false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255576895m/6164628.jpg 6164628 3 <B>Urban and rural collide in this wry, inspiring memoir of a woman who turned a vacant lot in downtown Oakland into a thriving farm</B><BR><BR>Novella Carpenter loves cities—the culture, the crowds, the energy. At the same time, she can’t shake the fact that she is the daughter of two back-to-the-land hippies who taught her to love nature and eat vegetables. Ambivalent about repeating her parents’ disastrous mistakes, yet drawn to the idea of backyard self-sufficiency, Carpenter decided that it might be possible to have it both ways: a homegrown vegetable plot as well as museums, bars, concerts, and a twenty-four-hour convenience mart mere minutes away. Especially when she moved to a ramshackle house in inner city Oakland and discovered a weed-choked, garbage-strewn abandoned lot next door. She closed her eyes and pictured heirloom tomatoes, a beehive, and a chicken coop.<BR><BR> What started out as a few egg-laying chickens led to turkeys, geese, and ducks. Soon, some rabbits joined the fun, then two three-hundred-pound pigs. And no, these charming and eccentric animals weren’t pets; she was a farmer, not a zookeeper. Novella was raising these animals for dinner. Novella Carpenter’s corner of downtown Oakland is populated by unforgettable characters. Lana (<I>anal</I> spelled backward, she reminds us) runs a speakeasy across the street and refuses to hurt even a fly, let alone condone raising turkeys for Thanksgiving. Bobby, the homeless man who collects cars and car parts just outside the farm, is an invaluable neighborhood concierge. The turkeys, Harold and Maude, tend to escape on a daily basis to cavort with the prostitutes hanging around just off the highway nearby. Every day on this strange and beautiful farm, urban meets rural in the most surprising ways.<BR><BR> For anyone who has ever grown herbs on their windowsill, tomatoes on their fire escape, or obsessed over the offerings at the local farmers’ market, Carpenter’s story will capture your heart. And if you’ve ever considered leaving it all behind to become a farmer outside the city limits, or looked at the abandoned lot next door with a gleam in your eye, consider this both a cautionary tale and a full-throated call to action.<I> Farm City</I> is an unforgettably charming memoir, full of hilarious moments, fascinating farmers’ tips, and a great deal of heart. It is also a moving meditation on urban life versus the natural world and what we have given up to live the way we do. 6343965 book 11 6 2009 Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer total:314|5:99|4:153|3:57|2:4|1:1| 314 1287 1048 145 5 1 false false Sat Mar 14 08:22:24 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 14 08:34:00 -0700 2009
Novella relays her joys and hardships of farming in Oakland with enthusiasm, intelligence, candor and humor. Aside from growing vegetables and fruit, she merrily upgrades her stock from chickens and turkeys to rabbits finally end...more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Nov 10 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 16 14:16:22 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 16 14:22:50 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Nov 04 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 06 20:09:24 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 06 20:12:42 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Nov 02 13:28:37 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 02 13:29:39 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Fri Oct 09 20:42:13 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 09 21:06:22 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 23 22:17:41 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 23 22:32:30 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 02 08:21:37 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 02 08:21:51 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 2 false false Fri Jun 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 29 00:03:50 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 01 12:55:46 -0700 2009 Farm City The Education of an Urban Farmer

There are people — in fact, the vast majority of Homo sapiens — who see and define their existence through the lens of what they do: Teachers, bus drivers, nurses, architects, accountants, and any number of professionals whose modus operandi...more...]]> 3 1 false false Thu Oct 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 19 06:46:42 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 19 06:46:42 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 3 false false Wed Jul 22 06:32:09 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 07 17:47:19 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 22 06:32:09 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Aug 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 14 12:27:10 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 14 12:35:50 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 5 0 false true Sat Jul 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 28 08:25:37 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 04 23:37:29 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Nov 15 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 14 20:16:22 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 14 20:16:22 -0800 2009
I was o...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Oct 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 29 08:06:38 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 29 08:18:12 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Oct 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 07 12:30:13 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 13 15:27:13 -0700 2009 This is a book that I never would have picked up and chosen to read on my own. But because a book club that I joined is reading it this month, I did read it. And I found myself thoroughly interested and intrigued in spite of myself. I am not ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jul 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 03 16:54:53 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 16 09:52:11 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Nov 18 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 18 08:21:40 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 18 08:31:35 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Oct 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 09 14:25:46 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 09 14:26:37 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Fri Aug 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 31 10:30:31 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 03 10:17:34 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 19 11:25:40 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 19 11:35:41 -0700 2009 one more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=6164628