“Backyard Roots” is a collection of vignettes about urban dwellers motivated to have a closer connection to their food and their communities. There are many ways to do this, and the strength of this book is its breadth of inspiring ideas that have already been realized. Making it even better, the individuals and families profiled all live on the West Coast, from British Columbia to northern California.
Author/photographer Lori Eanes has a career in food photography and her original intent was a photo essay but, she says in her introduction, “as I learned people’s stories their dedication inspired me to write about them too.” While the writing is good, her camera is particularly effective at bringing out her subjects’ personalities–both human and animal.
While some of the topics, such as raising ducks or goats, are addressed in detail in other books, there are several more adventuresome projects. These include raising tilapia in an aquaponic garden and grafting food fruits onto ornamental street trees, guerrilla style. I gave a copy as a Christmas gift and I recommend it highly, especially to anyone with the spirit and resourcefulness of a homesteader.
Excerpted from the Winter 2014 Arboretum Bulletin.