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Barbara Kingsolver's new book
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Posted by laceyvail z5b, WV (My Page) on Sun, Jul 1, 07 at 5:38
| Animal, Vegetable, Miracle should be read by everyone who cares about their impact on the planet. Kingsolver writes about her family's year long project of eating locally--food they either raised themselves or was raised close to their home. We have become so used to being able to buy any food at any time of the year that we fail to consider the enormous fuel/carbon emission costs in shipping food thousands of miles so we can eat eggplant and strawberries in December, not to mention the hugely increased vulnerability of a centralized food supply versus a multi-sourced one, or the dangers of globalized food (think virulent e-coli, if not Chinese contaminated ingredients).
I've been preaching the need to re-regionalize the food supply for years, but Barbara Kingsolver will make a much bigger impact than my small voice. And the fact that she's a terrific writer as well who entertains while she educates doesn't hurt. Read her book and press it on everyone you know, especially those well meaning friends who shop at Whole Foods and think they're doing the right thing. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Barbara Kingsolver's new book
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| I will look for the book. Right now, I'm reading James Kunstler's "The Long Emergency", another book we all should read. |
RE: Barbara Kingsolver's new book
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| Your comment "press it on everyone you know, especially those well meaning friends who shop at Whole Foods and think they're doing the right thing" won't get your ideas too far. You'll be preaching that although these people think they're doing the right thing they are not and only your way is the right thing. IMHO that's a bad way to try and promote a movement. Tom |
RE: Barbara Kingsolver's new book
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| Well, if I don't urge them to read it, they won't, and then how will they ever get the info. They certainly are not likely to come across it any other way! |
RE: Barbara Kingsolver's new book
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| Your attitude seems to be telling these people that you are right and they are wrong. That's usually a recipe for failure. The Live Earth concert may be a good exapmle of this. Tom |
RE: Barbara Kingsolver's new book
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Hi laceyvail,
Somebody offered to lend me this book and I'm glad I took it, despite feeling it would be wasted on me - preaching to the converted, plus we have a small farm ourselves with very little time in summer for reading. I find I'm enjoying it and learning from it - for instance about cheesemaking, something I've always been curious about. Her tone does grate, though. She's pretty precious, pleased with herself and her family, as if they'd moved to Antarctica to farm. What would be really impressive is if she had started to farm organically in Arizona and written about that, instead of boasting of her successes in relatively lush Virginia. My impression is that she's writing for her truly clueless city friends. And if I were an editor I'd scrape off a lot of the metaphors - it's over written. But it's an excellent all encompassing look at the state of our food supplies today and I hope it does enlighten many readers. |
RE: Barbara Kingsolver's new book
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| I was especially happy to find the link to the "Cheese Queen" because you can email with cheesemaking questions. I got an answer to an occasional but persistent problem I was having making cottage cheese. |
RE: Barbara Kingsolver's new book
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| There are cheesemakers among my ancestors so I was glad to find that too. Who knew cheese making could be so easy? But do you think it's as easy as she says to make high quality cheese? |
RE: Barbara Kingsolver's new book
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| I just read some reviews on this book and have to admit it seems to be one I'd like. Our library has lots of copies and all are out or on hold. Until '03 my wife and I lived on our farm and grew and processed all our food besides spices and seafood for about 5 years. It was hard work but satisfying. But like Kingsolver that was our life. How do others without the time and resources grow their own or buy local foods? In our area to eat beyond cabbage, collards, beets and carrots over the winter you have to can, freeze or ferment. The interest in learning those skills has fallen so far that our two counties have dropped their master food preserver programs. So even if the average working person agreed with Kingsolver I don't think they'd be able to copy her. I don't know the answer. As far as eating seasonal foods we had the joy of growing in the different seasons. Hard to put into words- it's like Christmas in December is great, but this Christmas in July stuff is a crock. We crave asparagus in April-June but not so interested the rest of the year. As the weather changes with the seasons so does the food in the garden. Anyhow, I think we'll end up with this book on our shelf. Tom |
RE: Barbara Kingsolver's new book
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Yes a good read! I am just half way through this book now, a library copy :-) there is some info I did not know...such as that small farms surrounding urban areas are the largest growing sector of agriculture right now. There are some parts that I find a bit precious, but I can be a bit cynical, for the general public I think she has a very likable voice.
I am already a believer in eating local and in season, though as a city dweller I am limited in what I can grow myself. I dream of living somewhere where I could really farm, but the reality is , our society is now more urban than rural, and most of us will never live on acreage any more likely than we might buy a farm house in Tuscany!
If this book encourages more people to support local farms, question corporate ( and corporate organic ) food systems, and encourage "victory gardens" in backyards and rooftops, it would make a huge difference.
It is a good book, and I have already recommended it to a friend who is a sceptic of my "obsession" with "health" food, I know my friend will give the ideas in it more thought just because Ms Kingsolver is such an admired author. |
RE: Barbara Kingsolver's new book
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| Tanya, I think you've nailed the value of Kingsolver's book--that it will "encourage more people to support local farms, question corporate (and corporate organic) food systems, and encourage 'victory'gardens," and it will reach many people because she is "such an admired author." Years ago when I kept a milk cow I made a lot of cheese. Thirty five years ago, there was little info available for home cheesemakers and very little equipment. We jerry rigged a press, and except for a cheese thermometer and one type of rennet, that's all we had. Every cheese I made was very edible, though it would have been difficult to give a name to what type it was. Fresh cheeses, like cottage cheese, are easy, however. I get milk from neighbors up the road and make some every 10 days or so. I've got some setting now. |
RE: Barbara Kingsolver's new book
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New to this forum, but glad I found this post.
My daughter gave me the book for my birthday and I found it very interesting. I've been gardening organically for years on a very small scale, but now have a few acres to farm/homestead. So a lot of the how-tos and recipes were helpful to me. But I do agree with paulns that BK does seem pretty pleased with herself. To me she came across as if they were the first people ever to live off the land, like it was something revolutionary and new. Our ancestors were doing this, living simply and "locally" way before BK thought of it, out of necessity. BK's choice was precisely that, a choice, born out of near-luxury by comparison. The experiment struck me as a faddish concept rather than something that a majority of people would embrace.
Yet, having said that, I also agree with Tanya47. I do think the book may prove thought-provoking to those who have not considered the long-term and true cost of their easily purchased groceries. For that alone, I would recommend it. |
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