By Heidi Nawrocki

 

Happy Summer! The longest day of the year was a rainy one, but I know I for one appreciate the rain and all the good things it does for my garden. Speaking of my garden, there is a book in particular that inspired me to grow food. Good food. And also to fall in love with local food. That book is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Have you read it? Have you visited the Book and Bean tent? Under that tent, we sell books relating to local food, farming, cookbooks, magazines, and even some kids books. Most, if not all, of us have been inspired by at least one of the books under that tent. So, I thought, what better way than to form a Farmers Market Book Club? For right now, I've created a private Facebook group that we can use to discuss a book a month. I'd love to start out this book club with Animal, Vegetable, Miracle in July. I encourage you to stop by the Book and Bean tent this Sunday to check out our book selection and maybe even pick up your own copy of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle! To get you excited, below is a book review I wrote last year on the book. It has a special place in my heart and I hope you enjoy it, too. So, click on the link above, join the group, and let's get reading!

 

“Our highest shopping goal was to get our food so close to home, we’d know the person who grew it. Often that turned out to be ourselves as we learned to produce what we needed, starting with dirt, seeds, and enough knowledge to muddle through. Or starting with baby animals, and enough sense to refrain from naming them.”

—Barbara Kingsolver

 

I think it’s safe to say that most of us have a song, or a book, or a movie that has changed the trajectory of our life in some way.  For me, and many others at the market, it is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.

 

The year was 2007. My husband and I were already supporting a local CSA in Morgantown and walked each week to the Saturday market downtown. And for Christmas that year, I received a hardback copy of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (AVM from here on out). Little did I know at the time, but this book would be a life changer for me.

The subtitle of the book is “A Year of Food Life” and the book is a memoir of Barbara and her family’s goal of eating locally for one year. The book begins in Tucson, AZ, where the family spent their spring, fall, and winter months. They would travel back to VA for the summer but decided to make the permanent move in order to start growing more of their own food, something that is nearly impossible to manage in the desert of Tucson.

 

The family decides to start their year of local eating in April, when the asparagus, ramps, and rhubarb are coming on in full force. The family commits to growing as much as they can, including their Thanksgiving turkey, but find local sources of what they can’t grow. Barbara celebrated a milestone birthday early in their journey and they were able to plan a locally sourced feast to mark the occasion.

 

If you’ve never read a book by Barbara, her humor and wit are overflowing in AVM. From jokes about turkey sex (you really will learn more about turkeys than you wanted to know, and it will more than likely have you running to place your pre-order for a local turkey!) to reminding neighbors to keep their doors locked for fear of the dreaded overflowing bag of zucchini.

 

Also sprinkled throughout are essays from Barbara’s husband, Steven Hopp. Most are centered on the industrial food system and are just as relevant today as they were ten years ago. Their daughter Camille also has her own contribution of personal accounts, seasonal meal plans, and recipes. The recipes in the book are all available on their website. One of my personal favorites is the Zucchini Chocolate Chip cookies  and my kids now request them any time we have zucchini.