Review: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life

by Barbara Kingsolver
with Steven L. Hopp, and Camille Kingsolver

Genre: Memoir
Published: 2007 by HarperAudio
Edition:: Unabridged 14.5 Hours
Rating: 5 of 5

Barbara Kingsolver and her family packed up and moved from Tucson to their farm in Appalachia where they became ‘locavores’, eating only what they could grow on their farm or obtain locally for an entire year. This beautifully written book is part memoir and part commentary on the American food industry. I listened to the audio version which was read by the author with her husband, Steven Hopp, reading the sidebars and her daughter, Camille, reading the menus and recipes.

The book chronicled the family’s journey though one year of eating only foods that could be obtained regionally. They planted and harvested their own crops, canned and stored food for the winter and raised poultry on their farm. I had to laugh when the author discussed what to do with too many zucchini, which is a common garden problem. Zucchini are prolific. Neighbors would hide when she tried to bring them a basketful. And the chapter on the turkeys attempting to reproduce was both fascinating and funny. Who knew turkeys didn’t know how? Not me. Recipes are included in the book and can be found on the web site, so even audio book readers can have a copy of them. One was for Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies. They were getting desperate to use them up! I’ll stick with the zucchini bread myself.

We learn that many American no longer know where their food comes from before it arrives at the grocery store. Today, food is imported year-round traveling great distances to reach the store, consuming oil and resources. Each generation is becoming farther removed from food production. In spending the year eating local the author’s goal was “to establish that a normal-ish American family could be content on the fruits of our local foodshed”.

I loved this book. Barbara Kingsolver did a great job with the reading for the audio version. It was informative, well-research and told in an engaging and often humorous style. I did not find it preachy as some have suggested, but that may be because I agree with most of what she is saying. There are a lot of dangers in modern-day industrial farming, the way animals are treated, the health of the animals and the antibiotics they routinely ingest. Organic farming is undoubtably better for people and the environment as are farm raised rather than factory raised animals.

Small confession here: I am a gardener. I love to dig in the dirt and grow things. I grow flowers, vegetables, herbs and houseplants. I would grow more food if I had the time and the space. I have done this all my life and not because I was worried about local farming; I did it because homegrown veggies taste so good and are chemical free. My grandmother taught me the joy of a backyard garden when I was very young. I would even have chickens if my town allowed them. I’m helping the environment, plus family and friends enjoy my organic veggies; a win-win.

The author acknowledges several times that this lifestyle is not for everyone for a variety of reasons, nor is the purpose of the book to convert people to locavores, but rather to raise awareness. However, the material is so well presented, and her enthusiasm for what her family is attempting is so infectious, that unless you are totally uninterested in the subject, you might be motivated to run out and buy a tomato plant or two. (And some varieties of tomato grow nicely in a pot on a patio or balcony.)

One of the overriding themes in the book is that small changes result in huge differences. You can do a little or a lot and every bit will benefit. Early in the book we are treated to this fact:

“If every U.S. citizen ate just one meal a week (any meal) composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce, we would reduce our country’s oil consumption by over 1.1 million barrels of oil every week.”

You don’t need a farm or even a garden to do that. A farmer’s market will suffice.

Highly recommended.