This Organic Life Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader 1st edition by Joan Dye Gussow 9781931498241 9781931498241

This Organic Life Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader 1st edition by Joan Dye Gussow – Ebook PDF Instant Download/Delivery 9781931498241, 978-1931498241

Product details:

ISBN 10: 9781931498241
ISBN 13: 978-1931498241
Author: Joan Dye Gussow

Joan Dye Gussow is an extraordinarily ordinary woman. She lives in a home not unlike the average home in a neighborhood that is, more or less, typically suburban. What sets her apart from the rest of us is that she thinks more deeply–and in more eloquent detail–about food. In sharing her ponderings, she sets a delightful example for those of us who seek the healthiest, most pleasurable lifestyle within an environment determined to propel us in the opposite direction. Joan is a suburbanite with a green thumb, with a feisty, defiant spirit and a relentlessly positive outlook.

At the heart of This Organic Life is the premise that locally grown food eaten in season makes sense economically, ecologically, and gastronomically. Transporting produce to New York from California–not to mention Central and South America, Australia, or Europe–consumes more energy in transit than it yields in calories. (It costs 435 fossil fuel calories to fly a 5-calorie strawberry from California to New York.) Add in the deleterious effects of agribusiness, such as the endless cycle of pesticide, herbicide, and chemical fertilizers; the loss of topsoil from erosion of over-tilled croplands; depleted aquifers and soil salinization from over-irrigation; and the arguments in favor of “this organic life” become overwhelmingly convincing.

Joan’s story is funny and fiery as she points out the absurdities we have unthinkingly come to accept. You won’t find an electric can opener in this woman’s house. In fact, you probably won’t find many cans, as Joan has discovered ways to nourish herself, literally and spiritually, from her own backyard. If you are looking for a tale of courage and independence in a setting that is entirely familiar, read her story.

Table of contents:

1. How It All Began
2. A New Place
3. Garden and House
4. A Riverside Garden
5. Building It
6. Giving Things Up
7. Put It in the Cellar
8. Gooseberries and the FBI
9. Friends Next Door
10. Gaining Ground
11. Varmints
12. Eating My Yard
13. Lessons from the Tomato
14. Is It Worth It?
15. What a Sacrifice?
16. Heat, Rats, and Despair
17. California and the Rest of Us

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