‘The Land of Milk and Honey’: A binge book for those with farming background

Eating food has become political. Whether you choose organic or not, choose to buy food at a large chain or a small market, our choices seem to divide us more than ever.

However, writer Alan Guebert takes us back to a simpler time in his book 'The Land of Milk and Uncle Honey,” back to when eating local, organic food wasn't about making a statement - it was just making dinner.

Guebert grew up on a large Grade A dairy farm in southern Illinois in the 1960s, and would occasionally share stories of his farm boy past with readers of his weekly syndicated column, The Farm and Food File. These reflective columns are collected here and arranged according to season, taking readers from planting to harvesting, with plenty of adventures in-between.

If Garrison Keillor had grown up on a farm in southern Illinois, his stories would sound like 'The Land of Milk and Uncle Honey.” It's all here: the Lutheran potlucks and nose-to-the-grindstone attitudes; the Uncle who is all thumbs with machinery but whose kindness makes him indispensable; the cursing farm hands; the chores to do come rain or shine; and, of course, those luscious noon dinners.

Guebert's stories are presented as columns, meaning they come at readers short and fast. It's easy to binge through an entire season, or to pick up the book and slowly savor just a story or two at time, making this a wonderful summer read for anyone with a farming history or an appreciation for the place - and the people - responsible for the food we eat.

Book talk and reading

What: Reading and discussion 'The Land of Milk and Uncle Honey”

When: 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday

Where: NewBo City Market, 1100 Third St. SE, Cedar Rapids

Cost: Free