Michael Ableman

One of the many good things that has come from knowing Kirsten Roehler is that she turned me onto Michael Ableman, and loaned me her copy of On Good Land: The Autobiography of an Urban Farm, which I've been savoring like a box of expensive chocolates. Kirstin worked at Ableman's farm, Fairview Gardens, when he still lived in Southern California before she became a farmer herself.

The book is an utter treasure: Ableman is not only a gifted writer, but a photographer as well. He's become a personal hero of mine.

His newest book is Fields of Plenty: A Farmer's Journey in Search of Real Food and the People Who Grow It—it is the book I have longed to write myself. From Ableman's website: "Fields of Plenty is the memoir of respected farmer, writer, and photographer Michael Ableman as he and his son travel from his own farm in British Columbia across the United States in search of innovative and passionate farmers who are making a difference in what we eat and how we experience food. From Oregon to Maine, this story captures the essence of each farmer's vision, the spirit of the land that they work, and the beauty and flavours of the foods that they lovingly produce."

Being that Travels with Charley is one of my favorite books, the idea of making a journey across the country is one of my fondest dreams—one Bob and I have talked about for months now. To couple that with visiting farms? That would be heaven.

And Michael Ableman got to do it.

Yesterday, I found some visitors to my site from Beyond Organic, a radio program online. The guest for a one-hour interview is Michael Ableman. Listed in the Resources section is a link to my blog: now that's a thrill. I'm in the middle of listening to the interview right now, and I'm recommending it to you. He says that agriculture belongs in the center of our society. He also says,"If we are going to encourage young people to get involved with the agricultural arts...then one of the most fundamental things that we have to demonstrate is that you can make a decent living doing it. People can make a very good living doing this work. It requires a different type of creativity, a different instinct than the current industrial model, and it requires a level of artistry. I refer to most of the farmers in this book as artisans, and as such they are taking the production of certain products to a new level. That new level allows them to get paid a better price for their products, to gain a new level of respect economically."

Michael will be speaking at the Ecological Farming Association conference at Asilomar in January. I hope to be there.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: "True conservation provides for wise use by the general public. The American people do not want our resources preserved for the exclusive use of the wealthy. These land and water resources belong to the people, and people of all income levels should have easy access to them." —George D. Aiken

Thanks for visiting. Now go listen to Michael Ableman.

 

Comments

[mary g]

I read the Michael Ableman book last month--I thought I read about it on your blog?--and loved it. I was hoping someone would give me Fields of Plenty for Xmas (I hinted, to no avail). Have to go and get it myself.
I'm a farmer wannabe, I guess, having to make do with a very tiny urban garden. And I love your blog!

[Tana]

I'm in the same boat with Fields of Plenty, and will have to buy it for myself. I will be meeting Michael Ableman in January, though, and am excited about that.

I love my blog, too!

Thanks for visiting, Mary. I hope you're enjoying your holidays.

[Hank]

Hello, I'm a young future organic farmer from Oregon, planning a similar trip around the country to see the cutting edge of small scale organic and sustainable agriculture. Researching Michael Ableman led me to your site. I'm wondering if you ever made a small farm trip yourself, and if so, where did you go? Thanks!
Hank