Harriet Fasenfest (born 1953)[1] is an American writer, urban gardener, and food preservation educator in Portland, Oregon. A former owner/operator of several restaurants and cafes, she uses the term "householding" when referring to the practice of home food growing, canning and storage.[2][3] She published her first book, A Householder's Guide to the Universe, in 2010.
Biography
Fasenfest was born and raised in Bronx, New York. She moved to the Northwest in 1978[4] where she owned and operated the Bertie Lou's and Harriet's Eat Now cafes.[5][6] In 1990 she went back to traveling the country, married, moved back to California, and then moved to Georgia in 1992. While there, she began working with Habitat for Humanity International. In 1997 Fasenfest returned to Portland to work as director of the Performance Salon Series at North Portland's North Star Ballroom, an events arena which combined art and performance with social activism, and in 2000 opened her last cafe, Groundswell.[7]
In 2004 she transformed her backyard in Northern Portland into a producing garden. She grows produce with an eye to home canning and storing,[8] and teaches classes in food preservation and backyard gardening.[9] She is the co-owner of Preserve, an educational center for home gardening and food preservation,[6] and creator of the www.portlandpreserve.com website,[1] on which she writes a blog called The Householder's Grab Bag.[10] She also blogs for Culinate.com.[11]
Fasenfest regards home food preservation as a political and economic statement. She uses the term "householding" rather than "homemaking" or "home economics" to describe her work.[2][3] She published her views on home gardening and food preservation in A Householder's Guide to the Universe: A Calendar of Basics for the Home and Beyond. The book is organized by month and season.[9]
She lives in Portland, Oregon [2]
Bibliography
- A Householder Guide to the Universe: A Calendar of Basics for the Home and Beyond. Portland, Oregon: Tin House Books. 2010. ISBN 978-0-9825691-5-3.
- Preserving With Friends DVD: An easy step-by-step instructional guide to putting up the harvest. Preserving With Friends, LLC. 7 June 2011. ISBN 978-0-615-47698-8.
Book reviews
- Smith, Sarah E. (17 November 2010). "Harriet Fasenfest 'A Householder's Guide To The Universe'". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- Passaro, Jamie (14 November 2010). "Getting back to the land". The Register-Guard. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- "The Householders Guide To The Universe". City Farmer News. 2010. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
References
- 1 2 Tortorello, Michael (5 November 2008). "Food Storage As Grandma Knew It". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- 1 2 3 Verzemnieks, Inara (7 March 2009). "A Northeast Portland woman homes in on simpler solutions". The Oregonian. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- 1 2 Fasenfest, Harriet (12 March 2009). "What is Householding? Making the choice to stay home". Culinate.com. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ↑ "Posts by Harriet Fasenfest". Culinate. 2010. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ↑ "Our Chelsea Green Authors : Harriet Fasenfest". Chelsea Green Publishing. 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- 1 2 "About Us". Preserve. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ↑ Row, D.K. (17 November 2000). "Harriet Fasenfest: The View From Here". The Oregonian. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ↑ Foley, Margaret (5 July 2011). "Harvest Swoon: An expert householder's bountiful garden". Oregon Home Magazine. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on 4 July 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- 1 2 "The Householders Guide To The Universe". City Farmer News. 2010. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ↑ "The Householder's Grab Bag: A repository of reflections on these curious times". portlandpreserve.com. 2010. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ↑ "Posts by Harriet Fasenfest". Culinate. 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2011.