Book Review: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year in Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver

After listening to Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver (one of my favorite authors) on CD I have becoming a farmer on my bucket list. The family leaves sunny Arizona for the Appalachians. They decide to grow their own food and eat only what they grow for a year. What they don’t grow they get locally.
She reads it with her daughter Camille. The voices of the author and her daughter are easy to listen to and brings the story to life. The story of them deciding to grow their own food is admirable. Daughter Camille is in college and the younger daughter is in elementary school. Her husband is a professor. He narrates a small part of the audio. Their struggles and victories are hilarious. It is awe- inspiring.
I too want to lead a more homestead lifestyle, living off the land with good, wholesome, pesticide-free food that I watch grow. There’s only one problem: I’m a fair weather farmer/gardener. I like it but just can’t keep at it long enough to make it work all year long. So I would have to hire a gardener to help me. I also need the expertise of someone who knows what they are doing otherwise I’ll be at the grocery store mighty fast. They seemed to know what to do almost immediately.
The book contains stories of their ups and downs, historical information on several fruits and vegetables as well as turkeys. I love the fact that they have farm animals as well. I’m not a big pet lover but I do love farm animals. And one day when I have a farm I’m sure I’ll have to have some goats. I fell in love with them on a rescue farm I visited in Poolesville, MD near Washington D.C. If you are ever in the area be sure to visit Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary ( www.animalsanctuary.org ). The couple that runs the farm and animal sanctuary are saints. They have a big support group. The animals are well loved and cared for. The goats are just the best, they are gentle and beautiful creatures.
The book contains recipes for many of the dishes they made during that first year. That project has turned in to a website www.animalvegetablemiracle.com . I hope you find it as inspiring as I did.