Judith I. (JudithKY) reviewed on 1/12/2009 + 8 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 3

I like this book. It's on my "never give away or lend" shelf. One day, and I hope it's soon, I'll also be returning to Kentucky (although much farther west in the state than Ms Kingsolver) and I hope to grow my own food too. Oh, probably not to the extent that her family does. Can't really see me and my best beloved 'harvesting turkeys'. But I certainly wouldn't be unhappy buying locally produced poultry, meat and eggs for my use. And I could process that meat into sausage and smoked goodies, I'm sure.

The concept of the book is that Ms Kingsolver (yes, she of The Bean Trees and other novels of which I am a fan) and her husband and two daughters decide to live for one year on home grown or locally produced food. They set limits, what they can't grow they can only buy within the county or a certain radius from their house and it must be in season. And they DO it. (Yes, they had exceptions like bananas and coffee, but only one exception each). They even surprised themselves in their success. Each member of the family has a part to play in providing food for the family. The youngest raises chickens for eggs (and harvests the extra roosters for the freezer). She is so successful she is soon selling eggs to the neighbors. The older daughter and the husband also participate in the writing of the book with essays in every chapter regarding their contributions.

As a family, they dig, pull, push, plow, pit and pulverize until the earth yields it's goods. They make stuff, can stuff, freeze stuff and generally inspire me to get myself a plot of land, a freezer, several willing helpers and get back to the earth once again.

Do not feel too sorry for them though. It may seem like times are rough, but several chapters are travelogues of their travels and adventures both in Amish America and Italy as well. I could be a farmer in Italy, I'm sure.......well, I could travel from farm to farm eating my way across the country like they did anyway.

In these harsh economic times growing your own food is an economical thing to do. Given the more and more frequent recalls and warnings about the food which commercial producers expect us to eat it's really in self-defense that we make our own.

Of course, Ms Kingsolver makes it far more entertaining than this review. She includes some recipes too. And trust me, as inspiring as her prose and ideals may be, her discriptions of harvesting turkeys, while not turning me into a vegetarian, do make me see what a wonderful creature a butcher may be.

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