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In Review: Edible Schoolyard by Alice Waters

If you haven't ever heard of Alice Waters, owner of Chez Panisse restaurant, you must be under the biggest anti-cooking rock. She is the hippie version of Julia Child, a supporter of Slow Food USA, and the creator behind the Edible Schoolyard idea & introductory garden in Berkeley, California. I have a special place in my heart for Alice Waters, who writes entire cookbooks on a food group. My favorite of her cookbooks is her most recent, The Art of Simple Food. This book is about the first Edible Schoolyard, which broke ground in the middle of an unused parking lot in an eyesore middle school due to graffiti and urban cement. It is a colorful explanation of what the Universal Idea & it's goals are, complete with tons of pictures from National Geographic photographer David Liittschwager.
I saw this awhile ago on my Amazon recommends, and I knew I had to read it. A few weeks of waiting from Inter-Library-Loan and I read it through in a day. It's just an easy, breezy 70+ pages of story after story of this garden changing kids' lives. Some in abject poverty who learned to cook themselves so they would not miss breakfast; some never before being trusted to do anything but play video games and then learning to love cooking with the help of the creative teachers and volunteers!
A quick inspirational and beautiful idea-starter for those who would love to learn the usefulness and wonder of how a tiny seed erupts into mountains of food! Now, go eat your veggies and read this book!
Check out the Edible Schoolyard's website to find out more info!
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click here for babymast pics of crazy baby Anikka!
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Comments

StephG said…
I've seen this book on my "recommendations" too! Thanks for reviewing it. Is it sad that I tried to find the "like" button to click on this post?!?!
September 22, 2009 at 11:24 AM
SeaBird said…
Hmmm, this book sounds right up my alley - very interesting! I'll have to put it on my PaperBack Swap wish list!
September 22, 2009 at 7:50 PM
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