It's a Long Road to a Tomato: Tales of an Organic Farmer Who Quit the Big City for the (Not So) Simple Life

Americans have a taste for nature writing that stretches back in a proud lineage, but less so in agricultural writing. Books about farming are too often of the "green acres" school-- as glossy and unreal as the seed catalog's miracle-grown wheelbarrow size tomatoes. What Keith Stewart, and his gifted illustrator-wife Flavia Bacaralla, have given us is not this; it's a rare, genuine memoir of a life bound up, even unexpectedly captured by the rocky and recalcitrant soil of a slatey upstate New York farm. A Long Way to a Tomato is part and equal to John Hersey, carefully grounded with details in sometimes painfully sharp focus, and part Wendell Berry, suddenly breaking from the mundane into the open sky. It is a brave, open and moving account of a place, man, a marriage, and community-- an American farm and farmer at a cross-roads. It could stand for the story of thousands of farms and farmers across the country who do the hard work, make a living, and keep the soul of our land alive.

Keith Stewart gently prods us, especially those of us who live in urban areas, to become acutely aware of every bit of food we choose to eat: how it is grown, where, by whom, at what heavy physical and financial cost to the farmer and to society. The book is an engrossing essay about the author's difficult journey from being an unfulfilled middle aged city-dweller to becoming someone in touch with the acres he feels privileged to tend. Woven into the narrative is much wisdom about the choices we as consumers and as a nation have made (hugh subsidies to agribusiness that encourage production of unhealthy food heavily reliant on petrochemical fertilizers). This book will be enjoyed by readers of all ages but should be required reading for teens, most of whom are unaware of the choices they may make when it comes to putting food into their young mouths. As a bonus, the author suggests that that an informed electorate might still make it possible that our offspring will enjoy reasonably healthy ways to nourish their bodies and their souls.

This simple, beautiful story describes with perfect eloquence our elemental relationship with the planet by way of the food we eat. This book changed my life. If everyone read this book, we'd live in a much better world. It's wise and delicious from cover to cover.

A truly delightful read. Written with great care and concern for the world in which we live, Mr. Stewart has given all of us, and not only New Yorkers, a real taste for a different way of life and not necessarily a simpler one. There is alot of information here about issues that affect us all; our food, the small farmer, the importance of eating local, genetic engineering, but most importantly, you have a real taste for the hard work and dedication that it takes to be a farmer and the long, arduous road that they travel to bring food to market. You will never look at a tomato in the same way again. His stories are touching and heartfelt. I found myself crying for his dear friend, Kuri, a story that will stay with me for a long time. The messages are honest and thought-provoking. A primer for a more compassionate planet, this book is a must-read for people who ever wonder if they can make a difference.

I completely enjoyed this book. Mr. Stewart's writing is a wonderful blend of the practical and political aspects of how food is being produced in our country. His is an approach that respects the land as well as the consumer. He seems to me a talented and caring farmer as well as a talented writer. Ms. Bacarella's stunning wood cut illustrations complete this book's message about producing food that is raised with thought and love. If only our government felt the same. I feel fortunate to know that there are people like Mr. Stewart and Ms. Bacarella producing such fine food and art.