The journey of your food from the ground up
By Michelle Darmody
Illustrations by Ruth Graham
Nine Bean Rows ISBN:978-1-7392105-7-1
ninebeanrowsbooks.com £17.50
Dr Michelle Darmody’s work brings together sustainability, food entrepreneurship and creativity. Her PhD focused on environmental food education for children. Her research projects have won RETHINK Ireland Social Innovation funding and she was named an Ashoka Changemaker.
Michelle writes an award-winning weekly column for the Irish Examiner. Her extensive knowledge of sustainability and the food landscape also stems from the creation of large-scale events tackling climate change, such as Eat the Streets for Dublin City Council and Summer Rising for IMMA.
This book is aimed at 9-12 year olds and introduces how our food actually gets on our plate, although it doesn’t mention dairy or meat and concentrates on vegetables and fruit.
Activities and tips are scattered througout. Ever thought of putting soapy water on your plants in the garden to deter bugs. Composting is introduced and how to make potato plants from potatoes.
Starting with what food grows in – soil, it tells how soil is formed and what seeds are and how they are planted. Your first activity will be to plant a seed and this can be done inside an eggshell. The seedbanks created for the future are introduced and even the surprising fact that a carrot has more genes than a human.
Then of course there is recycling and even the concept of food miles to explore.
In the cooking section you will find recipes that are simple, fun to make and tasty. We worked through these with our daughter and it was an enjoyable family experience. Who can resist halloumi burgers, maybe with some mint lemonade and finishing with raspberry buns.
Throughout there are simple but effective illustrations and the text manages to informing without being too dense.