This beautiful book by writer and photographer Anna H. Blessing introduces readers to the story of the modern heartland farm. The book explores how sustainable practices–and close ties to high-profile chefs and restauranteurs–have propelled the “locally grown” culinary movement into a central feature of life in major cities like Chicago. Blessing lays out the rich histories of 25 Midwestern farms through beautiful photography, fascinating anecdotes from farmers and chefs, and up-close looks at what makes each farm so unique.
Looking at esteemed chefs like Charlie Trotter and Paul Kahan, who scour farmers markets for natural ingredients and develop personal business relationships with small-time farmers,Locally Grown shows how both long-standing and newly founded farms, along with urban farms and metropolitan nonprofit organizations like Growing Power and City Provisions, are boosting the sustainable food movement throughout Chicago and its neighborhoods.
Anna Blessing researched, wrote, and photographed 14 editions of the eat.shopbook series in addition to being a regular contributor to many other print and online publications, including Lucky, for which she was Chicago editor for six years. She lives in Chicago with her husband and daughter.
