Join us for a Slow Book discussion of The Food Explorer: The True Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats,” by Daniel Stone.

There is no charge for this event, but space is limited. Please RSVP to slowfoodsonomacountynorth@gmail.com. Once we receive your registration, we will send you additional information and directions to the event.

What Is Slow Books?

Slow Books is a series of discussions of food-related books written from a variety of perspectives–chef, critic, consumer, producer. Meetings are held every 6 weeks and are open to everyone with an interest in the current book. Books are chosen by the group. Hosting and discussion leader changes for each meeting.

The Food Explorer: The True Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats, by Daniel Stone.

David Fairchild was a late-nineteenth-century botanist who traveled the globe and introduced diverse crops such as avocados, mangoes, seedless grapes—and thousands more—to the American plate.

In the nineteenth century, American meals were about subsistence, not enjoyment. But as a new century approached, appetites broadened, and David Fairchild set out in search of foods that would enrich the American farmer and enchant the American eater.

Kale from Croatia, mangoes from India, and hops from Bavaria. Peaches from China, avocados from Chile, and pomegranates from Malta. Fairchild’s finds weren’t just limited to food: From Egypt he sent back a variety of cotton that revolutionized an industry, and via Japan he introduced the cherry blossom tree, forever brightening America’s capital. Along the way, he was arrested, caught diseases, and bargained with island tribes. But his culinary ambition came during a formative era, and through him, America transformed into the most diverse food system ever created. (Amazon)