BOOK REVIEW - Reclaiming our Food by Tanya Denckla Cobb



Tanya Denckla Cobb

All across the country, Americans are seeking more fresh, local foods - at home, in their schools, in restaurants, and at food markets.  Grassroots community food projects from Boston to Nashville to Birmingham to Seattle are rising to meet this demand.  Led by innovative, creative people from all walks of life, these projects are building community by creating valuable jobs, preserving cultural traditions, building local knowledge about growing food, and educating school children.

Inspirational stories of nearly 60 grassroots food programs provide hundreds of useful “lessons learned,” offering an enduring handbook for everyone hoping to join the movement. You’ll learn about best practices for school gardens, community gardens, urban farms, sustainable and regenerative farming. You’ll gain insights on how to work with youth, run a successful CSA or buying club, or market and sell your local food. You’ll learn important tips on creating partnerships, incubating new food businesses, selling to institutions, and even creating restaurant cooperatives.

This book is for you if you’re interested in food and health, whether it’s your own personal, family, or community health. You’ll learn how schools are improving their cafeteria food while also teaching youth about nutrition and their environment.

You’ll also learn how communities are changing their laws to accommodate backyard chickens, goats and bees. And learn how community gardens prevent conflicts by setting things up right at the beginning. You’ll also learn how new and experienced farmers are making their farming businesses profitable.

Whether you like to buy local food, raise a garden, or are a new or experienced farmer, a school nutritionist, or economic development guru, this book can help you.

You’ll be inspired and, more, you’ll learn a host of important lessons from community food leaders across the U.S.  Their successes offer both inspiration and practical advice.

Acclaimed photographer Jason Houston provides photo essays of eight community food projects, detailing their unusual work.

Reclaiming Our Food is a practical guide for building a local food system.

Where others have made the case for the local food movement, Reclaiming Our Food shows how communities are actually making it happen. This book offers a wealth of information on how to make local food a practical and affordable part of everyone’s daily fare.

To honor the food leaders across America who have contributed to this book, the author will contribute 10% of personal profits from the sales of this book to food projects highlighted in the book.

Note:  Review reprinted from Ms. Denckla Cobb's website