Barbara Kingsolver is an awesome novelist, so it logically follows that even with non-fiction she tells a good story. This book chronicles her family's journey through a year of local eating. Each season brings new foods to the table, complete with recipes. Each season also finds them missing foods that have gone and not missing foods they thought they needed.
Although the cost of local, organic food was not a concern for her family, Kingsolver does a good job of accurately portraying the stumbling blocks to healthy eating that many people face. She manages to give an overview of the food crisis facing many Americans with out bogging the reader down in statistics.
This is a good jumping off point for anyone who is interested in learning more about local-vore movement and its complementary nature to organics. The decision between local and organic is not a simple one, and although this book does not pretend to provide a definitive answer, at least it asks the question.
I enjoyed the story-telling quality of this book, and I was particularly drawn to the sections contributed by Camille Kingsolver (Barbara's daughter). As a young adult, her voice gives hope for the future of food as a sustainable, life-giving pleasure.
http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/
I love Barbara Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer is one of my favorite books, I'll have to pick this one up next. My kids are continually stupified when I tell them that I won't by fruit because it isn't "in season" or it "comes from too far away" like Mexico!!!
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of buying local, but am not convinced by the organic movement-it feels too much like a marketing ploy. I think focusing on eating fruits and vegetables, organic or not, is the most important message.
ReplyDeleteI am a huge fan of encouraging more people to grow their own food like Michelle Obama has done in the past. Growing up, my family had a modest garden in our yard. The lessons of planting seeds, weeding, watering, and patience were an added bonus to the high quality fruit and vegetables we were able to enjoy (we froze a lot of the food for the winter).
As an adult, all I have only tried to grow a few herbs and tomatoes in our upside-down tomato planter, but I would love to expand someday.