The story begins simply, with Barry finding himself behind a heavy truck in Florida, laden with what appear to be green Granny Smith apples. Some of these orbs begin to fly off the truck, but they turn out to be tomatoes “so plasticine and so identical they could have been stamped out by a machine.” A few have cracks, most are unblemished, and not one is smashed, despite the long drop at 60 mph.
The story ends with Tomatoland, an exposé of today’s agribusiness systems, which produce industrial tomatoes as lacking in nutrition as they are flavor. Of all the fruits and vegetables we eat, none suffers at the hand of factory farming more than a tomato grown in the winter fields of Florida, which accounts for one-third of the fresh tomatoes grown in the United States. Modern agribusiness can’t deliver a decent-tasting tomato in large part because it’s essentially against the law; regulations set by the Florida Tomato Committee determine what a tomato should look like, and the older, tasty varieties don’t conform to the rules of color and shape.
As Barry explains in this fact-filled yet approachable book, consumers and society pay a price when we take taste and thought out of our food purchases:

• The tomato got its start in the arid climates of South America, making Florida’s humid weather possibly the worst place for tomato growing. This results in heavy use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.
• The underpaid workers in Florida’s tomato fields are exposed to chemicals daily, with a toll including cancers, respiratory ailments, and severe birth defects among newborns. That’s not all—one assistant U.S. attorney referred to Florida’s tomato fields as “ground zero for modern- day slavery,” complete with beatings and being “sold” to crew bosses to pay debts.
• A tomato today contains less vitamin C, thiamin, niacin, and calcium and 14 times as much sodium as its 1960s counterpart.

There’s no doubt anyone who longs for the flavor and texture of a truly home-grown tomato—will want to hear the messages of Tomatoland. Tomatoes are America’s second-most popular produce behind lettuce, with Americans buying $5 billion worth of commercially grown fresh tomatoes in 2009. And nearly nine out of 10 backyard gardens include tomatoes.

About Barry Estabrook
Investigative journalist Barry Estabrook’s 2009 article for Gourmet magazine, “Politics of the Plate: The Price of a Tomato,” won a James Beard Award in 2010. In addition to being a Gourmet contributing editor for eight years, Barry was founding editor of EatingWell magazine and has written for The New York Times Magazine, Reader’s Digest, Men’s Health, and The Washington Post. He contributes regularly to The Atlantic’s Web site. He has been interviewed on numerous television and radio shows. Barry tends his tomato patch at home in Vermont. politicsoftheplate.com

Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit
Andrews McMeel Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-4494-0109-2
Price: $19.99 ($22.99 Canada)
Hardcover: 6×9, 240 pages

Disclaimer:
Every item purchased from Amazon.com after following any of the above Tomatoland links generates commissions that support this site.

This salad is delicious, lightly crunchy, and slightly sweet, with mild curry. I did not use the rice wine vinegar recommended in the recipe, rather I used white balsamic vinegar. And instead of sugar, I used a nice elderflower syrup which is sweet. One could also substitute dried cranberries for the currents and use the recipe for the holidays. Not matter when you make it, it is very tasty.

Another really good vegan cookbook is The Best of Vegan Cooking by Priscilla Feral and Friends of Animals with 84 extraordinary recipes, representing cuisines from around the planet, feature flavor-filled dishes both original and from the world s great chefs. It might be handy to keep these two vegan cookbooks in mind as nice presets for vegan friends and family, or even to inspire non-vegans during World Go Vegan Week.

Click here to download the free
Tasty Vegan Holiday Recipes eBook
in ePub format.

To read ePub eBooks you will need a digital reader. There are now many such readers available with the most popular being the Sony Reader, Apple iPhone, Bookworm and Adobe Digital Editions.

The Good Earth Dinner

Celebrating the season’s bounties

Courses:

• Nutmeg mushrooms
• Onion Soup In the French Tradition
• Minty pea and rice salad with apples
• Tempeh Bourgogne
• Lemony spinach with cashew pieces
• Maple Almond Fig Galette with Vegan Maple Mascarpone

Gourmet Harvest Dinner

Elegant meals that none would suspect are vegan

Courses:

• Waffle Pieces with Lettuce and Papaya Chutney
• Filled baby spuds
• Gourmet fennel & celery soup
• Zucchini tartar with paprika-raspberry puree
• Layered eggplant with chopped nut filling
• Brussels sprouts with apples and onions
• Vegan Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Cookie Crust and Bourbon Sauce

The Turkey’s Favorite Friends Dinner

Delicious recipes gently celebrating honoring all life

Courses:

• Spinach & Sundried Tomato Windmills
• Coconut Carrot Soup
• Spicy Broccoli-mango Salad
• Brussels Sprouts with Bananas and Carrot Cashew Loaf
• Pumpkin with cranberries
• Pumpkin Parfaits with Ginger Snaps

Homecoming Favorites

Family favorites from our house to yours

Courses:

• Fava bean bruschetta
• Sweet Red Bell Pepper with Apple Soup
• Hawaiian Carrot Salad
• Tempeh Schnitzel with a Citrus Sauce
• Stuffed Potatoes with Asparagus
• Vegalicious Brownies Deluxe

If you enjoyed these recipes, you can support us by buying something from our Amazon Shop or from our Cafepress Store.

Vegan Fire & Spice: 200 Sultry and Savory Global Recipes fills a conspicuous gap in the growing roster of vegan cookbooks.

“I’ve made Vegan Fire & Spice everything I’d want in a collection of spicy international dishes,” the author commented. “Vegans can now easily make their own boldly seasoned Indian and Thai curries, African stews, and Middle Eastern kebabs and pilafs, and these recipes are now all in one place. I also provide recipes for Szechuan stir-fries, Moroccan tagines, Indonesian satays, Italian pastas, as well as favorites from the Americas and Caribbean.”

The recipes range from mildly spicy to nearly incendiary, however Robertson added that while cooks can make the dishes as hot as they wish, the recipes can also be made without any heat at all. With international recipes such as Red-Hot White Bean Chili, Vindaloo Vegetables, Thai Coconut Soup, and Penne Arrabbiata, she insists that anyone can enjoy them without bursting into flames.

As culinary passport to the spicy cuisines of the world, Vegan Fire & Spice is organized by geographic region, each with a recipe mini-index organized according to appetizers, sides, main dishes, soups, salads, sauces and condiments.

For sample recipes, information about ordering, discounts, and autographed copies, or to or find out more about Robertson’s other books, visit her website.

Here are some suggestions:

• Herbivore clothing
  Herbivore is a little company based in Portland, Oregon with a range of great looking clothing for vegans and a magazine with a focus on the art, music, humour, fashion, politics, activism and personalities coming out of the loose community of people who choose not to eat animals. The ‘Cow Hugger’ shirt by artist Jen Corace is our favourite.
  
• Veggie Trekker MK4
  The Veggie Trekker is one of the new models of Vegetarian Shoes. Beautifully handmade in Italy, this water-proof and breathable shoe will be perfect for the nature loving vegan.
  
• Vegan Lunch Box
  A new book by Jennifer McCann, a stay-at-home mom who lives, cooks, and eats in eastern Washington state. If you think vegan lunchtime means peanut butter and jelly day after day, think again! From the simple to the sublime, Vegan Lunch Box brings you an amazing array of entirely meat-free, egg-free, and dairy-free lunches.
  
• Vegan & organic cosmetics from Lavera
  Lavera offers a broad range of cruelty free cosmetics. Click on the Vegan Logo on their site to get the complete list of products, which have been registered at the English Vegan Society and bear the vegan logo. Lavera USA currently offers a special discount for early holiday shoppers! Avoid the rush and place your order between November 15th and December 6th to receive 10% off orders of $150 or more, including free shipping.
  
• Vegan Italiano
  The new book by Donna Klein, author of The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen, one of our most favourite vegan cooking books. This cookbook features classic Italian, Vegan-Style. In the sumptuous style of classic Italian cuisine, this collection of delectably authentic recipes reinvents vegan. Mouth-watering dishes burst with fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and healthy fats like olive oil-all within an animal-free diet, ideal for lactose-intolerant eaters and vegetarians, too.