The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love in Around the World in 80 Books

Aug 10, 2019 marianne rated it really liked it

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Writer and Manhattan urbanite Kristin meets farmer and idealist Mark on an assignment about CSA (community-supported agriculture) farms. A passionate romance ensues, and within a few months, Kristin has agreed to abandon the city and begin a new life adventure with Mark, on a farm of their own. At the time she joins Mark, they have neither a home nor any land to grow their crops on, just a dream and faith to carry them. They soon end up in a small town in upstate New York, west of Lake Champlain Writer and Manhattan urbanite Kristin meets farmer and idealist Mark on an assignment about CSA (community-supported agriculture) farms. A passionate romance ensues, and within a few months, Kristin has agreed to abandon the city and begin a new life adventure with Mark, on a farm of their own. At the time she joins Mark, they have neither a home nor any land to grow their crops on, just a dream and faith to carry them. They soon end up in a small town in upstate New York, west of Lake Champlain, on a large property that has generously been lent to them but which will need a superhuman amount of work to bring it up to par. And that is exactly what they put into it; a superhuman amount of work. In a few months, they manage to eke out their first CSA season at Essex Farm. Kimball chronicles with great detail that rough, exhausting, trying but ultimately rewarding year.

I’m coming back to this book a couple of months after I finished it, and that has helped me reframe my experience with it. As I made my way through Kristin and Mark’s first year on the farm and as a couple, I was continually distracted by what I perceived to be a host of red flags in their relationship. One moment I was experiencing a high as they got their first cow and learned how to care for her, and I was touched by Kristin’s admiration for this gentle animal who gave and gave, taking little in return. The next moment I was stunned by Mark’s ultimatum in picking a wedding date (he tells her that if they don’t get married in October, he doesn’t want to marry her at all). I yo-yo’ed this way the whole book and ended up feeling that Kristin, the person, had gotten somewhat lost in the middle of a year of exhausting hard work and equally lost somewhere inside of Mark’s dominating personality. She doesn’t really share much about how she feels during this time, and this is never more obvious than when describing her disagreements with Mark, which are stated somewhat matter-of-factly and without much detail or introspection. I couldn’t help but wonder, is she there?

So yes, I did not particularly like Mark, even if I deeply admired his drive, vision, honesty, and ability to work hard, really hard. But setting aside what I perceived to be an unhealthy start to their relationship, I can now see the bigger picture and focus on the farming aspect. This is what sensible farming in the 21st century can and probably should look like. There are no monocrops, there are no out of season foods, and there is no need to burn fossil fuels to feed a community of people. Fields are tended by and for a community of men and women, using animal power as needed. The farm is able to provide people with most of their food needs, year-round, and for a price that seems fair ($500/month at the time). It’s so much hard work by honest, straightforward people who care deeply about their mission and their community, and it’s beautiful. ...more

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Jul 21, 2012 Carol rated it it was amazing

I really enjoyed this book. Maybe because of my farming ancestry, my membership in a CSA, or just the writing style this book touched me on several levels.

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