Could That Be Me?

Charlotte and Wes. Jeremy and Jessica. Melissa and Brad. So many young couples and families farming small, organic farms, not just here in my foodshed but nationwide. Sounds idyllic, doesn't it? Buy a piece of land, work it, sell your crops and animals, have wonderful, homegrown meals, and go to bed knowing you did an honest day's work.

Thinking of joining "Generation Organic," as Organic Valley calls this new generation of farmers? Read the FoodShed Summer Reading Pick of the Week first.

Harvest: A Year in the Life of an Organic Farm follows Jennifer Megyesi, Kyle Jones and their young son Brad as they bring a dormant farm back to life, and build a life for themselves as well. Simply structured with an introduction and just four big, fat chapters: The Farm, The Family, The Animals, The Land, Harvest immerses you in the day-to-day challenges, joys, worries and wonder of Fat Rooster Farm in South Royalton, Vermont.

Farming is not easy work. It strains backs, bank accounts and relationships. Yet Jennifer and Kyle, like many other young couples, believe in what they are doing, not just for themselves and for the good of the land but mostly for their child, so that he can have what they believe to be a richer experience with his family, his community and the earth than he would have had had they not been farmers, and that that experience can ground him for the rest of his life.

Harvest is chock full of everyday photos from Fat Rooster Farm. Frolicking lambs. Misty-morning crops. Maple sugaring. Woodworking. And little Brad, in mud, in snow, in fields. Yet my favorite photo is the one on the cover. This kick-off to Harvest captures the reality of endless, behind-the-scenes work that running a farm and family entails. The tenderly-private, stolen moment of Jennifer preparing crops for market in the shed, deep in thought, wearing comfy plaid boxer shorts, begs the potentially life-changing question for everyone who holds this hefty book in their hands: Could that be me?

Could That Be Me?