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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
This book is amazing!! It has changed the way I look at what I purchase and choose to eat!
I wanted to like this book, but about 50 pages in, I wasn't into it. Instead, I skimmed it. I thought it would be more about the family and their year....more personal stories. It had some of that and when I found those parts, I enjoyed them. But I just can't get excited about an entire chapter on asparagus. I did like the sections written by Kingsolver's daughter. They were personable and had recipes and meal plans for a week that focused on certain vegetables in season.
This book made me want to go right out and plant a garden. So far it's just containers for me, but we did join a CSA.
Was interesting to until her thoughts on vegetarians. Made me throw the book across the room.
I think I am kind of the target audience for this book - I do grow some of my own vegetables, compost, and feel cooking is connection. My family has shared a CSA box with our neighbors for 5 years.
However, the whiteness of this writer's slightly scolding voice and perspective was overwhelming to the point I have to stop listening. (I'm also listening to the audio version, because I am in grad school and audio books are my personal reading while my eyes are full from grad school reading).
If this writer revisited this text with a new lens on how racism has infected the farming and food world, I might be interested in re-approaching this. For now, I'm going to move on to this book: Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land by Leah Penniman.
However, the whiteness of this writer's slightly scolding voice and perspective was overwhelming to the point I have to stop listening. (I'm also listening to the audio version, because I am in grad school and audio books are my personal reading while my eyes are full from grad school reading).
If this writer revisited this text with a new lens on how racism has infected the farming and food world, I might be interested in re-approaching this. For now, I'm going to move on to this book: Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land by Leah Penniman.
**2021 revised review (reworded, with the original intent)** I truly loved this book. It was eye opening and inspired me to search out more local food items and to beef up (pun intended) and hopefully better preserve my garden. Not only was it educational but was easy to read as well. I did have a few issues with it, though. First, the author had a slight "preachy" tone regarding organic foods. I agree that organic is better quality and better for our health, but a soapbox stance can be off-putting to some. Despite this, the author really is in many respects down-to-earth. I found myself asking, "Why am I having a hard time believing what the author is telling me when what I currently know is what corporate America sold me?" Secondly, I don't know if I agree that buying local is cheaper. Maybe that is true in Virginia, but I have my doubts in Connecticut, one of the costliest states to live in in America. At the time I read this book in 2010, I went to an early season farmer's market. As an example, one of the meat vendors was charging $10/lb for boneless sirloin steak and $6/lb for bottom round roast (and he was the cheaper of two vendors). The same cuts of meat at a local chain grocery store that week were selling for $5.99/lb and $1.99/lb, respectively. I am not debating the methods or quality of the meat - without a doubt, the local, humanely raised meat is better - and I understand that small farmers need to make a profit. But most families, especially in today's economy, cannot pay an extra $4/lb for their meat. On the other hand, I was able to buy milk from a dairy farm less than 10 minutes down the road that was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS and clearly superior in every way to the grocery standard for only about $.50 more. Regardless, this book has the potential to change my life if I follow through with the resolutions I formed while reading it. And I don't think I'll be going back to store bought milk anytime soon. So thank you, Barbara Kingsolver!
P.S. The turkey mating was also quite hilarious!
**2010 review (original review)**I truly loved this book. It was eye opening and inspired me to search out more local food items and to beef up (and hopefully better preserve) my garden. Not only was it educational but easy to read as well. I did have a few issues with it, though. First, you have to get past the slight "preachy" tone. This is one all organic promoting, "hippe-ish", for lack of a better term, people have a tendency to have. But in her defense, she really in many respects is a down-to-earth person. And I found myself asking "why am I having a hard time believing this when what I currently know is what corporate America sold me"? So I was able to get past that. However, I don't know if I believe her bit on living locally being cheaper. Maybe that is true in Virginia, but I have my doubts in Connecticut, one of the costliest states to live in in America. I went this past weekend to a farmer's market. Granted, it was somewhat out of season (early- to mid-April). But as an example, one of the meat vendors was charging $10/lb for boneless sirion steak and $6/lb for bottom round roast (and he was the cheaper of two vendors). The same cuts of meat at ShopRite that week were selling for $5.99/lb and $1.99/lb, respectively. I am not debating the methods or quality of the meat - without a doubt, the local, humanely raised meat is better. But most families, especially in today's economy, cannot pay an extra $4/lb for their meat. Perhaps some could if they gave up some of the junk they have, like frozen dinners and soda, but my husband and I don't eat that stuff to begin with. On the other hand, I was able to buy milk from a dairy farm less than 10 minutes down the road that was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS and clearly superior in every way to the grocery standard for only about $.50 more. Regardless, this book has the potential to change my life if I follow through with my resolutions that I formed from this book. And I don't think I'll be going back to store bought milk anytime soon. So thank you, Barbara Kingsolver!
P.S. The turkey mating was also quite hilarious!
P.S. The turkey mating was also quite hilarious!
**2010 review (original review)**I truly loved this book. It was eye opening and inspired me to search out more local food items and to beef up (and hopefully better preserve) my garden. Not only was it educational but easy to read as well. I did have a few issues with it, though. First, you have to get past the slight "preachy" tone. This is one all organic promoting, "hippe-ish", for lack of a better term, people have a tendency to have. But in her defense, she really in many respects is a down-to-earth person. And I found myself asking "why am I having a hard time believing this when what I currently know is what corporate America sold me"? So I was able to get past that. However, I don't know if I believe her bit on living locally being cheaper. Maybe that is true in Virginia, but I have my doubts in Connecticut, one of the costliest states to live in in America. I went this past weekend to a farmer's market. Granted, it was somewhat out of season (early- to mid-April). But as an example, one of the meat vendors was charging $10/lb for boneless sirion steak and $6/lb for bottom round roast (and he was the cheaper of two vendors). The same cuts of meat at ShopRite that week were selling for $5.99/lb and $1.99/lb, respectively. I am not debating the methods or quality of the meat - without a doubt, the local, humanely raised meat is better. But most families, especially in today's economy, cannot pay an extra $4/lb for their meat. Perhaps some could if they gave up some of the junk they have, like frozen dinners and soda, but my husband and I don't eat that stuff to begin with. On the other hand, I was able to buy milk from a dairy farm less than 10 minutes down the road that was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS and clearly superior in every way to the grocery standard for only about $.50 more. Regardless, this book has the potential to change my life if I follow through with my resolutions that I formed from this book. And I don't think I'll be going back to store bought milk anytime soon. So thank you, Barbara Kingsolver!
P.S. The turkey mating was also quite hilarious!
Entertaining stories, some thought-provoking ideas about food. Overall preachy--too good to be true. How did her working family find the time to do all that gardening, farming, preserving? Did the family never protest about all the work and missing out on some favorite treats?
One of my favorite books ever!! I love her writing style and I loved taking this journey with her which is what you felt like when reading the book. Great Great book. I highly recommend it.
Interesting topic, good information. I wish the book had a lot more editing. Barbara tends to talk on and on about too many topics.
Despite comma splices and a bias against vegetarians and vegans, this is an incredible book. I'll definitely be reading more of Kingsolver's books.
So, about vegetarianism and veganism. It sounds like Kingsolver has met a few too many preachy, pushy, ignorant non-meat-eaters who don't really understand how farming works or the relationship between animals and plants. Having watched a ridiculous amount of food documentaries, I consider myself fairly educated on the topic. I am frustrated that she lumps them all together into one ignorant group, and I (obviously) feel the need to defend my vegetarian / pseudo--veganism. This book isn't going to make me start eating meat, even from pasture-raised, organic sources, because it grosses me out. And I *am* privileged enough to get my protein from other sources that may not be local, but she's privileged to purchase and live on her farm and take vacations to Europe, so privilege goes both ways. I'm not going to apologize for not wanting to eat animal flesh, no matter how the living creature was raised. Icky.
This book got me thinking about buying more local, organic produce as well as utilizing my local farmers' market and even growing my own food.
Gonna go grow my own garden, 'kay bye.
So, about vegetarianism and veganism. It sounds like Kingsolver has met a few too many preachy, pushy, ignorant non-meat-eaters who don't really understand how farming works or the relationship between animals and plants. Having watched a ridiculous amount of food documentaries, I consider myself fairly educated on the topic. I am frustrated that she lumps them all together into one ignorant group, and I (obviously) feel the need to defend my vegetarian / pseudo--veganism. This book isn't going to make me start eating meat, even from pasture-raised, organic sources, because it grosses me out. And I *am* privileged enough to get my protein from other sources that may not be local, but she's privileged to purchase and live on her farm and take vacations to Europe, so privilege goes both ways. I'm not going to apologize for not wanting to eat animal flesh, no matter how the living creature was raised. Icky.
This book got me thinking about buying more local, organic produce as well as utilizing my local farmers' market and even growing my own food.
Gonna go grow my own garden, 'kay bye.