48: Eating Seasonally & Local: Why It Matters More Than Ever | JM Fortier

About this episode

Jean-Martin Fortier reflects on his journey as a market gardener and emphasizes the importance of eating seasonally and locally.

In this solo episode, Jean-Martin Fortier celebrates his 48th birthday by reflecting on his 24-year journey as a market gardener. He revisits the foundational influence of Eliot Coleman’s The New Organic Grower , emphasizing how the "agricultural craftsmanship" of small-scale farming offers a meaningful alternative to industrial food production. The core of the episode outlines three guiding "North Stars" for the movement: reclaiming the integrity of the organic label, strengthening local food sheds to keep money in the community, and embracing seasonality as a social value. Jean-Martin argues that eating in-season from local greenhouses and root cellars creates a "good food revolution" that is impossible for industrial systems to replicate. He concludes by calling on farmers to stay rooted in their communities and fight for a food system defined by proximity, ecology, and joy. Timestamps [0:00] Intro [04:18] Birthday reflections: 24 years of hustling, dreaming, and the "Good Food Revolution" [06:33] Current projects: Research at FQT farm and the Old Mill garden [08:58] Returning to the source: The enduring influence of Eliot Coleman’s The New Organic Grower [12:24] Trends in the…

People in this episode

Host: Jean-Martin Fortier

Topics covered

• eating seasonally
• local food
• organic farming
• community
• food systems
• agricultural craftsmanship

Keywords

• seasonal eating
• local food sheds
• organic label
• food revolution
• small-scale farming

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The New Organic Grower

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