Broken Ground Blog

If you read only one book this winter...

1/8/2015

One of the things that we like to say in permaculture is, “the problem is the solution.” The problem may be that we have a short growing season in Montana but the solution is that we have more time for reading, reflection and rest. Reflection and rest are things that I could certainly master better but catching up on my reading is something I love to do.

So click on the video below to find out about the book I highly recommend adding to your winter reading list.

Here is a link to Bill Moyers' interview with Wendell Berry that I refer to in the video.

Finally, what book recommendations do you have for us this season? I would love hear about them in the comments below!

Stay tuned for my next video in a couple weeks.

Happy reading,

Kareen

P.S. Don't forget about the Permaculture Film Night next Thursday, January 15th at 7pm. We'll be watching the documentary, Edible City. Please RSVP to info@brokengroundpermaculture.com for location and directions.

10 Comments

Carolyn Poissant link

1/9/2015 12:18:12 am

"The Resilient Gardener," by Carol Deppe.

Kareen Erbe

1/9/2015 12:48:54 am

Great Carolyn, I actually had not heard of this book, thanks for the recommendation!

Patti Borneman link

1/9/2015 12:51:11 pm

Love your first video! Wendell Berry is one of my favorite writers and the Unsettling of America inspired me, too, a while back. For a next book to recommend, how about The Seed Underground by Janisse Ray?

Kareen Erbe

1/10/2015 03:29:08 am

Patti, I'm so glad you liked the video! I agree, Wendell Berry has become one of my favorite writers as well. I wanted to write down a quote from every second page of that book! His insights are so profound and always written so eloquently. Thanks for the book recommendation, looks like a great read, I will put it on my list!

Karen Mitchell

1/14/2015 10:44:23 am

Love the new video format! And I can't wait to read this book. I have not yet read anything by Wendell Berry so this will be a great introduction. I just completed reading "Eating on the Wild Side" by Jo Robinson. I am now planning this coming season's gardens based on several recommendations she offered.

Keep the videos coming!

-Karen

Kareen Erbe

1/15/2015 01:55:21 am

Great Karen, glad I've inspired you to read Wendell Berry, you will not be disappointed. And thanks for the book recommendation, yet another book that I hadn't heard about. My list of new books to tackle this winter is getting bigger!

Drew

1/21/2015 11:36:00 am

Great video Kareen! Love your suggestion, Wendell Berry has such elegance delivering sobering observations in an empowering and inspirational way. His works were some of my favorites from my Environmental Studies classes for sure.

I would recommend Ecology of a Cracker Childhood by Janisse Ray, a fascinating and unique read. Description on Google books is as follows:"Ecology of a Cracker Childhood tells how a childhood spent in rural isolation and steeped in religious fundamentalism grew into a passion to save the almost vanished longleaf pine ecosystem that once covered the South..."

I'll have to check out her book The Seed Underground that Patti mentioned.

Also Eat Here: Reclaiming Homegrown Pleasures in a Global Supermarket by Brian Halweil. Pretty basic, but a good overview of the issues, at least as of 2004.

Thanks for starting this discussion!

Kareen Erbe

1/22/2015 02:01:19 am

Thanks Drew and thanks for the book suggestions, so many great ones out there. It's inspiring me to think about starting a regular book club to read some of these great and inspirational writings!

Denise Smith

1/22/2015 01:40:29 am

Kareen! Your first video is informative and fun! Thanks for starting this series. Would love to check out this book. A book that I would recommend is Farmacology: Total Health from the Ground Up by Dr. Daphne Miller. To start out the book she travels to visit and interview Wendell Berry at his homestead. She really ties in health of the land to our personal health. Thanks again
Denise

Kareen Erbe

1/22/2015 02:03:21 am

Thanks Denise! Definitely want to check out the Farmacology book. Yes, that's what I love about Wendell Berry's writing - his ability to articulate the connection between healthy land and healthy people.

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