Do you ever think about the origins of the food you buy in the supermarket? Of course, you say. Well, would you be able to eat locally, every day, for a year of changing seasons? One American family decided to discover if they could, and they tell their story in the amazing book: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.
Relocating from the barren Arizona desert, the Kingsolver/Hopp family (author Barbara, daughters Camille and Lily, and partner Steven) begins a new life in the greener pastures of farm country Appalachia. Their yearlong goal: to have a profound relationship with the food that sustains them by eating only that which the family grows or which their friends and neighbours provide.
During this year, the family of four is gradually altered from naïve consumers to savvy, aware partners in food. Taking the journey with them, the reader will find inspiration to make their own cheese, bake their own bread, buy local produce — perhaps even plant something of their own in the back yard.
From the first days of laying down the ground rules (no imported fruit, even in winter), to the final, miraculous birth of turkey eggs, Kingsolver has created an amusing, well-written documentary of a family’s educational and transformative journey. Not light-hearted, the author tackles serious subjects such as genetically modified produce, the case for home dairies, the struggles of small-scale farmers, government restrictions and global warming. Yet these vital threads are woven neatly into the story without being overwhelming to the reader.
The book, like their endeavour, is a family affair. Teenage daughter Camille presents the reader with another perspective through her anecdotal sidebars (”Eating my sister’s chickens”) and offers tasty recipes (”Pumpkin soup in its own shell”). Meanwhile Steven, an environmental studies teacher, dishes out short pieces on pesticides, politics, mad cow disease, urban gardens, and much more.
At the end of the book are references, resources and pertinent organisations which, while mostly U.S.-based, have websites so overseas readers will find plenty of useful information. Visit the family’s website (here), for local food resources, reader stories, and more recipes.