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    Lentil Underground: Renegade Farmers and the Future of Food in America
    Lentil Underground: Renegade Farmers and the Future of Food in America
    Lentil Underground: Renegade Farmers and the Future of Food in America
    Audiobook7 hours

    Lentil Underground: Renegade Farmers and the Future of Food in America

    Written by Liz Carlisle

    Narrated by Tavia Gilbert

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The story of the "Lentil Underground" begins on a 280-acre homestead rooted in America's Great Plains: the Oien family farm. Forty years ago, corporate agribusiness told small farmers like the Oiens to "get big or get out." But twenty-seven-year-old David Oien decided to take a stand, becoming the first in his conservative Montana county to plant a radically different crop: organic lentils. Unlike the chemically dependent grains American farmers had been told to grow, lentils make their own fertilizer and tolerate variable climate conditions, so their farmers aren't beholden to industrial methods. Today, Oien leads an underground network of organic farmers who work with heirloom seeds and biologically diverse farm systems. Under the brand Timeless Natural Food, their unique business-cum-movement has grown into a million dollar enterprise that sells to Whole Foods, hundreds of independent natural foods stores, and a host of renowned restaurants.

    From the heart of Big Sky Country comes this inspiring story of a handful of colorful pioneers who have successfully bucked the chemically based food chain and the entrenched power of agribusiness's one percent. Journalist Liz Carlisle weaves an eye-opening and richly reported narrative that will be welcomed by everyone concerned with the future of American agriculture.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateNov 21, 2017
    ISBN9781541480896
    Lentil Underground: Renegade Farmers and the Future of Food in America

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    Reviews for Lentil Underground

    4/5

    36 ratings12 reviews

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    • 5/5
      In Lentil Underground Liz Carlisle pulls together many important concepts related to food in America, in particular the growing and distribution of food. The story begins at David Oien’s farm in Montana on the east side of the Rocky Mountains. When Oien decided to plant acres of organic lentils, this was a radical act. This book traces the ups and downs of organic lentil farming in Montana over the years. In time other farmers in Montana started planting acres of organic lentils. Why grow lentils? The lentil is a member of the legume family. Lentils create their own fertilizer. Legumes are often planted as cover crops because of the nutrients they bring to the soil. They do not need to be fertilized with chemical brews. The species grown in Montana are more tolerant of wind, heat, and lack of rainfall than other commercial crops.Why eat lentils? They are extremely nutritious. Lentils are an excellent source of dietary fiber, they are a complex carbohydrate, and are a low GI food with high protein. Lentils play a prominent role in Indian cuisine, often called dals.I learned so much from this book. What it’s like for a small farmer to get an order from Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. Just how hard it is to get financing for your organic farm. Why small organic farmers can’t get crop insurance. What the Farm Bill means to small farmers. Carlisle’s writing style is engaging and descriptive. She does an excellent job weaving various farmer’s stories together. Given that much of American agricultural policy is designed for huge corporate farms, the activities of the “lentil underground” are revolutionary and encouraging.This is an important book. Do read it.* This review is based on receipt of an Advance Uncorrected Proof from the publisher via LibraryThing *
    • 5/5
      At first Carlisle was just documenting a quirky alternative farm business model in rural Montana. I enjoyed her "Ah-ha!" moment when she drew parallels between the health and vitality of living soil and the health and vitality of human community. This is a very hopeful book and I'm sure glad for those people who are working so hard to re-make our world before it's too late. Discusses many of the larger world issues of food distribution, government programs, community action, agricultural research.Well done narrative and excellent content.
    • 5/5
      Very interesting story, couldn’t stop listening. All the farmers sound so interesting!
    • 4/5
      All incoming freshmen at the University of Montana (where I work) are assigned a book to read and discuss during their first semester. This year, it's Lentil Underground by native Missoulian Liz Carlisle. Having known nothing about organic farming (or farming in general), I was unsure how I would like this book. However, because of Liz's easy to follow and conversational writing style, I was able to follow along with the story of the farmers who started the organic farming revolution in Montana (and it all started with lentils). I thought the processes she described were fascinating, and I learned so much! I hope that most of the students enjoy the book as well, and gain a new understanding and respect for those who work the Montana land. I'll be keeping an eye out for Timeless Seeds products in the grocery stores around town!
    • 5/5
      The Lentil Underground - Eat well and ProsperGood books are good books, and a good read is always a rare and enjoyable time....AND every once in a long while a book comes along that is a life changer. The Lentil Underground is one of those rare books that may well change your whole outlook on a vital topic, American agriculture.My wife and I are foodies and avid vegetable gardeners and we have long known that mainstream agriculture in the United States is just not right. While we are producing a huge amount of food in our country, almost all of it is of a questionable quality. Worse than that is that our methods are generally not sustainable for a growing population in a growing world. Huge applications of soluble fertilizers, much of which run off into local streams, tilling on a grand scale that dehumanizes the farmers who feed us all. Monoculture crops rather than diversity. All of these aspects are totally dependent on fossil fuel at every step of the way. All have the profit margin as the only guiding goal. None of these methods are sustainable. We are told by the big agribusiness industries that small farming methods can never feed the world and theirs is the only way. Liz Carlisle totally explodes that fantasy with her account of the faming group that she calls "the lentil underground'. A small and steadily growing group of real, family farmers who are producing good food at good prices. And, there is no need for concern that when you buy from them you are despoiling the environment. Probably the greatest thing about the book is that it introduces you to a bunch of real people - foodies - who make their living feeding folks while improving the very land they feed us from! Get to know them a little, maybe even talk to them (yes they are reachable) and you'll find very quickly that they are a hard working and friendly bunch who will be happy to connect you with other safe and sustainable sources for the foods they don't grow. Need beans or grains, the very staples of life? Want to know where what you eat comes from and who grows and handles it? Like good tasty foods produced with love and sweat? Read this book! Good things ARE happening in American agriculture and the Lentil Underground is a great, eye opening, fun to read book.
    • 4/5
      As someone who is interested in sustainable food production. I thought this was an interesting chronicle of a small group of farmers struggles to challenge the generally accepted methods of food production. This is not a practical guide for someone who is looking o transition their farm. I think this book would be Highly readable even by those who are not particularly familiar with the intricacies of farming. Let the Revolution begin!
    • 4/5
      In the spirit of a modern day Robin Hood, farmer Dave Oien has a dream of taking farms from conventional practices (chemical laden monocultures) that rob the soil to methods that instead feed and enrich it. He does this by sowing plants that provide their own fertilizer (such as lentils) in a crop rotation that feeds people AND the soil. He and his band of merry men form an enterprise known as Timeless Seeds - this is the tale of their trials and tribulations in bringing sustainable farming to Montana.Enjoyable read by author Liz Carlisle. There was mention that this book was written as she was completing a Phd; I was unclear about whether this book was tied into that project. Regardless, the book did not have the feel of a dissertation that had been "polished up" to appeal to a more general audience (frequently poorly done and a pet peeve of mine). What this book does quite well is be a general manual of what organic/sustainable farming is all about. While this type of farming is much more prevalent than when Oien started out, it still faces headwinds from factory farming and the idea of "go big, or go home". Carlisle paints an honest and realistic picture of what it takes to make a go of it. The only complaint I had with the book is that there were such an abundance of characters (you'll see that I didn't choose that word lightly - it takes all kinds) that it got confusing at times (pictures would have been nice to keep everyone straight). Still, I enjoyed every last one of them and their heroic efforts to buck the system and stay true to their principles. Anyone interested in food and how it is grown will find much to like with this read. Recommended.
    • 4/5
      A small group of farmers in Montana bucks the system and decides to grow small-scale organic crops that will feed the soil as well as people. Lentil Underground tells the stories of these farmers, their crops, the support systems they developed and their struggles with the agricultural system.
    • 4/5
      I wasn't sure that I would be able to get into this book and picked it because I figured I should probably get familiar with the food industry issues. What a surprise it was to find a book that grabbed my attention from the beginning. It was very interesting and the human stories really kept me engaged. I will say that as I continued to read it was difficult to keep the story lines straight and the number of "characters" introduced was a bit overwhelming; especially if you have periods where you can't jump right back into the book. However, this didn't keep me from coming back and wanting to read and learn more. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it (and have!).
    • 5/5
      I have read a lot on why some of these farming practices can improve both community health and sustainability, but until now didn't understand what it can take to start that kind of change, especially in the face of large scale subsidized farming that puts the end product over howit is made. This was an interesting look at what can happen when people are committed to something they believe in. I received this book from the early reviewer's group.
    • 5/5
      Liz Carlisle put together a well written book about an aspect of our farming system that needs to be changed not by shaming the people who currently participate but by telling a story about a group of farmers who went against the grain and through hard work and with lots patience are slowly but steadfastly changing our current system one field at a time. I enjoyed the tone of the book, Ms. Carlisle managed to find a perfect balance that was educational but not too academic and casually conversational but not careless. I liked that as her investigation unfolded and new characters were added she fleshed out their distinct personalities so when those characters were again referenced anytime later in the book it was easy to discern the web of personal connections without having to flip back through previous pages to remember who was who again.* This review is based on receipt of an Advance Uncorrected Proof from the publisher via LibraryThing.com *
    • 4/5
      Full-time farmers currently comprise less than 2 percent of the current US population, but they directly and indirectly have the largest cumulative impact on the health of our population and environment. Lentil Underground does an admirable job of explaining the challenges and triumphs of rural Montana food growers who are caught between the financial realities of saving their family farm and saving the planet for future generations.