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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
Awesome book about one family's year of self-sustained eating. Includes recipes. It inspired me to go plant something. If you've ever dreamed of being a farmer, this book will be a satisfying read.
It was probably five years ago that my brother told me this was a must-read book. Mo, you were right. Sorry it took me so damn long.
This is the story of how the Kingsolver-Hopp family went for a year producing most of their own food and (for the most part) buying all else they required locally (within 100 miles). Over lifetimes they had accumulated a great deal of knowledge about large-scale gardening and they availed themselves of all the resources available to make this project work.
It's fascinating reading and I admire their grit, no doubt about it. I, like most people who read this book, am not at all sure I could do what they did, even with years to lead up to it. What they did requires a great deal of will and the resources to pull it off. But as a demonstration of what is possible, even if only on a smaller scale, it is instructive and useful. But....
All throughout my reading of this book, I kept hearing the "yes, but..." voice in my head. It came up a lot:
Yes, but...you refuse to buy bananas when a family friend asks for them yet continue to buy coffee?
Yes, but...why make such an impassioned plea for the consumption of meat? I am a vegetarian simply because I don't think any animal should have to die to feed me unless it's absolutely essential, which in my case (and their case, frankly) it is not. Yes, I understand that in certain cultures it is the most efficient way of producing reliable protein, and I would never begrudge it to them. In fact, I don't begrudge it to anyone. "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." If she were entirely comfortable in her choice, why would she feel the need to prosthelytize so vigorously?
Yes, but...they had the good fortune to live in a zone in which they could grow a great variety of food nearly year-round. In Washington State, if I tried to eat locally I would never have another orange, melon, peach, pineapple, plum, or avocado. I do try to skip the Argentinian apples in favor of the homeboys, but sometimes I cannot resist a good kiwi fruit or New Zealand apple.
Yes, but...when one starts out in the privileged class (land-owning, having the resources to pull off such a scheme) it does not sit well when you speak to your audience (most of whom do not reside in that class) as if they are laggards for not taking this on. The fact is, Barbara Kingsolver and her family were never dependant on their harvest; they would not have starved no matter what happened.
Yes, but...why so smug? Everything went perfectly (though late in the text she does acknowledge that she left some rough spots out; frankly, this would have made the book more human in scale), there were almost no glitches (the collapsing squash doesn't really count) and everyone was cheerful pretty much the whole time. Every friend was the closest and each one was erudite, humble, intelligent, and sweet-natured. Yeah, right.
Look it's not that this is a bad book; it is far from that. But it really could have been much better if it told the story of an average family trying to live a normal life in an extraordinary way rather than a nearly superhuman family (he bakes perfect bread! every week!) living a life of relative luxury. I still recommend it. But be prepared to get out your salt shaker; you will need to take much of what is written here with a grain or two per page.
This is the story of how the Kingsolver-Hopp family went for a year producing most of their own food and (for the most part) buying all else they required locally (within 100 miles). Over lifetimes they had accumulated a great deal of knowledge about large-scale gardening and they availed themselves of all the resources available to make this project work.
It's fascinating reading and I admire their grit, no doubt about it. I, like most people who read this book, am not at all sure I could do what they did, even with years to lead up to it. What they did requires a great deal of will and the resources to pull it off. But as a demonstration of what is possible, even if only on a smaller scale, it is instructive and useful. But....
All throughout my reading of this book, I kept hearing the "yes, but..." voice in my head. It came up a lot:
Yes, but...you refuse to buy bananas when a family friend asks for them yet continue to buy coffee?
Yes, but...why make such an impassioned plea for the consumption of meat? I am a vegetarian simply because I don't think any animal should have to die to feed me unless it's absolutely essential, which in my case (and their case, frankly) it is not. Yes, I understand that in certain cultures it is the most efficient way of producing reliable protein, and I would never begrudge it to them. In fact, I don't begrudge it to anyone. "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." If she were entirely comfortable in her choice, why would she feel the need to prosthelytize so vigorously?
Yes, but...they had the good fortune to live in a zone in which they could grow a great variety of food nearly year-round. In Washington State, if I tried to eat locally I would never have another orange, melon, peach, pineapple, plum, or avocado. I do try to skip the Argentinian apples in favor of the homeboys, but sometimes I cannot resist a good kiwi fruit or New Zealand apple.
Yes, but...when one starts out in the privileged class (land-owning, having the resources to pull off such a scheme) it does not sit well when you speak to your audience (most of whom do not reside in that class) as if they are laggards for not taking this on. The fact is, Barbara Kingsolver and her family were never dependant on their harvest; they would not have starved no matter what happened.
Yes, but...why so smug? Everything went perfectly (though late in the text she does acknowledge that she left some rough spots out; frankly, this would have made the book more human in scale), there were almost no glitches (the collapsing squash doesn't really count) and everyone was cheerful pretty much the whole time. Every friend was the closest and each one was erudite, humble, intelligent, and sweet-natured. Yeah, right.
Look it's not that this is a bad book; it is far from that. But it really could have been much better if it told the story of an average family trying to live a normal life in an extraordinary way rather than a nearly superhuman family (he bakes perfect bread! every week!) living a life of relative luxury. I still recommend it. But be prepared to get out your salt shaker; you will need to take much of what is written here with a grain or two per page.
What I love so much about this book is that it's a memoir and a manual all in one, a beautifully written story full of recipes and tips about how to put theory into practice and eat locally and humanely. Loved it.
This could have been a little less sanctimonious but it was really well written and taught me a little bit about which vegetables are in season when
So good. Should be required reading for everyone, especially an elementary grade and then maybe as a senior in high school as they are preparing to go to college and shop for themselves. Just to raise awareness of what goes into farming and where your food comes from. We are losing that history and understanding down the generations, especially as small farms are disappearing. Consume conscientiously. A lot of the book is unrealistic, especially if you have no background in farming or gardening, but it can give you pause or give you an idea of something small you can do at home. Even if it is just asking where your food comes from.
"Look at how awesome I am and how our family is so much better than you plebs. Also anyone who has a different political opinion than I is filth."