Feed Us with Trees

A new and ancient story about perennial nut trees, our ecological role as humans, and the future of food

We’re thinking about agriculture all wrong. Feed Us with Trees breaks down the stories trapping us in today’s ruinous food system and destroying our ecological health—and reminds us that all over the Northern Hemisphere, humans used to grow our staple foods on perennial nut trees such as oaks for acrons, chestnuts, and hazelnuts. This fascinating journey is rooted in the startling premise that our ancestors once produced their dietary mainstays—the flours, milks, and cooking oils still essential in today’s pantries—by tending food forests or forest gardens.

NPR reporter Elspeth Hay digs deep to expose the dominant narrative that keeps us stuck on industrial monocultures, and pieces together the complex history of how we arrived at today’s broken food system. Through interviews with dozens of nut growers, scientists, Indigenous knowledge-keepers, researchers, and food professionals, she shines a light on those working toward a brighter, more abundant future. It’s a vision that prioritizes life, redefines wealth, and above all reminds us that as humans, we have a vital role as one of Earth’s keystone species.

Hay’s hopeful manifesto offers a new way of looking at modern, grain-based, annual agriculture. It will appeal to environmentalists, regenerative farmers, permaculture enthusiasts, agroforesters, locavores, and anyone hungry for a more holistic, nutrient-dense diet rooted in wild foods and ancient knowledge.