It's a Long Road to a Tomato: Tales of an Organic Farmer Who Quit the Big City for the (NotSo) Simple Life

by Keith Stewart, Flavia Bacarella (Illustrator)

Twenty years ago, just beyond his 40th birthday, Keith Stewart exchanged life in New York’s corporate grind for a farm in Orange County, NY, where he and a small crew of seasonal workers grow about 100 organic vegetables and herbs. What started as a yearning—“to live on a piece of land, closer to nature; to work outside with my body as well as my brain; to leave behind the world of briefcases, computers, corporate clients, and non-opening windows”—has become a life “more full, more varied” and often “more demanding and exhausting, but always more real.” Stewart sells everything he grows directly to consumers and restaurateurs, and in doing so has developed loyal and growing ranks devoted to his Rocambole garlic, herbs, heirloom tomatoes, and other organic produce. Now, in It's a Long Road to a Tomato, Stewart presents interlocking, complementary essays, addressing his mid-life development as a farmer; some of the nuts and bolts and how-to’s of organic vegetable growing and selling in an urban market; humorous and philosophical stories about domestic and wild farm animals and the natural world; and some of the political, social, and environmental issues surrounding agriculture today and why it matters to all of us.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food, Gardening, Memoir, Agriculture, Nature, Biography Memoir

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 13, 2006

About the author

If a picture is worth a thousand words then the author's love of the expression of words and phrases stems from his interest in photography, and his love of reading and the art of the narrative of story telling.

Keith Stewart's background began in the photographic arts where he studied at Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology, Oakville, Ontario in 1972, in which one of his courses was the new age skill, of twentieth century creative writing and communications.

Keith's goal is to leave behind a tale that others of like-minds may enjoy and also profit from the experience of.

Reviews

[Djuna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure who his target audience was. If it was potential beginner farmers, there wasn't enough information. If it was small farm/organic/local food skeptics, there wasn't enough information. If it was ummm anyone else, there wasn't enough information.

[Deirdre · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Keith Stewart and his wife Flavia Bacarella (the illustrator of this beautiful book) bought an old dairy farm in New York State, they didn't quite know what to expect. Some idea about change led them to move from the steadiness of a regular paycheck into the uncertain world of organic vegetable farming. But like most new enterprises, they didn't know what they didn't know.

After 20 years of building the soil, which supported the produce, which was sold at the green market in Manhattan's Union Square, which gave them enough income to keep going, Stewart decided to put it all into a book. He went from a total novice to accomplished farmer with many lessons learned along the way.

But the book is more than a simple farm memoir. It's a political statement about the greater good. It seems that we need farms as well as new tracks of suburban houses. Just because his land is worth more now that it was in 1986 when Stewart bought the farm, doesn't mean that the greater good is served by the slicing, dicing, and swallowing up of one more green space. The destruction of farms, farm land, and farm families continues at an alarming rate.

At the same time more and more people are attempting to eat local, fresh, organically grown food. Farms like Stewart's are an important resource if they stay intact and keep being productive. That may not make to much sense to a capitalistic land developer, but in terms of health living and a healthy planet, money is not everything.

Stewart shares the highs and lows of his twenty years, from acquiring his first dog (the dog picked him rather than the other way around), to buying a new tractor, to fighting with the other creatures who also like good veggies and want to eat for free. This enlightening, amusing, and ultimately touching book is a marvel. But since the author discusses the worry that places like his are disappearing, it's also an important book.

Support your local farmer. Remember the saying: No Farms, No Food. That may be hard to believe in this land of plenty, but if the population keeps growing and big business farming just grows what will sell at the highest rate per pound, then we may find ourselves in the same situation that plagues other people around the world. If we put all of our food into our cars in the form of ethanol, what is going to be left over to feed the people? Can we survive on high-fructose corn syrup alone?

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a collection of essays more than a personal history. I enjoyed the format, and I liked hearing about Mr. Stewart's farm, but I think it could have been better organized, as far as repetition of some of the material/opinions and chronological inconsistencies went. It wasn't confusing, just felt a bit sloppy. But running a farm is a ton of work, so I'm surprised he even had extra time to put this together. It reminded me of the updates I get from one of the local farms that sells at the farmer's market, only a bit wider-ranging and better written. Stewart doesn't pretend it's all sunshine and garlic scapes, and I hope that many of the issues he's writing about are getting better, though I suspect that they aren't. Especially in regards to the issue of disappearing farmland *cough*fracking*cough*

[Marisa]

I didn't get very far into this book. In the second or third chapter, he gets mad at his dogs for killing some of the farm's (free-ranging) chickens, and in response leaves them tied up for a week with the rotting chickens hanging from their necks. The point of that story is essentially to introduce the one rooster (Lazarus) who survived the dogs... he doesn't seem to see anything strange or wrong about his treatment of the dogs. I found that I couldn't respect him enough to even keep reading after that passage. It was stomach-turning.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Big-city bureaucrat becomes small-time farmer! Make the most of it: read "Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal" by Joel Salatin at the same time. Beautiful illustrations.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stewart is not a writer by trade, although many believe that only writers should write books. This is not meant as a how-to manual, but the back cover will deceive the readers. This book is only essays, containing the thoughts of a city-dweller-turned-farmer.
Some of his actions are disagreeable, but his musings bring the plight of many farmers to the forefront. For instance, he makes a few remarks on the price of milk, and how it hurts dairy farmers. He also remarks on the harmful effects of corporate farms and their chemicals on our diets and resulting health.
As I said before, Stewart is not a writer. He tries to counteract this by using "sophisticated" mentioning a couple of poems, Hamlet, and Voltaire, but often his allegories fall flat and do not impress the reader. He tries too hard to portray himself as the poetical figure of a farmer, rather than what farmers really are. He also does not address the low points in farming, such as his failures as a beginner. I feel that this all hurts his essays.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was mentioned in another book I read recently, Salted & Cured, and it sounded interesting so I put it on hold. Keith Stewart was working in New York City at a consulting firm and as he approached middle age he felt like there had to be a better way to live. He and his future wife cash in their retirement savings to buy 88 acres in upstate New York and start a small organic farm. Twenty years later he's still happy with his decision to go from corporate drone to farmer. It's a Long Road to a Tomato is a collection of essays from Stewart about everything from his personal farm journey to GMO's and the decline of small farms in America and pretty much everything in between. While many of his essays are interesting, I guess about half way through it started to feel kind of repetitive to me. I did like it, but it wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be.

[jennifer hahulski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was gifted this book and loved it so much I bought two more to give to my dad and a farmer friend.
The author is kind and humorous with a clear connection to the earth, animals and his fields. I laughed, I cried, I was inspired. This felt like a roadmap to happiness and fulfillment.
His humble approach to life was refreshing and as a woman I appreciated his gentle expression of equality.
Stewart is a great storyteller and I devoured this book with great enthusiasm, only pacing myself at the last few chapters because I didn’t want it to end.
The beautiful woodcut art adorning the pages (done by his wife) really set the tone.

[Jonathan Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting read if you like to garden or hobby farm. Inspiring!

[Isha Erskine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely enjoyed it, it’s a collection of articles so not a straight chronological story, but a really nice read and pick into a farmers life.

[Kim Zinkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very engaging essays about being a small truck farmer.

[Gardening in Town · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you really want to know what organic farming is all about, read this book!!

[A.g. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts are funto read, but I could not identify with some experiences as someone who lives in the city.

[Stephie Jane Rexroth · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first chapter:
"Twenty years ago, a little past the age of forty, I was living in a small apartment in New York City, working as a project manager for a consulting firm, wearing a jacket and tie to the office every day. It didn't feel good. I had never aspired to be a member of the corporate world, but somehow that's where I ended up. I had little affection for the work I was doing and seldom experienced any feelings of pride or fulfillment. Rather, I felt like an impostor, obliged to feign interest and enthusiasm much of the time.

"I also felt that time was running out, that I was moving rapidly into middle age, that my life was getting used up with not much to show for it.… Most mornings, as I got nearer to the office, a heaviness would settle into the pit of my stomach. Finally, there I was. I'd be going up in the elevator, but my spirits were coming down as I readied myself for the hours that lay ahead. There was nothing wrong with the work I was doing. But it wasn't for me.

"Today I am a farmer, a grower of organic vegetables and herbs, and I can honestly say that I am a happier man. True, I work more hours, have no company retirement plan or paid vacation, and have more things to worry about. But I have less back trouble than I used to; I rarely catch a cold; and I have almost forgotten what it's like to be down with the flu. I enjoy good food and a midday nap and I sleep soundly at night.… My life is now more full, more varied, and more interesting. Often it is more demanding and exhausting, but it is always more real. I've never for one moment thought of going back to the old days.

"It started as a yearning; to live on a piece of land, closer to nature; to work outside with my body as well as my brain; to leave behind a world of briefcases, computers, corporate clients, and non-opening windows.… Ten or twenty acres of land — a small farm, a place with lots of life on it, a place to put down roots and live more in accord with my environmental inclinations — seemed like the ticket.
…
"I hope this sentiment will grow and spread. And I hope it will induce others — the young and not-so-young men and women who are looking for a change in life — to give farming a try. It's a challenge, to be sure, and a bit of a gamble, too, but it might put some spunk and spirit into your life."

From the epilogue:
"But for whatever reasons — temperamental, philosophical, or perhaps some misalignment of heavenly bodies at my birth — I must admit to a certain recurring disenchantment with the human enterprise, especially as it manifests itself in the various concentrations of power and greed that shape our lives. I fear that we have got ahead of ourselves somehow, that we have too much hubris and destructive might for our own well-being and the well-being of the planet and that ultimately we are at great risk of running amok on a very large scale. I fear for my fellow man but my sympathies also lean, increasingly, toward nature, from which we humans seem eager to divorce ourselves and abrogate all sense of stewardship, even as we overwhelm, exploit, and abuse it.…

"A small farm is, I believe, a place where one can work to develop an ecological consciousness and live in some measure of harmony with one's surroundings, without withdrawing from the rest of humanity to the extent that Candide did. I believe it is possible to both cultivate one's garden and remain engaged in human society. Growing vegetables for market requires that I keep one foot grounded in practical and hardscrabble world of commerce and competition. But, so long as I can keep my balance, the other foot will stay firmly planted on the good earth from which I draw sustainance, inspiration, and instruction.

"For these reasons and in these times, I commend the farming life, even if only in gesture."

[Beatrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

good

[Laurla2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

"every year close to a billion pounds of pesticides are sprayed across american fields. yet the percentage of crops lost to pest has gone up, not down. these pesticides (poisons, really) accumulate in the soil, in our food, and in our bodies. they leach into groundwater and run off into streams, rivers, and estuaries. the environmental protection agency has recognized agricultural pesticides as a serious health hazard. many, that are now banned as unsafe, enjoyed years of widespread use.

a report released by the centers for disease control in 2005 indicates that the average american carries about a dozen pesticides in his or her body. the typical pesticide body burden includes chemicals that have been linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and neurological and birth defects.

close to two billion tons of soil are lost to erosion each year due to intensive farming practices and heavy use of agricultural chemicals. the poisoned and lifeless topsoil gets washed into our rivers and blows away in the wind.

not long ago we decided that cigarette manufacturers should pay some of the health care costs associated with the use of their products. perhaps its time to assess chemical manufacturers for the environmental damage their products cause, or at least tax those products in a manner that reflects the cost of cleanup after their use."

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

i liked this book because it reminded me of the farm that i worked on. i'm sure this book would have been completely foreign to me had i read it a year ago, but now so many parts were just familiar in a way i can't really describe. i loved the part about the tractor and the cows especially, because i happen to love tractors and cows. it made me really sad to read the little parts that interns wrote, because i just wanted to be an intern on a farm again. what i really loved was when he talked about garlic. and i just have to elaborate on this garlic thing. all summer on the farm i worked on i heard about this famous garlic that a farmer sold at the greenmarket in new york. apparently this garlic arrived in the united states as one clove and has just multiplied since then. anyway, some of this garlic made its way to the farm i worked on, and i helped harvest it and heard this story so many times. it was really exciting when i got to the chapter on garlic and realized that this was the farmer that popularized this variety of garlic. i know this isn't exciting to anyone but me, but i loved it.

anyway, it seems as though this farmer really knows what he is doing and i liked his stories about his farming neighbors and his views on sustainable agriculture and all that.

[Sue Bridehead (A Pseudonym) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm on a sustainable agriculture kick. This book goes down a lot more easily than Barbara Kingsolver's, and has more substance, though the essays are shorter and the read is faster. Perhaps this is because Kingsolver is an ambitious gardener, whereas Stewart is an actual farmer.

In any event: things have to change in the U.S., soon. It's ridiculous that we're:

a. raping our topsoil
b. creating an obesity epidemic by pushing commodity crops with little nutritional value
c. dumping pesticides into our water, and ingesting pesticides in the mass-produced veg we consume
d. giving massive federal tax breaks and subsidies to monoculture, monolithic corporate farms that are dependent upon, and use an extreme amount of fossil fuels
e. inflating the financial value of small farms, but only if they sell in the private market and can be made into sub-divisions (sub-divisions that may go empty anyway, given the excess of homes we have on the market, and the limit to buyers who can actually afford them without messed up mortgages)

The U.S. has got itself into a major pickle: fat, broke and dependent on dying natural resources. If we don't take action quickly, we're going to end up like all those dead societies in Jared Diamond's book "Collapse".

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book for being a straight-forward look into the life of one "city guy" who went and became a farmer.

The book got me understanding the point of view of the modern organic farmer, and what matters for him/her, for example, GMOs, seeds, organic certification, etc. However, I was a bit turned off by the author's voice. He isn't someone who I feel like I would be farmer buddies with, although who knows, I haven't gotten a chance to try out my homesteading dream.

My mom told me to be prepared for the horrible way he treats animals in this book, and although I sort of see it, I didn't have the same visceral reaction she did. He didn't always do things the way I would in regards to his dogs, but mostly in the day to day (not letting the dogs sleep inside, assuming they "want to be in their habitat"...um, like you really know that?), and not in the extremes (tying dead chickens to his dog's neck). Not that I think tying dead chickens to dogs necks is great dog ownership, but because I was expecting worse after what my mom said.

It sure made me appreciate my garlic, more!

[Happyreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of essays has a nice mix of different angles on being an organic farmer -- everything from financials, planning of the crops, hiring of the workers to soil management, planting and harvesting, and food politics. Not only do we get the wisdom of 20+ years of farming experience, we get the motivational tale of a man who decided midlife to trade in his city corporate lifestyle for update NY farming. My only reservation about this book is that sometimes the essays get a little repetative. Towards the end, I started skipping over certain essays, like the one about the design of his home office.

Overall, well-written and full of interesting insights. After the essay on weather, I'm thinking my disappointment with this year's farmer's market output may be due to our overly wet spring. The book gave me hope that it could all turn around come September.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A variety of hard-to-find varieties of vegetables from Kevin Stewart's organic farm in upstate NY are sold every week at the Union Square Greenmarket, and hearing about them made my mouth water. But the fascinating part is the way of life and day to day practices that go into small-scale sustainable agriculture. In the 80s Stewart left NYC to start the farming life, far from simple but intensely satisfying. More of a collection of interconnected essays than memoir, Stewart addresses everything from the ups and downs of organic practices, the politics surround sustainable farming, nature and ecology, and how these are issues are no longer just for farmers. Captivating and surprisingly humorous, I would honestly recommend this to just about anyone.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite liked this book. It's made up of a few short stories about life on an organic farm - not all of which I found interesting (I skipped the one all about knives), but most of which were interesting for someone who has fantasized about organic farming (but who now also thinks that she would lose much interest in all the heavy labor quite quickly). Many of the stories were quite endearing, too, and I began to feel as if I really knew the animals and plants he interacted with on a daily basis. His writing style is quite plain, but I found it relaxing.

Definitely not for everyone, but it's a pleasant read if you have an interest in farming and need a book to de-stress with before bed.

[kristy]

I love reading, talking, thinking and writing about growing organic food and eating locally. It gets me so excited. Food is such a big part of our lives and is so politically charged. Most people don't think about how their choices are affecting not only their health and life but that of the entire country and world. One day we may not have a choice of where and from whom our food comes from. Isn't that scary? We need to support these organic farmers who truly care about our wellbeing and value the sacred gift of good food. Told like a story, very personal and lots of references to NYC.

[Lex · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never win anything... but I won this book. Would I have read it otherwise? Probably not. However, as obsessed as I am with food, I haven't read anything before from the perspective of a farmer and I liked how he broke up all the facets of farm life into vignettes. His writing is straightforward, and he informs without being pedantic.

What I did NOT like was what other people mentioned, the treatment of his dogs. I had a lot of trouble coming to terms with how a person so obviously connected with nature could be so cruel to his dogs.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wholeheartedly agree with this book's main idea: That local, diversely cropped, sustainable farming is vital to the world's well-being. I wish that the writing would have been a bit more vivid and that there would have been more specific information, such as gardening tips or recipes. I probably didn't appreciate it as much as I should have since I already agreed with most of its ideas and had heard most of the information in other sources. I would recommend it, though, for anyone who's just starting to develop an interest in sustainable agriculture.

[Jennifer Hess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely wonderful collection of essays from one of our favorite Greenmarket farmers. Keith Stewart is very candid about the blood, sweat and tears involved in establishing and maintaining a small farm in an ethical, sustainable fashion, and after reading this, I feel even better about buying from him as often as we can.

The parts about his canine companion Kuri will make you smile, laugh, and weep openly.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is another farmer-essayist book (just like the "Four Seasons, Five Senses" book that I didn't really care for), but I'm enjoying this one much more. It is a bit more political, a bit less poetry, more business focused, more approachable as a farmer who worked in the city till his forties (rather than being 3rd or 4th generation farmer). While not a book to explain to you how to become a farmer - it does make a strong case for either being one or for SHOPPING AT THE FARMERS MARKET!

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite gardening book of the summer -- Keith Stewart writes well and has a healthy sense of perspective about his foibles as well as his virtues. His accounts of two deaths, both dear friends, one a neighbor, the other a beloved dog, provide the unexpected heart of the book, surrounded by essays and reflections on the path the led him to organic farming, the nature of garlic growing, the hierarchies of the chicken coop, more.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd like to sit on the tailgate of his pickup and view his farm and hear his stories in person. My favorite stories are about his chickens and his dog Kuri........and the Driveway Rabbits. The issues he raises, the need for small small farms to coexist with neighborhoods is especially timely.........now that the Whitehouse is tuning some of he lawn to a kitchen garden.

Biodiversity and protection of our precious soil are the main themes

[Nettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essay chapters, easy to read, & quite interesting. I like and agree with his view of farming - it is how we garden. But, I think we love our chickens more than he does his so I would have talked much more about the chickens. :) He is also right about how the gov't interferes with farming and the big business mentality has destroyed the small farmer. Sustainability is key in farming. I do not agree with his view on population control.