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Harvest: An Adventure into the Heart of America's Family Farms
“Richard Horan has brought us a welcome view of America to defy the prevailing political and financial nastiness. This is a timely and important book.”
—Ted Morgan, author of Wilderness at Dawn
“A lively visit with the dauntless men and women who operate America’s family farms and help provide our miraculous annual bounty. Richard Horan writes with energy and passion.”
—Hannah Nordhaus, author of The Beekeeper’s Lament
“Horan’s new book evocatively describes the peril and promise of family farms in America. I loved joining him on this journey, and so will you.”
—T.A. Barron, author of The Great Tree of Avalon
In Seeds, novelist and nature writer Richard Horan sought out the trees that inspired the work of great American writers like Faulkner, Kerouac, Welty, Wharton, and Harper Lee. In Harvest, Horan embarks upon a serendipitous journey across America to work the harvests of more than a dozen essential or unusual food crops—and, in the process, forms powerful connections with the farmers, the soil, and the seasons.
—Ted Morgan, author of Wilderness at Dawn
“A lively visit with the dauntless men and women who operate America’s family farms and help provide our miraculous annual bounty. Richard Horan writes with energy and passion.”
—Hannah Nordhaus, author of The Beekeeper’s Lament
“Horan’s new book evocatively describes the peril and promise of family farms in America. I loved joining him on this journey, and so will you.”
—T.A. Barron, author of The Great Tree of Avalon
In Seeds, novelist and nature writer Richard Horan sought out the trees that inspired the work of great American writers like Faulkner, Kerouac, Welty, Wharton, and Harper Lee. In Harvest, Horan embarks upon a serendipitous journey across America to work the harvests of more than a dozen essential or unusual food crops—and, in the process, forms powerful connections with the farmers, the soil, and the seasons.
336 pages, Paperback
First published September 25, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
November 25, 2016
Stopped reading about 60% through the book which I hate doing. Being from a farming family I love the idea behind his book, but his writing was really boring me and I felt like it was just an account of chores he was doing for harvest and rarely anything deeper than that.
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December 13, 2015There are two stories going on in this book. One is the stories of all the farmers, small farmers, mostly organic, enjoying bringing something beautiful from the land, fighting the big guys, figuring out solutions to their daily problems. We meet wheat farmers in Kansas, potato farmers in Maine, cranberry farmers in Massachusetts, blueberry farmers in New York, walnut farmers in California, and more.
The other story is that of the author, who begins the book somewhat depressed and bitter about living in America. When he gets this idea to travel around the country harvesting crops with whatever small farmers will let him, he brings his complicated self with him. He is indeed a willing worker. He is also sometimes smart-mouthed and goofy. I found some of his editorial comments distracting. I found his Native American allusions particularly annoying. Most of the time I thought that the book would be better if it had more about the farmers, and less about Richard Horan.
But then he kind of won me over again at the end when he reports that he felt a new hopefulness after meeting so many kind, hospitable, down-to-earth, gracious, wholesome people. He won me over because I feel that same hopefulness doing my backyard garden and eating my CSA vegetables. There really is something about bringing food straight from the earth. Big Ag is doing its Big Ag thing, but there is a grassroots underground that is just as real. And it is fun to read about.
The other story is that of the author, who begins the book somewhat depressed and bitter about living in America. When he gets this idea to travel around the country harvesting crops with whatever small farmers will let him, he brings his complicated self with him. He is indeed a willing worker. He is also sometimes smart-mouthed and goofy. I found some of his editorial comments distracting. I found his Native American allusions particularly annoying. Most of the time I thought that the book would be better if it had more about the farmers, and less about Richard Horan.
But then he kind of won me over again at the end when he reports that he felt a new hopefulness after meeting so many kind, hospitable, down-to-earth, gracious, wholesome people. He won me over because I feel that same hopefulness doing my backyard garden and eating my CSA vegetables. There really is something about bringing food straight from the earth. Big Ag is doing its Big Ag thing, but there is a grassroots underground that is just as real. And it is fun to read about.
June 26, 2019
Absolutely love the concept of the book. The author does an awesome job focusing on the stories of family and the journey of the land. I wish there were even more stories of crops he harvested! And I also desired more education on the “how” if the crops. Really enjoyed the bit about Bt immunity and Monsanto. The author has a super zany choice of words and imagery, for example, “And it was a special light, those exposed grapes hanging down like bulls’ balls in the shimmering sunlight” HAHA
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October 11, 2012Sarah L. Courteau Reviewed Richard Horan's "Harvest: An Adventure Into The Heart Of America’s Family Farms" | The New Republic: It's worth reading.
If you really want to start a food fight leading to extraordinary vitriole, just mention you are for (or against) organic food, raw milk, GMO, veganism, or whatever. So it's with some trepidation I link to this review in the New Republic about Richard Horan's new book. As someone who at one time in his life milked over 100 cows twice a day for several years, and who now lives surrounded by several 1,000 + acre farms (all family owned), I know that things are not quite as simple as the advocates of both sides would have us believe. (Full disclosure: I really, really like big farm machinery - see my photos.)
Ironically, this is an argument that can occur only among those who never have to worry where their next meal comes from. Those who are hungry can't afford to be picky and would be more than happy with road-kill. When anti-GMO types condemn and prevent "Golden Rice" from being introduced, a product that has the potential solve a serious vitamin deficiency where rice is a major staple (http://www.gatesfoundation.org/agriculturaldevelopment/Pages/enriching-golden-rice.aspx) I think we need to reexamine our self-righteous arrogance.
From the review: "Unfortunately, personality and politics get in the way of Horan’s good intentions. The resulting book says a lot about what is wrong with today’s food crusaders—and I distinguish these from the many thoughtful and hard-working people, some of whom are sketchily profiled in Horan’s book, who are trying to help re-balance a food system that is severely out of whack. Our food choices matter, but the food crusaders are so intent on preaching their gospel that they have developed withering scorn for anyone whose answer to the question “What’s for dinner?” differs from theirs.... "But many organic and local-foods proponents assume that they have already attained a moral victory, and everyone who buys conventional stuff can go to hell. A study published earlier this year in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science** found that exposure to organic foods actually makes people less altruistic. Subjects in three different groups were shown pictures of foods labeled organic (like apples and spinach), comfort foods (like ice cream and brownies), or neutral-seeming control foods (mustard, rice, oatmeal). Afterward, participants who saw the organic foods were willing to spend less time helping a stranger in need, and their judgments of moral transgressions were significantly harsher than those who viewed the other foods. The comfort food group was the most generous. Someone please pass me the double chocolate chip."
From an article about the Social Psychological study***: "The findings are especially interesting when considered hand in hand with previous studies, including a 2010 paper in the journal Psychological Science titled "Do Green Products Make Us Better People?" It found that when people feel morally virtuous about purchasing green or organic products, they sometimes experience a "licensing [of] selfish and morally questionable behaviour," otherwise known as "moral balancing" or "compensatory ethics." The 2010 study suggests that such a "halo of green consumerism" makes people less likely to be kind to others, and more likely to cheat and steal."
If you really want to start a food fight leading to extraordinary vitriole, just mention you are for (or against) organic food, raw milk, GMO, veganism, or whatever. So it's with some trepidation I link to this review in the New Republic about Richard Horan's new book. As someone who at one time in his life milked over 100 cows twice a day for several years, and who now lives surrounded by several 1,000 + acre farms (all family owned), I know that things are not quite as simple as the advocates of both sides would have us believe. (Full disclosure: I really, really like big farm machinery - see my photos.)
Ironically, this is an argument that can occur only among those who never have to worry where their next meal comes from. Those who are hungry can't afford to be picky and would be more than happy with road-kill. When anti-GMO types condemn and prevent "Golden Rice" from being introduced, a product that has the potential solve a serious vitamin deficiency where rice is a major staple (http://www.gatesfoundation.org/agriculturaldevelopment/Pages/enriching-golden-rice.aspx) I think we need to reexamine our self-righteous arrogance.
From the review: "Unfortunately, personality and politics get in the way of Horan’s good intentions. The resulting book says a lot about what is wrong with today’s food crusaders—and I distinguish these from the many thoughtful and hard-working people, some of whom are sketchily profiled in Horan’s book, who are trying to help re-balance a food system that is severely out of whack. Our food choices matter, but the food crusaders are so intent on preaching their gospel that they have developed withering scorn for anyone whose answer to the question “What’s for dinner?” differs from theirs.... "But many organic and local-foods proponents assume that they have already attained a moral victory, and everyone who buys conventional stuff can go to hell. A study published earlier this year in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science** found that exposure to organic foods actually makes people less altruistic. Subjects in three different groups were shown pictures of foods labeled organic (like apples and spinach), comfort foods (like ice cream and brownies), or neutral-seeming control foods (mustard, rice, oatmeal). Afterward, participants who saw the organic foods were willing to spend less time helping a stranger in need, and their judgments of moral transgressions were significantly harsher than those who viewed the other foods. The comfort food group was the most generous. Someone please pass me the double chocolate chip."
From an article about the Social Psychological study***: "The findings are especially interesting when considered hand in hand with previous studies, including a 2010 paper in the journal Psychological Science titled "Do Green Products Make Us Better People?" It found that when people feel morally virtuous about purchasing green or organic products, they sometimes experience a "licensing [of] selfish and morally questionable behaviour," otherwise known as "moral balancing" or "compensatory ethics." The 2010 study suggests that such a "halo of green consumerism" makes people less likely to be kind to others, and more likely to cheat and steal."
Note that I'm not sure it's fair to go after those who prefer to eat organic food for feeling morally superior since the same kind of arrogance is obvious in those who ride bicycles, don't drink (that's me I'm afraid,) exercise, own guns, belong to a church, or indulge in any kind of behavior that permits them to create their own little tribe of morally superior adherents. Then again, perhaps this feeling of moral superiority is endemic to Americans, many of whom descended from those little Puritan shits.
**Wholesome Foods and Wholesome Morals? Organic Foods Reduce Prosocial Behavior and Harshen Moral Judgments. Social Psychological and Personality Science, first published on May 15, 2012
***
Do Green Products Make Us Better People?
Psychological Science
February 2010
,
first published on March 5, 2010
(subscription or purchase required, but if you want a pdf copy send me an email and I'll forward one along to you.)
October 16, 2012
Maybe it’s a symptom of feeling claustrophobic and stressed in my chaotic suburban life. There’s something soothing — very appealing — about being in the country, and it’s just that sentiment that led me to pick up Richard Horan’s Harvest: An Adventure into the Heart of America’s Family Farms.
Horan’s story is one of a writer and teacher who embarks on a quest to explore organic farms across the country, meeting colorful characters and exploring various aspects of farming in the months he’s away from his Oswego, N.Y., home. Harvested crops include green beans, tomatoes, wild rice and cranberries, and his locations range from the High Plains of Kansas, to Michigan, Ohio, Maine, California. Horan’s quest is national — and the locales were what most appealed to me about the book. I’m an armchair traveler, you know.
I was sold on needing to read the book when I learned one of Horan’s stops was in Winters, Calif., site of my magnificent hot air balloon ride, where he harvested walnuts. In Winters ourselves, we marveled at the amount of agriculture blossoming in the countryside. Our balloon guide talked about the many crops grown in the foothills of California, and I was enchanted by it all. It’s hard not to imagine a different life in California — one in which we actually take notice of the earth . . . and really depend on it.
That’s sort of where Horan is coming from, too. He wants to get back to basics. He wants to work with his hands, get dirty, get involved in something that doesn’t involve a classroom or book or electronic device. He wants to just be into it. And you know what? I really respected that.
Something about Harvest felt disjointed, though. While I liked following his adventures from one town to the next, the narrative felt sort of weightless — as though Horan had no real point to it all. Combined with the distracting footnotes on many pages, I found myself wondering what I was supposed to “get.” We didn’t spend enough time with any of the farmers or their families/helpers to really connect with them, and maybe that’s where the book veered off for me. Just as I become interested in one gregarious, up-and-at-’em farmer, we were bound for Michigan. Or some such.
Horan is certainly adventurous, pitching in and using all manners of devices (or just his plain hands), but I didn’t fully connect with him as a narrator. I appreciated that he was giving a voice to some of those hardworking folks who harvest and provide food for the rest of us office drones, but I never felt invested in the story. I finished the book and liked it well enough, but something was just . . . missing.
Those interested in farming practices, travel and the state of American agriculture might find Harvest more enjoyable than I did. While Horan can certainly write and I appreciated his observations, I wanted more.
Horan’s story is one of a writer and teacher who embarks on a quest to explore organic farms across the country, meeting colorful characters and exploring various aspects of farming in the months he’s away from his Oswego, N.Y., home. Harvested crops include green beans, tomatoes, wild rice and cranberries, and his locations range from the High Plains of Kansas, to Michigan, Ohio, Maine, California. Horan’s quest is national — and the locales were what most appealed to me about the book. I’m an armchair traveler, you know.
I was sold on needing to read the book when I learned one of Horan’s stops was in Winters, Calif., site of my magnificent hot air balloon ride, where he harvested walnuts. In Winters ourselves, we marveled at the amount of agriculture blossoming in the countryside. Our balloon guide talked about the many crops grown in the foothills of California, and I was enchanted by it all. It’s hard not to imagine a different life in California — one in which we actually take notice of the earth . . . and really depend on it.
That’s sort of where Horan is coming from, too. He wants to get back to basics. He wants to work with his hands, get dirty, get involved in something that doesn’t involve a classroom or book or electronic device. He wants to just be into it. And you know what? I really respected that.
Something about Harvest felt disjointed, though. While I liked following his adventures from one town to the next, the narrative felt sort of weightless — as though Horan had no real point to it all. Combined with the distracting footnotes on many pages, I found myself wondering what I was supposed to “get.” We didn’t spend enough time with any of the farmers or their families/helpers to really connect with them, and maybe that’s where the book veered off for me. Just as I become interested in one gregarious, up-and-at-’em farmer, we were bound for Michigan. Or some such.
Horan is certainly adventurous, pitching in and using all manners of devices (or just his plain hands), but I didn’t fully connect with him as a narrator. I appreciated that he was giving a voice to some of those hardworking folks who harvest and provide food for the rest of us office drones, but I never felt invested in the story. I finished the book and liked it well enough, but something was just . . . missing.
Those interested in farming practices, travel and the state of American agriculture might find Harvest more enjoyable than I did. While Horan can certainly write and I appreciated his observations, I wanted more.
May 7, 2013
i liked this horan better than his "seeds" book. in seeds he travels around to authors homes (and a few other places like gettysburg) to collect tree seeds then take them home to sprout them and eventaully plant them some where. i think , but not sure, he got some help from farmer who is going to add them to their tree farm and make availabe to public, but not sure about that. Seeds: One Man's Serendipitous Journey to Find the Trees That Inspired Famous American Writers from Faulkner to Kerouac, Welty to Wharton
in this one, harvest, author travels around to different farms in usa and helps during a harvest time. the strongest portion in my opinion was the first one, in NW kansas at a organic wheat farm. cool taht the husband is an ex aim ster and wife is a lawyer and they are suing monsanto to keep gmo out of their turkey red wheat. other places he visits are a cranberry farm , big csa in mich. rasberry farm in ohio amish country, organic walnuts in califa, etc etc an unfortunate part is that he cannot stay long at any given place so his hands on action is very truncated, but i think he is becoming a better writer with each book and there is good info in this one, and inspiration from many of these folks who are trying to farm a sustainable and thoughtful way in 21st century. which is saying a LOT if you know anything at all about usa modern farming the the rock n hardplace family farms are in. if you don't know anything about usa modern farming, this would be a good place to start, but remember, it is just a very tiny beginning. if you DO know something about farming, it is interesting and inspiring.
in this one, harvest, author travels around to different farms in usa and helps during a harvest time. the strongest portion in my opinion was the first one, in NW kansas at a organic wheat farm. cool taht the husband is an ex aim ster and wife is a lawyer and they are suing monsanto to keep gmo out of their turkey red wheat. other places he visits are a cranberry farm , big csa in mich. rasberry farm in ohio amish country, organic walnuts in califa, etc etc an unfortunate part is that he cannot stay long at any given place so his hands on action is very truncated, but i think he is becoming a better writer with each book and there is good info in this one, and inspiration from many of these folks who are trying to farm a sustainable and thoughtful way in 21st century. which is saying a LOT if you know anything at all about usa modern farming the the rock n hardplace family farms are in. if you don't know anything about usa modern farming, this would be a good place to start, but remember, it is just a very tiny beginning. if you DO know something about farming, it is interesting and inspiring.
January 1, 2013
Review:
Richard Horan's Harvest is a narrative journey that I will not soon forget! I am no stranger to farm life - milking cows, mucking stalls, growing and harvesting crops, etc... so I was intrigued by a nation-wide search for unusual organic farms and their farmers. I was very surprised to learn that there were so many organic crops that I had never heard of - particularly wild rice from Michigan, and walnuts from California. I enjoyed reading about the day-to-day lives of today's organic agriculturalists and their families - the unseen workforce behind out grocery store shelves. The book was filled with interesting facts, great stories, and showed me that the true life-blood of America lies in those who grow and harvest the nation's food supply, organic or otherwise. Recommended to all readers, especially those interested in organic farming.
Rating: On the Run (4/5)
*** I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Richard Horan's Harvest is a narrative journey that I will not soon forget! I am no stranger to farm life - milking cows, mucking stalls, growing and harvesting crops, etc... so I was intrigued by a nation-wide search for unusual organic farms and their farmers. I was very surprised to learn that there were so many organic crops that I had never heard of - particularly wild rice from Michigan, and walnuts from California. I enjoyed reading about the day-to-day lives of today's organic agriculturalists and their families - the unseen workforce behind out grocery store shelves. The book was filled with interesting facts, great stories, and showed me that the true life-blood of America lies in those who grow and harvest the nation's food supply, organic or otherwise. Recommended to all readers, especially those interested in organic farming.
Rating: On the Run (4/5)
*** I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
October 21, 2013
A truly interesting book. A series of vignettes that describe various family farms and based on the idea that the author would help with the harvest of various crops at different farms. Good notes and bibliography. The author's beliefs and biases are on display throughout the book which I find enjoyable. The subtitle is "An Adventure into the Heart of America's Family Farms" is slightly misleading. The farms he visited all seemed to have some connection with prominent individuals in the organic farm movement and or the communal movement. I was hoping for a more in depth examination of the idea of family farms.
I would certainly recommend the book to anyone interested in the state of agriculture in the United States. There was a pervasive undercurrent of awe and wonderment at how wonderful all of the people he met were. Apparently there are no curmudgeons or jerks in the in the world of organic/family farms. Did have flashbacks to the early days of Mother Earth News.
I would certainly recommend the book to anyone interested in the state of agriculture in the United States. There was a pervasive undercurrent of awe and wonderment at how wonderful all of the people he met were. Apparently there are no curmudgeons or jerks in the in the world of organic/family farms. Did have flashbacks to the early days of Mother Earth News.
March 8, 2021
Join Richard Horan on his inspiring journey! I haven’t had the opportunity to do much traveling myself, but through reading his book I felt as though I was right alongside him, experiencing the harvests. Truly a one of a kind book that uncovers the heart of America’s family farms. My father, a friend of his, met him while he was attending college in Massachusetts and his personality shines through his writing. I could hear his voice as I was reading. With each farm he visits he dives right into their harvests, and was not afraid to get his hands dirty. I am much more appreciative of the farms across America. What I also appreciated in the book were all of the resources and books that were recommended throughout that supplemented everything that was written. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey in search of America’s lost meaning.
February 2, 2014
Now that I'm an urbanite living on the stretch of south Florida Atlantic coast that is city now from Miami to North Palm Beach, it is good to read about places and people living closer to the land and sustaining themselves and others from it. I thoroughly enjoyed traveling from farm to farm with the author for a variety of harvests. He writes honestly, humorously, and is afraid to be self-deprecating in the process.
Now, it would have been cool to have included a trip to one if the many sustainable farms in Florida--we are a rather large agricultural state and near where I live there are some stellar farms! Maybe next book?
Now, it would have been cool to have included a trip to one if the many sustainable farms in Florida--we are a rather large agricultural state and near where I live there are some stellar farms! Maybe next book?
September 4, 2013
This book is a series of wonderful vingettes of America's heartland and organic farms! I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend to anyone for a true appreciation of farmers, their lives and sacrifices, how they support us, and the push for organically sustainable food. I found the book well written, thoughtful and funny at times. It was recommended by Mike McGrath (of You Bet Your Garden - NPR fame).
February 16, 2014
I wanted to like this book, I really did. Horan's liberal leanings popped up in too many unneeded areas for me to enjoy. I have no problems with his viewpoints, but his supposed overview of family farms didn't seem fair. The farmers he picks are all radical and unorthodox, with no visits to more traditional farming models. If this is truly to be a glimpse into American farming, I think both sides should be experienced. It wasn't a bad book, written well, but at times to me seemed desperate.
March 4, 2013
Loved this book--it was the perfect antidote to my last book (Born with a Junk Food Deficiency). Horan visited numerous family farms around the country, helping with their harvests and telling their stories. His folksy writing style is enjoyable and brings a glimmer of hope to the future of food in America.
March 16, 2013
Harvest was the right book at the right time. Richard Horan provides insight into organic farms and farmers. In addition, Horan's narrative is entertaining and informative. The farmers portrayed are everyday people trying to fix a world gone awry by producing the food that feeds the body yet sustains the soul.
September 19, 2012
I received a complimentary copy this book from Goodreads First Reads.
As a child of parents who both grew up on family farms, this book was personal in nature.
I think the author did an outstanding job!
As a child of parents who both grew up on family farms, this book was personal in nature.
I think the author did an outstanding job!
May 24, 2013
As a person who has been involved in harvesting a few farm crops I could relate to this book and the experiences of the author. He is a talented writer. This book certainly has an abundance of footnotes.
November 12, 2016
Richard Horan takes the reader along on his diverse and interesting visits to organic farms in America. His descriptions allow us to experience the unknown and learn the basics of harvesting. I found the book a bit too long, but an enjoyable read.
June 16, 2013
Brought me joy. Even if you do not farm or garden this book is a blessing in our time.
March 28, 2014
Can't wait to read more by this author!
June 29, 2015
What a well-written book! Very interesting to read the authors adventure across the country and his interactions with farm folk.
May 23, 2020
I am not a farmer, but I spent several summers and one fall working on small sustainable family farms when I was younger. In college, I volunteered on local farms, attended the biggest organic farming conference in the US several years running, and traveled to Kenya, Africa for a month to learn about sustainable farming and permaculture there. It was a lifestyle that I loved and envisioned myself following, and though life has taken a few turns since then I could still see myself doing so on a smaller scale. I explain this because, given my personal experience, this book simply rings overly rosy and idealistic to me. I assure you, picking and packing blueberries might seem like a rosy job if you do it for a day, but if you do it for three years running and your income for those months is dependent on what you pick, you will have a much more nuanced view of it.
Also, having grown up in Wisconsin as the child of two wildlife biologists, I can safely say that we have precious few of the wolves, moose, and cougar mentioned in the wild rice chapter.
I know it's all perspective and I would be overwhelmed in cities he probably thinks are small, but having worked in an area of northern Quebec where there is one gravel road for hundreds of kilometers and only one town of 800, I laughed out loud when he talked about the 'remote' Maine interstate. (And yes, I have been to 'remote' Maine as well.)
Overall, this guy seems very comfortable making broad, sweeping, idealistic statements with only a small amount of hands-on knowledge or experience.
Also, having grown up in Wisconsin as the child of two wildlife biologists, I can safely say that we have precious few of the wolves, moose, and cougar mentioned in the wild rice chapter.
I know it's all perspective and I would be overwhelmed in cities he probably thinks are small, but having worked in an area of northern Quebec where there is one gravel road for hundreds of kilometers and only one town of 800, I laughed out loud when he talked about the 'remote' Maine interstate. (And yes, I have been to 'remote' Maine as well.)
Overall, this guy seems very comfortable making broad, sweeping, idealistic statements with only a small amount of hands-on knowledge or experience.
February 28, 2023
I didn't hate this - I was especially excited to read about farms in Massachusetts and Maine, and I was happy to see that most of the places Horan writes about here are still around a decade later. I was jealous of this road trip around to work at a variety of farms, harvesting a variety of crops. But maybe because I was jealous, the tone of the book kind of bugged me. Horan just seemed to get mad at people a lot. He goes into great detail about all the people that ticked him off. He even records, word for word, the conversations he found irritating. I just don't get why. And sometimes he gets irritated with the accommodations these farms provide, but...they are doing him a favor, is the thing. I mean, he asked if he could come help, and they said sure and gave him a couch. So why is he complaining? At one point, he goes off on this tangent about how the cranberry farmers were climate deniers or something, and it just seems kind of pointless. I am interested in what the farming is like, but I don't care about the politics of these people.
January 14, 2026
The premise of this was everything I wanted. But unfortunately it seems very much like the author was so fixed on delivering a certain narrative that he didn't let reality stand in the way. Two examples that stand out: 1. In the beginning he says that they specifically chose small, organic farms to avoid facing hard truths about the industry. 2. The book is full of references to things feeling native/native american in a way that was inauthentic. At one of the farms, he makes several references to how the farmer gives off the air of a native american, only to reveal that the farmer isn't native, but white. Sure, the farmer spent time with natives, but it's not the same thing. And it felt both disrespectful and disingenuous. These are just two examples, but the book was filled with these moments that really took away from what could have otherwise been a great book.
July 14, 2021
So, I like the idea of this book, and realized when I started it that I’d read it before, presumably around 2012 when the receipt in it says I bought it. I think I liked it then. This time, what stuck out to me was the author’s not infrequent racial and gender slurs. Not crazy-egregious, but really noticeably off-color. Describing a woman as “was easy to look at but hard to take,” for example, and then going on and on about how she rubbed him the wrong way, so he literally told on her; I’m waiting, at that point, for how he goes on to admit he’s ridiculous, but he doesn’t… And why is he both late to each harvest and also talking about it in the book? And why are so many in the same month, and he only stays for a few days?
Anyhow, I like the idea about am over Horan - would love to read someone else write this book.
Anyhow, I like the idea about am over Horan - would love to read someone else write this book.
October 3, 2019
Couldn't get past the first chapter.
February 1, 2014
“…a generation of kids that think food comes from supermarkets.”
In the various locations I have lived and visited, there has always been a supermarket of various persuasion: Food Lion in the Southeast, Fry’s and Safeway in the West, Piggly Wiggly in Wisconsin, Hyvee in Iowa, Jewel-Osco in Chicago. No matter what name is in glowing red letters above the sliding glass door, I know exactly what I’ll find inside and a good guess on where to find it. Every once in awhile, it occurs to me that it’s sort of strange to be able to find fresh apples every day of the year, no matter the weather phenomena, at a relatively stable price. I know that in thousands of years of farming, that is relatively impossible.
So the idea of where my food comes from has always been a curiosity of mine, but the intertwining system of commercial and organic farms in combination with the ongoing farm bill negotiations has always scared me off, set me into thinking I had better things to do.
Richard Horan’s simple, anecdotal adventures into the harvest preparations of a series of different family-run farms across the United States is a revelatory firsthand account of an alternate reality to our overcomplicated urban and suburban lives, calling back to a time when the things that mattered were producing something that people will use, regardless of politics or persuasion. Many of these families live simply, some even heating their hand-built houses with fire to avoid mortgages and heating bills, a shadow of a simpler age that many of us long for.
Horan, whose interest in growing things goes back to his former book about people’s connections with famous trees, is an avid harvester who drove all over the United States to participate, hands-on, in many of these families’ harvests in crops like wheat, raspberries, cranberries, tomatoes, walnuts, and grapes. He has no experience in farming whatsoever, and as readers, that gives us the advantage of his explanations in layman’s terms. The things he learns along the way are alternately funny, awkward, touching and enraging (when it comes to the various discussions with farmers about the Monsanto lawsuit. If you have time, read about it- farmers are rightfully indignant).
However, the author’s dewy-eyed greenness becomes irritating by farm six, and his basically pointless footnotes add nothing substantial to the actual content of the book. The research that could have accompanied this book is incredibly far-reaching—in the midst of the groundbreaking Monsanto lawsuit, an obesity epidemic, and a crippling economic depression, these farms become a constellation of hope in our food industry. But instead of a hefty thesis on the presence of organic farming methods in modern America, he delivers an underwhelming but sweet reflection on an outsider’s vision of what place farms have in our national memory as well as our hearts.
Altogether, the book hardly runs 300 pages, and with its easy colloquialism, it is an easy train or long plane read. If you have the time, pick it up and glance through the vignettes about the farms- they are not all codependent, but they complement each other sweetly, and Horan’s vivid descriptions of men collection walnuts from high dark trees and the “sexy” raspberries in central Ohio display his vast talents as a writer and observer.
In the various locations I have lived and visited, there has always been a supermarket of various persuasion: Food Lion in the Southeast, Fry’s and Safeway in the West, Piggly Wiggly in Wisconsin, Hyvee in Iowa, Jewel-Osco in Chicago. No matter what name is in glowing red letters above the sliding glass door, I know exactly what I’ll find inside and a good guess on where to find it. Every once in awhile, it occurs to me that it’s sort of strange to be able to find fresh apples every day of the year, no matter the weather phenomena, at a relatively stable price. I know that in thousands of years of farming, that is relatively impossible.
So the idea of where my food comes from has always been a curiosity of mine, but the intertwining system of commercial and organic farms in combination with the ongoing farm bill negotiations has always scared me off, set me into thinking I had better things to do.
Richard Horan’s simple, anecdotal adventures into the harvest preparations of a series of different family-run farms across the United States is a revelatory firsthand account of an alternate reality to our overcomplicated urban and suburban lives, calling back to a time when the things that mattered were producing something that people will use, regardless of politics or persuasion. Many of these families live simply, some even heating their hand-built houses with fire to avoid mortgages and heating bills, a shadow of a simpler age that many of us long for.
Horan, whose interest in growing things goes back to his former book about people’s connections with famous trees, is an avid harvester who drove all over the United States to participate, hands-on, in many of these families’ harvests in crops like wheat, raspberries, cranberries, tomatoes, walnuts, and grapes. He has no experience in farming whatsoever, and as readers, that gives us the advantage of his explanations in layman’s terms. The things he learns along the way are alternately funny, awkward, touching and enraging (when it comes to the various discussions with farmers about the Monsanto lawsuit. If you have time, read about it- farmers are rightfully indignant).
However, the author’s dewy-eyed greenness becomes irritating by farm six, and his basically pointless footnotes add nothing substantial to the actual content of the book. The research that could have accompanied this book is incredibly far-reaching—in the midst of the groundbreaking Monsanto lawsuit, an obesity epidemic, and a crippling economic depression, these farms become a constellation of hope in our food industry. But instead of a hefty thesis on the presence of organic farming methods in modern America, he delivers an underwhelming but sweet reflection on an outsider’s vision of what place farms have in our national memory as well as our hearts.
Altogether, the book hardly runs 300 pages, and with its easy colloquialism, it is an easy train or long plane read. If you have the time, pick it up and glance through the vignettes about the farms- they are not all codependent, but they complement each other sweetly, and Horan’s vivid descriptions of men collection walnuts from high dark trees and the “sexy” raspberries in central Ohio display his vast talents as a writer and observer.
July 17, 2023
As with many essay collections, most were ok-but-not-great, a couple above-average, and a couple where I struggled (skimmed).
Sometimes, a book proposal is accepted that sounds good in theory, with a sample that shows the author has decent writing skills. But, the execution ... not so much. Sadly, the entries "bled together" though I never read more than one a day. Same story, different crop (for the most part). Specialized wheat in Kansas was a good choice to start, but most of the other stories focused on the personalities encountered as much as crop specifics. To put it another way, the entries came across as "padded" to me, then again, he doesn't do that much actual farm work. Think of all those politicians who do a "regular" job for one day to "connect" with regular people. Wild rice struck me as the weakest one (opposite of wheat). The stronger pieces belong in magazines or anthologies. The parts here didn't make a whole to me. More like a dilettante floating from crop to crop.
Sometimes, a book proposal is accepted that sounds good in theory, with a sample that shows the author has decent writing skills. But, the execution ... not so much. Sadly, the entries "bled together" though I never read more than one a day. Same story, different crop (for the most part). Specialized wheat in Kansas was a good choice to start, but most of the other stories focused on the personalities encountered as much as crop specifics. To put it another way, the entries came across as "padded" to me, then again, he doesn't do that much actual farm work. Think of all those politicians who do a "regular" job for one day to "connect" with regular people. Wild rice struck me as the weakest one (opposite of wheat). The stronger pieces belong in magazines or anthologies. The parts here didn't make a whole to me. More like a dilettante floating from crop to crop.
September 12, 2012
This was received as a Goodreads giveaway.
The subject of visiting family farms and being involved in harvests of different types seemed interesting. As with all books, some parts were more attention getting/keeping than others. A particularly useful feature were the different footnotes sprinkled throughout, giving the reader additional information on books cited or relevant, and various snippets of stories that related to the chapter itself. The only real turnoff I found was the author's use of large, SAT type words in some sections, when they really weren't necessarily.
The subject of visiting family farms and being involved in harvests of different types seemed interesting. As with all books, some parts were more attention getting/keeping than others. A particularly useful feature were the different footnotes sprinkled throughout, giving the reader additional information on books cited or relevant, and various snippets of stories that related to the chapter itself. The only real turnoff I found was the author's use of large, SAT type words in some sections, when they really weren't necessarily.
January 10, 2013
Oh, I liked it OK, just not nearly as much as I thought I would. Those of you who know me know that this is just about a subject that is custom made for me, but I got very tired of his glib style of writing (and, no doubt, speaking, as the book was written as though you were sitting there, listening to him tell his stories), and his constant complaining about his finances. I should maybe give it 2 stars....
September 4, 2015
Interesting idea, go across the nation, working in the harvest of different crops. But I found it more frustrating than anything. There is so much more to farming than the harvest. He did interview the people he worked for and with and tried to give a sense of their life and what they struggled with.
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