The Whole Organic Food Book: A Guide for Growers and Eaters

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University and an avid outdoor recreationist. She is the
author of several books, including The Mountain Is Moving: Japanese
Women’s Lives, Kurlek and Margaret Laurence: T

In today’s world, food has worrisome new sources and ingredients. Dan
Jason warns readers that much of our food is now bioengineered with
genes from many other life forms. It comes without identification and
with almost no examination of possible consequences. Modern governments
generally “aggressively support” the transnational corporations that
strive to restrict our food to their products. Jason anticipates growing
popularity for organically grown foods, currently labelled as
“non-GM” (the GM stands for “genetically modified”). Jason’s
book aims to enlighten and encourage those who would like to eat organic
foods.

Advice is plentiful in this intriguing and important work. Topics range
from the history of the rapid growth of chemically based foods since the
1950s, and ways to reverse this trend, to the basics of organic food
growing (such as composting and mulching) and growing one’s own food
where possible. The second section provides background information on
grains and beans and features recipes for simple, satisfying ways on how
to prepare and use them. The third section deals with seeds, including
the malevolent new practice of creating “terminator” seeds.

The Whole Organic Food Book is a wake-up call to everyone concerned
with health. It could be the most influential book you read this year.
Jason is a founder of Canada’s Heritage Seed program (now known as
Seeds of Diversity Canada) and the author of two earlier books. He owns
and operates Salt Spring Seeds, an organic company on Salt Spring Island
in British Columbia.