It’s a rare thing to be able to recommend a book for its message, wit, and literary style. I was once a judge for the second U.K. Green Book Fortnight, a big book promotion sponsored by a major London paper (being selected for the first of these national promotions sent my very first book into orbit–two reprintings before the publication date), and most of the submissions were either not on subject or were terribly written–or both. But I’ve just read a fabulous book, Buffalo for the Broken Heart, that you should run (or cycle) out to buy immediately. It’s an engaging memoir of ranching in South Dakota, beautiful and poignant, and a manifesto for sustainable agriculture and real food.

The author, Dan O’Brien, ends the story with the launch of Wild Idea Buffalo, a company selling grass-fed free-range buffalo meat by mail order. Our first package arrives today, and we’ll be eating it with our first peas.