Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life in Reading with Style

May 15, 2011 Connie G rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, environment, science, food-drinks, autobiography-memoir, nature, southern-lit, virginia

Although I didn't plan it, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle seemed like the perfect book to be reading close to Earth Day. Barbara Kingsolver, her husband Steven Hopp, and their children Camille Kingsolver and Lily Hopp moved from Arizona to live at their farm in Southern Appalachia (Virginia). Their goal was to spend one year as locavores--eating local, organic food by growing it themselves and buying it at farmers' markets. In addition to harvesting their gardens and orchards, they raised chickens a Although I didn't plan it, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle seemed like the perfect book to be reading close to Earth Day. Barbara Kingsolver, her husband Steven Hopp, and their children Camille Kingsolver and Lily Hopp moved from Arizona to live at their farm in Southern Appalachia (Virginia). Their goal was to spend one year as locavores--eating local, organic food by growing it themselves and buying it at farmers' markets. In addition to harvesting their gardens and orchards, they raised chickens and turkeys, and bought lamb and dairy products. There were a few things like coffee, whole wheat flour, olive oil, and some spices that were not available locally, but were bought from fair trade farmers. Eating local foods helps by reducing our use of fossil fuels, and supports the efforts of farmers on small farms. "Each food item in a typical U.S. meal has traveled an average of 1,500 miles. In addition to direct transport, other fuel-thirsty steps include processing (drying, milling, cutting, sorting, baking), packaging, warehousing, and refrigeration."

It was a big plus that both Barbara and Steven are biologists, come from farming families, and had established orchards and gardens which they enlarged. Barbara wrote the bulk of the book detailing her family's experiences. Steven wrote sidebars about global food problems, pesticides, politics, and agricultural subsities from the government. He also emphasized raising animals using humane conditions rather than in CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations). Eighteen-year-old Camille was very interested in nutrition, and featured a recipe section after each chapter. I especially enjoyed reading about them making mozzarella cheese. Younger daughter Lily raised chickens and sold eggs, hoping to buy a horse someday with the funds.

The book was packed with information, sometimes getting a bit preachy, but including witty stories too. Their effort seemed a bit too harmonious considering the amount of back-breaking work involved maintaining the gardens, and canning and freezing the food, while also working other jobs.

Many people may not have the time, money, land, health, or transportation to follow the suggestions in this book in a big way. But we could start by buying local ingredients for a few meals weekly, saving fossil fuels. Farmers' markets are a good source of local foods. We can also read the signs and labels in grocery stores. For example, I live in the Northeast with three apple orchards nearby so it doesn't make sense to buy apples from Washington State, but it's appropriate to buy olive oil from California. The Kingsolver-Hopp family should be commended for their locavore experience, and their thought-provoking book. ...more

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Sep 03, 2011 Wendy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-nature, non-fiction, memoir-biography, foodie

Considering that this book inspired me to order a batch of rennet so I can make my own mozzarella, to *finally* reassemble my aerogarden with lettuce seeds after being empty for a year, and even to start a batch of alfalfa sprouts growing in a tray...all these tangible effects should be enough to show that this book worked a little magic on me. I already agreed with many of Ms. Kingsolver's views on sustainability and eating locally, though I wouldn't claim to be much good at it. And I absolutel Considering that this book inspired me to order a batch of rennet so I can make my own mozzarella, to *finally* reassemble my aerogarden with lettuce seeds after being empty for a year, and even to start a batch of alfalfa sprouts growing in a tray...all these tangible effects should be enough to show that this book worked a little magic on me. I already agreed with many of Ms. Kingsolver's views on sustainability and eating locally, though I wouldn't claim to be much good at it. And I absolutely suck at gardening. (But I do like cooking and farmers' markets.)

But Ms. Kingsolver IS good at sustainability, and eating locally, and canning and cooking and gardening--even at coaxing a brood of shy turkeys into getting it on and having babies--and oh boy, does she let you know. There's something almost smug and sanctimonious in her tone as she tells you how wonderful it is to feed a family of 4 off of her own 40 acres. When the terms "like a Norman Rockwell painting" and "we live in Pleasantville" popped up, I felt a bit nauseous. When I suggested to my husband, who claims to have spent most of his childhood pulling weeds in his parents' vegetable patch, that maybe we should start a garden, he demurred, saying he'd gotten that gardening stuff out of his system long ago and doesn't want to spend evenings and weekends off of work doing more work. I suppose gardening can be grand if, like Ms. Kingsolver, you find it fun. But if you don't, it can seem like a drudge that will take over your life. (It's hard enough going out of town and finding someone to watch the dog. Imagine finding a small army to do your farm chores).

Barbara Kingsolver is a terrific writer, and I most enjoyed her anecdotes about her farmyard fowl (turkey sex!) and the never-ending "pets vs. food" dilemma that must be dealt with, especially when young children are involved. However, I suspect that if I hadn't already been on-board more or less with Church Locavore, I may have been put off by the preachyness. I recommend The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals and Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal which also address the topic of American food culture. These books might be more likely to convince the average person, but if you're already on the bandwagon and don't mind the constant reminders that you will never be as awesome a locavore as the Kingsolver clan, this one is pretty good, too. Did I mention it comes with recipes? :) ...more

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