My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book was recommended for me based on my thesis research, so I am glad I was able to get around to it. I liked Kingsolver's works of fiction, so I thought at least I would be reading an author I already knew I liked. The basic premise is that Kingsolver, her husband, and two daughters move to Virginian farm land with the intention of living locally for one year. This means that all (or at least 95%) of food would come from either their land or the local farmer's market. Vegetables were abundant - fruit, not so much. The family raised turkeys and chickens for both eggs and food, and got lamb and pork from neighbors. The whole idea is appealing to me. I have my own vegetable garden and this book encouraged me to try canning. But the more I think about killing my own food (animal-wise) the sketchier this idea seems. Even if I could potentially kill what I once considered a pet, I also worry about cleanliness and bacteria.Overall, I thought this book was informative but boring. I would have been fine with it being 100 pages shorter. And while I most likely will not be slaughtering chickens any time soon, I will be thinking twice about where my tomatoes or corn comes from. But despite the Kingsolver's disgust, I am still going to purchase my weekly bunch of bananas, especially in the winter when her family is living on rhubarb.
