Two nonfiction books that address our food supply are Organic Foods by Jennifer MacKay and Sustainable Agriculture by Carol Hand. My family considered getting into organic farming several years ago, and my garden has not had any chemical sprays added to it in 15 years. That means I spend a lot of time pulling weeds and putting down mulch, but it also means that my kids can eat the beans right off the plant without worrying about the sprays that were used to kill the bugs. Organic Foods presents a good history of the organic movement. The book Sustainable Agriculture addresses not just how food is produced, but also the idea of whether or not different methods are sustainable. Are the methods being used today going to be able to produce the world's food tomorrow? Are the methods being used today going to affect the natural resources that are available for the future? Both of these books can offer a glimpse at our food supply today and in the future.
Now, a move to fiction. The first time I read this series of books, I was deep into the gardening season. Remember, I said I raise a large garden, but this series made me think about just how much I would need to raise and put away for the winter if I had no other source of food. It was a sobering thought to realize that I would need to stay on top of everything and get everything possible out of my garden in order to sustain my family. The book series that I'm talking about is Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. This series starts with what seems to be an exciting event. A meteor is on a collision course for the moon. It doesn't seem like anything to be concerned about, but it is something to grab everyone's attention. Until, it happens and the moon is pushed closer to the earth and life as people knew it changed - dramatically. This series will keep you reading.