Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

Kendra's Comments: I read gardening memoirs fairly often. Some are written by authors who garden, and some are written by gardeners who write. It’s usually fairly easy to spot which category the person falls. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is delightfully written by a talented author who actually gardens – big time! She moved her family from the south where xeriscaping is the norm to the green and lush state of Virginia. They made a pact to only eat local food for one year. They grew huge amounts of vegetables themselves, and purchased everything else from local farmers. This is a die hard way of going about life, but they made it work. It was really interesting to see how they chronicled their life and how she instilled values she held dear into her children along the way. It is physically and emotionally demanding to maintain a garden the size of Kingsolver’s. It took quite a bit of dedication to make it happen. She was also honest along the way with the small details that occasionally got in the way (her husband’s love of coffee, and forming emotional attachments to baby chickens).

While I don’t plan on ever growing that much food myself (I do not have the luxury of working from home like Barbara Kingsolver), I have been frequenting the farmers market more this year than ever before. I agree with the theme of the book – that sometimes getting something (like our food) cheap costs more in the long run (costs such as losing the tastes only associated with heirloom locally grown vegetables versus those flown in from who knows where and grown by someone who only cares about how a product looks, not tastes). Sometimes reading a book can affect your life, or simply remind you of certain things you already hold dear. I hope I always remember to appreciate those wonderful August tomatoes while they are in season. If you are a vegetable lover or gardener, you might really enjoy Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Check status at GPL.

And don't miss the "Too Many Tomatoes" program tonight at 6:00! You can still register here. It is in Community Rooms A&B. We also have a great display of tomato books that you can check out.