing good food does not mean destroying soil and water, and that we can eat well and live well, and still leave this earth a better place than we found it. She has created a mindful and mouthwatering invitation to eat great food grown by people near you who love the land. This is a book for everyone who cares about the food we eat, the land we live on, and the environment that sustains us.
Part farm journal, part memoir, this story of a five-generation Illinois farming family takes readers from the soil to the supper table through 52 meditative, closely observed “seasons” on an organic farm, accented with culinary, historical, scientific, and literary reflections and culminating with a bounty of foolproof, fresh-flavored seasonal recipes.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Terra Brockman was raised in central Illinois, where four generations of her family had farmed. She earned a BA in biology and BA and MA degrees in English at Illinois State University, then lived and worked as a teacher, writer, and editor in Japan and New York City for fifteen years, with time out to travel extensively, from Nepal to Eritrea to Morocco to the Baltics. In 2001, she founded The Land Connection, a nonprofit working to save farmland, train new organic farmers, and connect consumers with fresh local foods.
