Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

I just finished this book. Barbara Kingsolver is a great author; her Poisonwood Bible is one of my top-ten favorite books.

It is part memoir, part food expose. She tells of the year her family spent living on their farm in Virginia, eating only locally produced food. They had a few cheat items, like coffee and vanilla. But they gave up foods such as bananas during the year because they always come from South America.

Barbara and her family

I few ideas from the book that are practical for my family:

1. Make your own food from fresh ingredients. Eat as little processed food as possible.

2. Get your family involved in preparing food.

3. Support local farmers. This supports your community's economy and cuts down on the fossil fuels used to transport and process foods. Better yet, grow some of your own food.


Loved the book. It includes lots of great storytelling, lots of humor. I really liked the ongoing narration of raising heirloom turkeys, which included "turkey sex." [I got your attention there, didn't I?]

These are veggies from my garden last fall. I would like to try eating as a locavore, maybe for a week. September would be a great month to try. Does that sound crazy?