Filed under: books, food, go green, lifestyle | Tags: animal vegetable miracle, barbara kingsolver, boggy creek farm, book review, eating locally, food economics, food in the us, localvore, locavore
I don’t know how else to say this: you need to read this book.
The book was written by Barbara Kingsolver, with supplemental sections by her hubby Stephen Hopp & her 18 year old daughter Camille. The story follows the Kingsolver-Hopp family from Arizona to Virginia, where they aim to fulfill a year-long vow to eat only locally grown or raised foods.
Unlike most non-fiction books, this book was so hard to put down that at times that I found myself staying up all hours of the night to finish a chapter. As Barbara weaves the chronological story of the family’s farming and shopping efforts by season, Camille and Stephen add delicate threads of recipes and factoids that make for a book rich with emotion, information & inspiration. The story of this family’s journey is imbibed with so much reasoning and guidance that it’s hard for a reader to comprehend why they haven’t made the change to local eating habits in their own lives.
Since I began reading the book my own shopping habits have changed dramatically. I’ve talked on the blog about my weekly visits to Boggy Creek Farm - lately my shopping trips to Boggy Creek have become far more involved. I now buy my meat, cheeses, eggs, produce & bread at Boggy Creek. Generally speaking, if Boggy Creek isn’t selling it, I don’t eat it.
The book has also inspired me to get more committed to starting the garden I’ve dreamed of since buying my house. I won’t be raising turkeys or chickens, but I’m empowered by a greater knowledge of meat & poultry operations in the US. Knowing what I know now, I will NOT be buying meat or poutry at my local grocery store unless it’s certified free-range & organic. That may sound a little crunchy for some of you (and I would have been right there with you a year ago). But I’m telling you – read the book. You’ll never approach grocery shopping the same way again!
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I’m excited – I’ve been thinking about this book ever since we talked about it awhile ago. I’ll read it! Eventually!
Comment by Elizabeth October 16, 2008 @ 3:43 pm