This Common Ground: Seasons on an Organic Farm

Great book to put you in the mood for a simpler more wholesome life where you don't get caught up in the hype of our 21st century society. I really enjoyed it.

I have to begin this review by taking note of the delicious irony of finding this slender little gem of a book at my local supermarket, as the essence of this story is an ode to the slow food movement and the community-supported agriculture (CSA) efforts that have been gaining steam around the country over the course of the last decade or so. Definitely not supermarket material. The author is Scott Chaskey, farmer/poet emeritus of Long Island's Quail Hill Farms, one of the oldest CSA groups in New York State. His text reads like a set of short journal entries, carrying the reader through an entire cycle of seasons on the farm. His prose is beautiful and descriptive, with occasional hints of verse adding depth and color to the proceedings. Chaskey's love of Nature (with a capital N for sure) comes through loud and true, as does the book's central theme of living in harmony with the Earth and her gifts. It's never explicitly stated, but there's a real neo-Pagan feel to this book, especially in the way that it follows the seasons and the wheel of the year. Chaskey is definitely in touch with his inner Druid, his connection to the land and it's flora and fauna making him an effective advocate for organic farming and the CSA model. HIGHLY recommended.

This book was a very sweet description of life at a organic farm. It brought to life ideas and processes that must happen every year or helpful hints on what makes this gardening adventure easier. You can feel the joy and effort he has put into the farm and also the challenges. He gives a glimpse of the organic association, and what it means to be organic. Chaskey generously lets us learn from his mistakes. The wholesome roots of farming are embraced by this book, I loved it.

A story of love and frustration in building a farm that grows products organically. It's clear that the love drives Mr. Chaskey to farming, watching things grow, watching the seasons turn. The poet in him makes his prose read like this love -- 'Last night our fields felt the first light touch of Jack Frost.' The frustration also comes through, especially as he talks about new gtovernment rules -- To qualify as organic compost must be turned a total of five times within a fifteen-day period and you must prove that the temperature inside the pile was between 131 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit for the period. --Who turns compost every three days. This book is the story of the changing seasons on an organic farm in New York. It is not an instruction book on farming, it is an ode to organic farming.

Farmer and Poet Scott Chaskey gives us this wonderful work following his journey on his South Fork farm for a year. Follow Chaskey through the spring, summer, autumn, and Winter as he learns and explores life on this organic farm. This book appeals to the senses and to the heart. ****