Sommaire
Pagination de l'dition papier
Guide
Copyright 2023 by Ellen Mahoney
All rights reserved
Published by Chicago Review Press Incorporated
814 North Franklin Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
ISBN 978-1-64160-588-5
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022940076
Cover and illustrations: Sadie Teper
Typesetting: Nord Compo
Printed in the United States of America
5 4 3 2 1
This digital document has been produced by Nord Compo.
Introduction
Women and food make a dynamic duo.
From finding creative ways for astronauts to eat in space, to operating a 20-acre farm, to fighting for food justicewomen are often at the forefront of the enormous food industry that shapes all of our lives.
Each day, women from all over the world bring their families and communities needed nourishment. They work in tall fields of corn, steamy kitchens, or open-air markets. They bring food to breakfast nooks, dining room tables, conference rooms, or even picnic blankets. They work in front of computer screens or film cameras, or in kitchen labs and classrooms chock-full of students.
Women help build important cultural food traditions that are passed down for generations. And if theres not enough accessible and nutritious food for all? Its often women who speak up for change and initiate the problem-solving process.
The 15 women in this bookEmma, Gail, Petra, Caroline, Cheetie, Tracy, Dani, Haleh, Sheila, Andi, Abby, Jocelyn, Takiyah, Sophie, and Piahave carved out unique paths in their fields. They are hardworking, dedicated, creative, and caring individuals who use their heads, hearts, and hands to shed light on the ever-changing food industry with all its sweet and savory sides.
Youll read about their amazing lives and the important work they do as farmers, chefs, food activists, food storytellers, and food scientists. Each woman has a unique story to tell with plenty of challenges along the way. Most important, theyve all found their true passions in life to make a positive difference in our world. And it all revolves around food.
Emma de Long:
A Passion for Farming
During the summer of her junior year in high school, Emma de Long set out for the adventure of her life. But the journey was arduous and took 12 hours on a train followed by two long bus rides and a car ride. Her destination was to a remote village along the jade-colored Yalakom River in British Columbia, Canada.
It was the first time Emma had ever traveled by herself, and the village was more than a thousand miles from her California home. Many feelings bubbled up within her. Excitement. Anticipation. Nervousness. The day before she left, her best friend, Rebecca, even cut off her waist-long hair so Emma wouldnt attract unwanted attention on the train.
Emma was motivated. Like many of her friends, Emma was upset with the state of the world and how humans were treating the planet, especially with regard to environmental destruction. She wanted to learn more about farming as a way to feel healthy and happy and to do good work in the world. Emma was determined to learn how to grow her own food and to survive.
When she finally crossed the Canadian border on the train, her eyes were wide as saucers. Five bald eagles immediately flew by and the mountains rose up and it was just so wild and new to me.
Emma was making this trip as part of the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) program. For free room and board, she would help out on various homesteads for the summer and learn about organic farming along the way. Earlier in the year Emma had looked over a long list of WWOOF farms in Canada. Thats when she chose to work in the small village along the Yalakom River. The village was isolated, and families needed to rely on one another for help or to work on projects. There were no cell phones, and the main form of communication was the walkie-talkie. It was a unique community that made sense to her. It all felt very natural and I thought, Oh, this is how I could live.
Whats a WWOOFer?
According to its mission statement, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) is a worldwide movement to link visitors with organic farmers, promote a cultural and educational exchange, and build a global community conscious of ecological farming and sustainability practices. The program, originally called Working Weekends on Organic Farms, was founded in England in 1971 by Sue Coppard. Sue was living and working in London at the time and eager to spend more time in the country and volunteer at a farm. Today the international program has sister groups in more than 100 countries. Thousands of organic farmers around the world host volunteers, who are called WWOOFers, to help them gain skills in organic farming and gardening and possibly become a new generation of farmers.
Emma first chose to board with a family that was building a straw-bale house next to a forest. I really wanted to learn about alternate building methods, and the family had a large vegetable garden and they were making plant medicine. I was interested in all of that.
The family lived in a trailer during their home renovation, and Emma slept in a nearby tepee that had a queen-size bed and a firepit. She thought the tepee was great, but it was situated right next to the woods.
One neighbor quickly warned her, Dont go into the woods this afternoon. Its all grizzly bears in there.
Emma says she was careful whenever she ventured out. I was in awe of the woods, but I also definitely felt like a foreigner.
She then moved into a different home with an elderly couple who had a bountiful vegetable garden and an abundance of fruits. Emma would go out every day and pick buckets of raspberries and then spend a lot of time processing the fruit.
The following summer after graduating from high school in 2008, Emma returned to the village to work there once again. She stayed with the same couple as before, but this time she made the journey with Rebecca. I really fell in love with it up there and enjoyed processing foods and making meals and medicine, Emma says. Everything that had to do with food was so exciting to me.
Emma de Long is now a farmer and the owner of Kneehigh Farm, located in southeast Pennsylvania. Her farm is completely women-owned and operated and is based on the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) agricultural method. She and her crew of farmers grow a wide variety of organic vegetables. Her industrious path to becoming a farmer stretches all the way from California to Pennsylvania with many adventures in between.
Community Supported Agriculture
Farmers often love their work, and agriculture is a business where someone can spend quality time outdoors. But there are many environmental factors that can wreak havoc on crops and impact a farmers earnings. An innovative way to help farmers have economic stability was developed with Community Supported Agriculture, also called CSA. This method of organic farming ensures that the expenses of running a small farm are offset ahead of time before many plants even begin to sprout. The CSA method connects farmers directly with their community members who buy shares early in the year. This method helps farmers with their ongoing cash flow while offering consumers fresh organic foods throughout the growing season. Every CSA has a different amount of CSA members and fees for their shares. During the growing season CSA members will typically go to the farm on a weekly basis to pick up their items or have them delivered. In addition, CSA farmers often sell produce at local farmers markets. The concept of Community Supported Agriculture has been inspired from countries around the world such as Japan, Switzerland, and the United States.