As September turns to October and pumpkins dot the landscape like dozens of orange balloons, our thoughts turn to the table and the bounty of the harvest. Soon, our tables will “groan” with a cornucopia of agricultural delights and we will give thanks for the food we are about to receive.

Yes, we will praise the food—turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, broccoli, apple pie and more—but what about some credit for the agricultural workers who devote their lives to making sure this edible feast is on our tables in the first place?

Hudson Valley writer Joanne Michaels has made certain that the farmers of the Hudson and Catskill regions get their due in a new book, Hudson River Valley Farms: The People and the Pride Behind the Produce, published in August by Globe Pequot Press. This sumptuously printed 150 page book, with stunning photographs by Rich Pomerantz and short, gem-like essays by Joanne Michaels, takes stock of several dozen active farms in the Hudson Valley and beyond.

Joanne Michaels’ new book reminds us that the Hudson Valley, one of the Nation’s most scenic and storied regions, was also once known as the Breadbasket of America. Michaels’ evocative essays combine with Pomerantz’s photography to provide the reader with a rare, behind-the-scenes journey to forty-four farms from Westchester County to the Capital District of Albany. The moment you open the book you begin to smell the green countryside, visualize the cows chewing cud at the roadside and tractors moving like dragon-flies across the landscape. Then, you begin to hear the voices of the farmers:

“Our mission is not just about raising animals for the restaurant here…”

“I walk the entire property daily and notice everything—what is ripening, what needs weeding, but also what insects are arriving…”

“We send the wool out to be spun…”

“Being successful means maintaining a full fair price, high-quality fruit, and good customer service…”

“I’m the true definition of a farmer. I wasn’t much of a student, but I know apples!”

“I understand fungus, bugs, things like that…”

“Farmers live like gamblers. Your crop can be wiped out if a hailstorm blows in the day before you plan to pick…”

“To me, farming is all about clean food.”

As the reader meets some of the individual farmers featured in the book, s/he learns that these agricultural workers are as proud of their heritage as they are of their produce. “I was born in this house seventy-seven years ago,” explains Rockland County farmer Niles Davies Jr., whose operation, the Dr. Davies Farm, was named for his grandmother, Dr. Lucy Meriweather Davies, who delivered over six thousand babies in Rockland County and still found time to run a strawberry farm.

The Rogowskis of Pine Island, Orange County, are another example of the continuity of family farming. “My mother’s mother was one of the first settlers in the Black Dirt region,” Pine Island vegetable farmer Cheryl Rogowski proudly states. Black Dirt is a region tucked into a private little corner of Orange County known for its distinctive “black” soil and its long, pastoral roads reminiscent of those in rural England.

Viewed collectively, Michaels’ word portraits of Hudson River Valley and Catskill High Peaks’ farmers is one of fiercely independent individuals who are hard-working, dedicated and enthusiastic, but who are ready to gamble everything on a lifestyle that each would replace for no other. One sure bet for all of them, however, is Joanne Michaels’ book about them, which is a testament, almanac, documentary and guide to their way of life. Anyone interested in food, how it grows and who grows it should buy this book. In fact, I insist: Support your local farmer. Don’t just buy this book, visit the many excellent farms that are listed in it.