Bringing it to the Table: Writings on Farming and Food

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Bringing it to the Table: Writings on Farming and Food

by Wendell Berry, Michael Pollan (Introduction)

4.19 of 5 stars 4.19 · rating details · 511 ratings · 58 reviews

Only a farmer could delve so deeply into the origins of food, and only a writer of Wendell Berry’s caliber could convey it with such conviction and eloquence. Long before Whole Foods organic produce was available at your local supermarket, Berry was farming with the purity of food in mind. For the last five decades, Berry has embodied mindful eating through his land pract

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Paperback, 256 pages

Published August 18th 2009 by Counterpoint (first published July 28th 2009)

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Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

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Aug 02, 2012 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fic, smrt

I was reminded of Wendell Berry from a Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson from Parks & Rec) interview. I had heard a little about him previously, but figured if he's good enough for Offerman/Swanson, I should give him a go. The recommendation was definitely a good one, as I thoroughly enjoyed Berry's commonsense and plain (in a very good way) writing.

Berry writes in fairly simple language, but his ideas are wrapped in his own experience and those whose stories he shares. He approaches farming and ag...more

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Jul 14, 2010 Susan Albert added it · review of another edition

Shelves: food-agriculture, nature-environment

Bringing It to the Table is a treasure-house of Wendell Berry's work, an important collection of essays and excerpts gathered from his essays and fiction. A cantankerous, argumentative, eloquent writer who knows farming and food from field to table, Berry has been writing for more than forty years about the sadly declining state of American agriculture, the dangers of industrialized food farming, and the importance to the human community—and to the human body, mind, and soul—of good husbandry. I...more Bringing It to the Table is a treasure-house of Wendell Berry's work, an important collection of essays and excerpts gathered from his essays and fiction. A cantankerous, argumentative, eloquent writer who knows farming and food from field to table, Berry has been writing for more than forty years about the sadly declining state of American agriculture, the dangers of industrialized food farming, and the importance to the human community—and to the human body, mind, and soul—of good husbandry. If you've been reading Berry over the years (my husband and I chose an excerpt from The Unsettling of America for our wedding ceremony in 1986), you'll find some jewels here, all the richer for their association with other pieces in the collection. If you're new to Berry's work, you'll be astonished at his prescience: as Michael Pollan writes in his introduction, Berry is among the very first to point out the dangers of our American industrial agriculture and our disastrous separation of food production from food preparation and consumption.

Bringing It to the Table is divided into three sections. In "Farming," the essays (1971-2004) provide a compelling review of the central argument of all Berry's work: that we must "adopt nature as measure" and create farming practices that deeply connected to the "nature of the particular place." Industrial agriculture arming ignores and attempts to overcome the natural limits of place, seasons, soils, and resources. It is, Berry warns, "a failure on its way to being a catastrophe."

This place-focus continues in the second section, "Farmers." It includes seven elegiac essays that describe true farmers, not dependent on fossil fuels or large farm debt, in touch with their soils, their climates, their animals—people who understand and work within the limits of responsible husbandry. These farmers range from the traditional Amish to the Land Institute, where a radical new science adopts the natural ecosystem as "the first standard of agricultural performance."

The third section, "Food," brings farm husbandry and farm housewifery together, with excerpts from Berry's fiction: people sitting down to eat the food they have planted, raised, harvested, cooked, and served. It is beautifully illustrated by the cover image: Grant Wood's Dinner for Threshers. The painting frames Berry's argument that "eating is an agricultural act," that we must eat what is grown locally and prepared in our own kitchens, not prepackaged, precooked, premasticated. It also demonstrates what, in Berry's view, is the central stablizing force and foundation of the agricultural partnership: that women and men work together to unite household and farm, and that "traditional farm housewifery"—helping with the work of the farm, preserving the harvest, and preparing the family's food—is the essential contribution of women to the farm household economy. Within this context, it is an honored contribution, not to be "belittled" as "women's work."

As we face climate change, resource depletion, financial insecurity, and health issues created by poor food choices, the sustainable production and consumption of our food will undoubtedly be one of the most challenging issues of the twenty-first century. Wendell Berry has been trying to tell us this for many decades. It's high time we began to listen. (less)

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Jan 28, 2013 Andrew Dekkinga rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was my first book on agriculture. Being somewhat uneducated on these matters, this book provided an eye-opening experience to the philosophy of agribusiness and the lost benefits of local organic farming. Berry morosely tells the tragic tale of local farmers being run out of business by the competitive and greedy fervor of industrial agriculture. He emphatically states that farming in sync with the local ecosystem is the only way to maximize yield while not having to resort to nature-degra...more

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Oct 10, 2009 Patti rated it 5 of 5 stars

Another book to be treasured from Wendell Berry. The book is composed of essays Berry has written over many years and is in three sections. The first lays out what a real farm should look like and how it should be run thinking in terms of its viability over time. That involves studying and coming to know the actual land the farm is on, animals and crops and ways of farming need to be adapted to that particular piece of land. In other words, farming involves having eyes wide open and thinking. Be...more Another book to be treasured from Wendell Berry. The book is composed of essays Berry has written over many years and is in three sections. The first lays out what a real farm should look like and how it should be run thinking in terms of its viability over time. That involves studying and coming to know the actual land the farm is on, animals and crops and ways of farming need to be adapted to that particular piece of land. In other words, farming involves having eyes wide open and thinking. Berry states that those in government would benefit from this model.

"If the people in our state and national governments undertook to evaluate economic enterprises by the standards of long-term economics, they would have to employ their minds in actual thinking. For many of them, this would be a shattering experience, something altogether new, but it would also cause them to learn things and do things that would improve the lives of their constituents."

In the second section, Berry profiles farmers whom he admires - and that is high praise indeed. "A Good Farmer of the Old School" is a wonderful explanation of farming that makes sense.

Lancie Clippinger "is taking his own advice, and his advice comes from his experience and the experience of farmers like him, not from experts who are not farmers. For those reasons, Lancie Clippinger is doing all right. He is farming well and earning a living by it in a time when many farmers are farming poorly and making money for everybody but themselves.

'I don't know what they mean,'he says. 'You'd think some in the bunch would use their heads a LITTLE bit.'"

The third section of the book is titled "The Pleasures of Eating" and consists of excerpts from Berry's fiction centered on cooking and eating and the communal joys of eating real food around a table. Reading this section brings back fond memories of Wendell Berry's fiction I have loved through the years and adds to my motivation to keep on cooking up the vegetable dishes I create from my community supported agriculture share.(less)

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Dec 26, 2010 AdultNonFiction Teton County Library rated it 5 of 5 stars

TCL Call# 630.973 BERRY W

Adam - 5 stars
While I regret not having seen Berry speak when he came to Jackson through the library's Page to the Podium in October, this book provides a great sampling of his writings, both in essay and short story format related to the "family farm." Berry's position as both farmer and academic gives him the authority and the eloquence to communicate in an intelligent, yet easy-to-read manner. This is a great introduction, for someone like myself who is interested in...more

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Apr 12, 2010 Ben rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: agriculture

I love this book. The middle section about Farming is the only section I wouldn't necessarily recommend to my foodie friends, but one which was valued by me.

This book consisted of three sections: Farms, Farming and Food. The first section were essays which were mainly examples of good stewards of the land they were given. Many of the farmers' stories had the same theme: "I remember using horses and oxen", use tractors minimally if at all, practice permaculture and sustainability wherever possib...more I love this book. The middle section about Farming is the only section I wouldn't necessarily recommend to my foodie friends, but one which was valued by me.

This book consisted of three sections: Farms, Farming and Food. The first section were essays which were mainly examples of good stewards of the land they were given. Many of the farmers' stories had the same theme: "I remember using horses and oxen", use tractors minimally if at all, practice permaculture and sustainability wherever possible, build up the soil and honor your family. These attributes are things that I would love to live by, but don't think I'll have a chance of in my lifetime. The best I think I can do is read and practice these ideas in an urban area and pass on the knowledge and philosophy to children.

The second section is in regards to farming. This section has a lot of technical information about fertilizers, pest management, economics of the farm and marketing. Once you have the qualitative goals in mind after reading the first section, section two will add some quantitative factors to the mix.

Finally, the third section about food. Wendell Berry admits that he isn't a great cook and has only written about food in his fiction writing. So this section is a number of excerpts from his fiction. I wasn't as much interested in this section except the fact that all of the stories are about sharing what you have with people who don't. It seems that the consumption part of agriculture is the biggest disconnect even after Jamie Oliver visits one's school. Sure, these kids now know what a tomato really looks like on a vine, but what about the emotional experience attached to preserving and preparing foods, and then sharing them with unexpected guests. The sharing experience is one that is almost gone from our culture. This is probably what most attracted me to agriculture from the roots - the result of hard work is a friendly experience reminiscent of "youth" for me. Youth is something that isn't as subjective as one would think. It's what it means to be taken care of. It's sharing mashed potatoes and Twix at a sleepover.

Bringing It to the Table is a collection of essays from one of the finest writers on agriculture in recent history. Reading Wendell Berry is as easy as reading Dr. Seuss but as informative as Noam Chomsky. He is a true craftsman and an inspiration. While this book didn't change my life like other reviewers, it did add to the fire of getting back to peasantry. (less)

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Sep 21, 2012 Bradley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: grown-up-books

When I've told a couple of people so far how excited I am about this book, they've said "so you want to become a farmer?" Tempting as that idea might be, the answer is no. The amazing thing about this book is that through the lense of looking at agriculture, Berry describes a positive, sane and workable way of looking at life that could be applied to any "profession"--seeing the work, the worker, the family, the place, the community, and larger political scene as one inseparable, interdependant...more

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Aug 17, 2012 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

A delightful series of essays about farming and farmers. Some essays are nearly 30 years old, but are still pertinent to today. Wendell Berry has a wonderful, lyrical way of writing that draws you in just for the sound of his language.

My only disappointment was part 3- Food. Berry has only written one essay on food specifically so the editors filled in the rest of the section with various passages from his fiction books that marginally relate to food. Although his fiction is also enjoyable, it r...more

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Mar 14, 2010 Marielle marked it as to-read

This book will really make you think before you put anything in your mouth again. It spoke to me directly, because like Mr. Berry, we grew up surrounded by a lot of little farms. And then a decade later, most of them are gone, having been built over by a housing development. I think that I was also under the illusion that since I lived close to these farms, that I was eating their food. I hardly think that is the truth. The Giant Eagles, and the Walmarts usually get their food from bigger suppli...more

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Jun 23, 2011 Leslie Fields rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've not finished, but it's quintessential Berry. If you have his other books you don't need this one, but it's a great place to start reading Berry, particularly if you're interested in Agricultural, land use, food issues. While I don't agree with him on everything, I'm always enriched by his perspective. There are few voices urging us to slow--even stop--this consumptive machine of technology as brilliantly as Berry. We can't all go back to the plow and the horse, but maybe we can consider whe...more

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Dec 07, 2011 Jacob Aitken rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: agrarianism, economics

I wept as I read every page. The warnings of Agrarian writers are now too familiar (if too readily ignored). Berry admits he is not an economist--which is why he can see the problem correctly and offer the only real solution.

His thesis is relatively simple: the closer food remains to the land, the better it is for the person and the land. This thesis restructures what community and farming are. If this thesis is rejected, which is the dominant religion of America, by the way, then farming becom...more

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Sep 30, 2011 Charlotte Dungan rated it 4 of 5 stars

I got this book from the library again just to I could quote this one section (page 35):

"With industrialization has come a general depreciation of work. As the price of work has gone up, the value of it has gone down, until now it is so depressed that people simply do not want to do it anymore. We can say without exaggeration that the present national ambition of the United States is unemployment. People live for quitting time, for weekends, for vacations, and for retirement; moreover, this ambi...more

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Jul 22, 2010 Heidi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction-misc

Reading these essays makes me want to hug a farmer and plant more beans. Here are a few favorite quotes so far:

"We assume that we can have an exploitive, ruthlessly competitive, profit-for-profit's sake economy, and yet remain a decent and a democratic nation, as we still apparently wish to think ourselves. This simply means that our highest principles and standards have no practical force or influence and are reduced merely to talk." (p. 38)

"Domesticity and wildness are in fact intimately conne...more

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Sep 08, 2010 Martin rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of Michael Pollan (Omnivore's Dilema, IN Defense Of Food)

Wendell berry is a writer of fiction, poetry and (here) non fiction, who also happens to have worked a farm in Kentucky for the better part of the last 50 years. I was aware of him by reputation and through running across a few poems and short stories in anthologies and journals here and there. But did not know of his work as a sustainable farming advocate, which is probably how he is best known.

In reading the Omnivore's Dilemma a little while back, Berry was referenced several times, and at fir...more Wendell berry is a writer of fiction, poetry and (here) non fiction, who also happens to have worked a farm in Kentucky for the better part of the last 50 years. I was aware of him by reputation and through running across a few poems and short stories in anthologies and journals here and there. But did not know of his work as a sustainable farming advocate, which is probably how he is best known.

In reading the Omnivore's Dilemma a little while back, Berry was referenced several times, and at first I was not even sure it was the same guy. But indeed it was, and as Michael Pollan states in his introduction to this collection of essays on farming and food - Pollan "borrowed" an awful lot from Mr. Berry.

This collection spans over 4 decades of essays that are eloquently written, completely accessible and incredibly thought provoking. Berry's writing style is very lucid and easy to grasp, as he has a novelist's cadence and a poet's eye as he takes on issues ranging from small family farms, to animal husbandry, to industrial agricultural, to the intrinsic conflicts between an agrarian and a capitalist society
and that's just scratching the surface of the topics/issues covered herein. And lest you assume that this is just some backwoods country bumpkin' waxing eloquently about bucolic life on the farm...the man knows his stuff. The essays here are full of depth, detail and obviously copious research...not to mention direct hands on experience.

When I wrote a review of Omnivore's Dilemma, I think I said something that the book had opened my eyes and influenced me to my core. Well, if such was the case there, then Bringing It To The Table took things to a whole new level.

Completely inspiring and informative, whether you are a farmer, cook, chef, restauranteur, "foodie", locavore...or if, like me, you have just come to realize that the production of food in this country and around the world is one of the greatest challenges and important issues facing us today, tomorrow and on into whatever future we are allowed.

Highest recommendation.

-m

(less)

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Mar 27, 2011 Josh Barkey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Snap!

A three-part exploration of what we eat and how. Part one is a collection of essays on farming methods, good and bad. Part two is a collection of case studies of good farmers and their antithesis, and part three is a collection of fictional excerpts from Berry's novels that explores the inherent value in the act of preparing and eating food in a farm context, topped off at the end with an essay on "The Pleasures of Eating," with a few helpful hints for change. Brilliant, as usual.

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Jun 15, 2011 Jolene Haack rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 100-2011

Much less objective than Omnivores Dilemma. But theres something very touching about a farmer passionate about farms. The essays got repetitive but I came away with some basic and valuable info: enjoy meals, eat locally, try to remember and even visualize the work and farms that go into meals.

Also of note were the bits and pieces of short stories at the end of the book. One was honestly touching enough that I got a bit misty-eyed. A worthwhile read at least while I'm waist-deep in my food and he...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Peggy rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a book I could read 10 more times...and I should. Berry pulls no punches in telling about sustainable living, holding traditions of old, and how the way we're developing and farming this world can't last. Most of the essays were written 30 years ago or so, but Berry has always been way ahead of his time.

I highly suggest you read his essay: The Pleasures of Eating (http://www.ecoliteracy.org/essays/ple...).

If that doesn't turn you on to his writing than this book probably is not for you.

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Jun 21, 2011 Taylar rated it 3 of 5 stars

I admire Wendell Berry and I agree with his ideas and politics. But I found these essays repetitive and a little too idealistic and romantic for a simple past where women were docile and cooked food for the hungry men and that was the ultimate goal in life. I know I'm oversimplifying now but the point is these pieces were just a little too based in a conservative religious ideology that just doesn't exist anymore. Ultimately, women's progress aside, the root of these essays is supremely relevant...more

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Jan 03, 2012 Joseph rated it 5 of 5 stars

Another excellent collection of Berry essays, this focused primarily on farming. I never seem to tire of Berry's prose (and that is what I would call his essays), but this book has as an added bonus several fiction excerpts which I think make a meaningful contribution to a book about farming and food. This book is a great introduction to Berry's fiction and non-fiction for the uninitiated.

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Mar 18, 2010 Jason rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ecology, food

More about farming than food, and for that reason it lost me a few times as he would describe the ways in which a certain farmer rotated his crops. Yet, if anyone makes me want to be a farmer and connects all the dots between farm, soil, food, and health it is Berry. "Eating is an agricultural act" he says and for that to be true you do have to know something of farming.

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Feb 13, 2013 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a collection of Wendell Berry essays touting the virtues of small-scale organic farming versus industrial agriculture. Well-written, inspiring, and at times humorous; my only qualm with it is that he is clearly drawn toward the medium-scale livestock farmer. There were very few examples of home-scale gardeners or small-scale fruit and vegetable farmers.

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Apr 30, 2013 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: farming, food

No one beats Wendell Berry for concise, direct language about the state of American agriculture and its surrounding culture. He has that special ability communicate complicated concepts in simple prose.

I dropped it down one star because the essays in this collection can be a bit repetitive if you've read Berry before.

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Mar 17, 2012 Brooke rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reading about food politics has become a fave hobby of mine, and his thoughts are capture the passion of so many food enthusiasts. If you'd like to examine your thoughts about food, I highly recommend it. There are a few short essays at the end that are just for amusement, though--but they did amuse me.

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Jan 11, 2010 Brent Fernandez rated it 5 of 5 stars

fantastic read. especially enjoyed pollan's intro (admitting he's standing on the shoulders of giants, in a way.) i really enjoyed the final essay and think everyone can benefit from that one. others were definitely relevant to my current life on a farm. mr. berry just speaks the truth!

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Oct 03, 2011 Kristen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: got-from-the-library, backyard-farmer, non-fiction, never-finished-had-to-return-to-th

Wendell Berry has been talking conservation and bloated agriculture since before it was cool. This edition with intro by Pollan, was enlightening and disheartening. Subsidies and strip mining, oh I mean farming will continue until it is too late. Cash will continue to trump sustainability. It gave me a bunch of awesome ammo to argue my point better with my republican relatives.

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Jul 16, 2012 Denese rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, 2012

Speed reading got me through first sections. The last section on food is the best and most thought provoking. How much do I really think about my foods history? I probably don't want to know totally. But the book does cause one to stop and consider.......

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May 26, 2010 Francine rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am a big fan of Wendell Berry. If you don't know the name run and find something of his...he has been writing for decades. This book is filled with wonderful essays (as many of his books are). You'll learn something if you venture in Berry country.

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Jan 30, 2010 Sally Lamping rated it 5 of 5 stars

Many of these are republished pieces, but still Berry is at his best. An important book for those of us who spend little time thinking about where all of this food comes from and how the American farm as we know it is nearly becoming obsolete.

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Jan 03, 2012 Andrew Boyle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: essays

Wendell Berry's holistic vision that incorporates eating, farming, community, and human culture is truly inspiring and challenging for those of us moderns who live in a world so tragically far from what he describes.

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Mar 18, 2013 Ron rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a book that is divided into 3 parts. The first is essays on farming, the second is essays on farmers, the third is on various meals from his fiction. I enjoyed the entire book but especially loved the meals section.

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About Wendell Berry

Wendell Berry is a conservationist, farmer, essayist, novelist, professor of English and poet. He was born August 5, 1934 in Henry County, Kentucky where he now lives on a farm. The New York Times has called Berry the "prophet of rural America."

More about Wendell Berry...

Books by Wendell Berry

The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture

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“Why do farmers farm, given their economic adversities on top of the many frustrations and difficulties normal to farming? And always the answer is: "Love. They must do it for love." Farmers farm for the love of farming. They love to watch and nurture the growth of plants. They love to live in the presence of animals. They love to work outdoors. They love the weather, maybe even when it is making them miserable. They love to live where they work and to work where they live. If the scale of their farming is small enough, they like to work in the company of their children and with the help of their children. They love the measure of independence that farm life can still provide. I have an idea that a lot of farmers have gone to a lot of trouble merely to be self-employed to live at least a part of their lives without a boss.” — 21 people liked it

“Good farmers, who take seriously their duties as stewards of Creation and of their land's inheritors, contribute to the welfare of society in more ways than society usually acknowledges, or even knows. These farmers produce valuable goods, of course; but they also conserve soil, they conserve water, they conserve wildlife, they conserve open space, they conserve scenery.” — 16 people liked it

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