Both books are lavishly illustrated with Ableman's beautiful photographs. At Fairview Gardens, starting out with a knowledge of grafting but no experience in running a farm, Ableman faces a succession of tribulations. Neighbors hit him with nuisance actions because his compost stinks and his roosters crow. Snooty customers stomp out of his roadside stand incensed that his strawberries are 35 cents more expensive than the supermarket's. An old sprayer keeps breaking down.
Employees suddenly quit to go on surfing trips.
And the owners of the 12-acre parcel want to sell it and subdivide it into 58 housing tracts. Fairview Gardens now serves as a showcase open to school kids and community members who want to find out how food is grown. But it also remains a viable commercial farm, producing enough food for 500 families, sold through farmers markets, the roadside stand and a 125- member community supported agricultural program. The book also offers some detailed guidance about how to set up and manage a farmers market. Ishee preaches what he has practiced.