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

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 movement: From the pressure to scale up to mastering the small-scale model

[14:10] Agricultural Craftsmanship: Why growing food is a practice of presence, not industry

[19:43] North Star #1: Reclaiming "Organic" and fighting off the dilution of the label

[27:32] North Star #2: The power of locality and keeping wealth within the community

[33:21] North Star #3: Seasonality as a tool for health, ethics, and community celebration

[41:27] Summary: Building a future of proximity, ecology, and back-to-basics joy 

Sponsors

Real Organic Project: Get Involved. Get Certified. Join the movement to fight the co-opting of organic.

Thinkific: Built for the Business of Learning.

Activevista: Specialised Tools and Seeds for Diversified Crop and Home Growers

Links/Resources

Market Gardener Institute:  https://themarketgardener.com 

Masterclass:  https://themarketgardener.com/courses/the-market-gardener-masterclass 

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Blog:  https://themarketgardener.com/blog 

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Growers & Co: https://growers.co

Heirloom: https://heirloom.ag/

The Old Mill: https://www.espaceoldmill.com/en/

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Guest Social Media Links

JM:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeanmartinfortier
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeanmartinfortier