Book Review:
Animal Vegetable Miracle - A Year Of Food Life
By Barbara Kingsolver - with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver.
A book about growing, preparing and eating your own food and about
self sufficiency in general.
Animal Vegetable Miracle is yet another great book by an excellent writer - and her family.
Despite what may at first glimpse seem like a dry and uninteresting
topic, this book - about a year of living on food that was mainly grown
by herself and her family - has brought this urgently
important issue to life.
Ms Kingsolver sets out just how and why she chose to go the route of growing her own
food - mainly to avoid food that is not produced in sustainable ways,
such as feedlot beef and battery chicken or industrially produced GM
maize and soy based fast food products.
The book is set out over the seasons of the year in the rather harsh
North American climate, where many months are not conducive to any
production at all. The various seasons of vegetables are explained and
as the year rolls on we share in what were once seasonal rituals
of enjoying those foods that were in season. While most of us have
become adjusted to being able to buy pretty much any crop at any time
of year and have lost our links to the seasonal changes, the
environmental impacts of flying and trucking food halfway around the
world is a cost we can no longer ignore.
The writing is well researched and the sidebars by Steven Hopp explain
why we need to, for instance, support local farms, not eat GMOs, grow
organic crops and so on. He sheds important light on the underlying
philosophies behind the journey that led to the book.
Interestingly this is not a hey shoo waah journey of vegetarianism
hardcore back to the earth ecowhack. Animals, in the form of chickens
and turkeys are raised, killed and eaten. This echoes my perspective
that all who eat meat should get a licence to do so but those who are
prepared to raise and kill their own meat should do so with no qualms
and without the condemnation of extremist vegetarians and bunny-huggers of the more extreme ilk.
Ms Kingsolvers daughter, Camille, shares delicious recipes using the
seasonal foods available, even boldly including a recipe for zucchini
based chocolate chip cookies (one has to be innovative in times of
seasonal glut!) Most are rather more conventional but equally
delicious sounding.
This is a timely book that is easy to read, well researched and
inspiring. If you have qualms or are hesitating to grow your own food,
read Animal Vegetable Miracle - you will go and pick up your hoe as soon as you have
finished, if not before!
Book Review:
If you want to know more about growing, preparing and eating your own food and about
self sufficiency in general, read Animal Vegetable Miracle - A Year Of Food Life
Back to Ekogaia Home Page
Book Review:
Animal Vegetable Miracle - A Year Of Food Life
By Barbara Kingsolver - with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver.
A book about growing, preparing and eating your own food and about
self sufficiency in general.
Animal Vegetable Miracle is yet another great book by an excellent writer - and her family.
Despite what may at first glimpse seem like a dry and uninteresting
topic, this book - about a year of living on food that was mainly grown
by herself and her family - has brought this urgently
important issue to life.
Ms Kingsolver sets out just how and why she chose to go the route of growing her own
food - mainly to avoid food that is not produced in sustainable ways,
such as feedlot beef and battery chicken or industrially produced GM
maize and soy based fast food products.
The book is set out over the seasons of the year in the rather harsh
North American climate, where many months are not conducive to any
production at all. The various seasons of vegetables are explained and
as the year rolls on we share in what were once seasonal rituals
of enjoying those foods that were in season. While most of us have
become adjusted to being able to buy pretty much any crop at any time
of year and have lost our links to the seasonal changes, the
environmental impacts of flying and trucking food halfway around the
world is a cost we can no longer ignore.
The writing is well researched and the sidebars by Steven Hopp explain
why we need to, for instance, support local farms, not eat GMOs, grow
organic crops and so on. He sheds important light on the underlying
philosophies behind the journey that led to the book.
Interestingly this is not a hey shoo waah journey of vegetarianism
hardcore back to the earth ecowhack. Animals, in the form of chickens
and turkeys are raised, killed and eaten. This echoes my perspective
that all who eat meat should get a licence to do so but those who are
prepared to raise and kill their own meat should do so with no qualms
and without the condemnation of extremist vegetarians and bunny-huggers of the more extreme ilk.
Ms Kingsolvers daughter, Camille, shares delicious recipes using the
seasonal foods available, even boldly including a recipe for zucchini
based chocolate chip cookies (one has to be innovative in times of
seasonal glut!) Most are rather more conventional but equally
delicious sounding.
This is a timely book that is easy to read, well researched and
inspiring. If you have qualms or are hesitating to grow your own food,
read Animal Vegetable Miracle - you will go and pick up your hoe as soon as you have
finished, if not before!
Book Review:
If you want to know more about growing, preparing and eating your own food and about
self sufficiency in general, read Animal Vegetable Miracle - A Year Of Food Life
Back to Ekogaia Home Page
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