MILPA: From Seed to Salsa/Ancient Ingredients for a Sustainable Future

REVIEWS: 

Deborah Madison, American Chef, Writer, Teacher, James Beard Award winner  Milpa: From Seed to Salsa is an extraordinary book in many ways. It is a hopeful book that shows in careful detail how extremely well the old ways of farming and living in community can not only feed rural populations but also provide them with medicine and fodder for animals.  This is a viable alternative to big agriculture and so-called improvements from elsewhere; this is a fine example. Milpa is also a remarkable book because, like the community of families that tends the milpa fields, this book is product of cooperation among some very extraordinary people—two activists, a chef, and a photographer, who all found a way to bring to light a story of hope with great wisdom and beauty, with the cooperation of the Mixtec community who live the life this book allows us to witness.  I am so grateful for this book. It is a treasure.

Lila Downs, Four-time Grammy Award-Winning Recording Artist, Oaxaca  This wonderful book is a delightful voyage for the eyes, the spirit, and the taste buds. Through amazing recipes, photos, and narrative it takes the reader on a journey in time and reveals the sacred Mixtec relationship with the Mother Earth, which has evolved over thousands of years. Using this wisdom, it points to a hopeful future rooted in diversity, balance and strength.

Miguel Altieri, Professor of Agroecology at the University of California, Berkeley   The Milpa campesina offers a promising ecological model as it promotes biodiversity, it prospers without agricultural chemicals while using little fossil fuel energy, and it sustains production throughout the year.

Iliana de la Vega, Executive Chef and Owner,  El Naranjo Restaurant (Austin, Texas and formerly Oaxaca, Mexico), Culinary Institute of America  The milpa is a complex network of cultural significance and ancient traditions, and its value lies in the completeness it represents: an agricultural method that provides a full, nutritionally balanced diet; a symbol of community and togetherness; and a sustainable answer to the modern day food crises we all face. In Milpa: From Seed to Salsa, the elements that comprise this indigenous Mesoamerican food practice come to life through beautiful photography and delicious recipes, and demonstrate that the milpa is so much more than just an agricultural system.