Author Barbara Kingsolver and her family abandoned the industrial-food pipeline to live a rural life—vowing that, for one year, they’d only buy food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves, or learn to live without it. Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is an enthralling narrative that will open your eyes in a hundred new ways to an old truth: You are what you eat.

#Pretentious and preachy (2008-11-13) I really wanted to like this book. I agree with the author in that as a culture we ve clearly gotten out of touch with living off the land and have become a fast food society. But I struggled to even get through the first chapter. The tone of the book is much too preachy and pretentious giving it a holier than thou feel. It s hard to get past that.

#You Take the Good, You Take the Bad (2008-11-07) I m only halfway through Kingsolver s book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, so it s possible I will have a skewed opinion. Anyway, Kingsolver opened my eyes to the plight of America s food problem. I d heard of things like HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), but I d never given it much thought. I sure will now. I appreciated her discourses about the garden, the cheesemaking, etc. The information about transportation costs, etc. given in the sidebars by Steven Hopp was excellent. I will, without a doubt, make many considerations in re...

#True Inspiration (2008-11-01) This book was a complete inspiration to get better connections with our food. As years go on, it seems we ve gotten further and further away from thinking about where our food comes from. This completely dials you in to the locavore movement, and just enjoying cooking/gardening again or in a new light. A great read for anyone who cares about what they put in their body!

#Don t Believe the Hype (2008-10-27) While the author makes many valid points about the benefits of consuming locally grown food, she is guilty of one (literally) fatal error: eating animals for food is neither necessary nor healthy for humans, the environment, or, of course, the animals themselves. Moving from a vegetarian diet to a flesh-based diet is not progress, either physically or spiritually, and teaching children that slaughterhouses are bad, yet killing and eating animals whom they know is perfectly acceptable, is unconscionable. Not only is our flesh-based diet destroyi...

#Terrific book! (2008-10-24) Barbara Kingsolver has struck a wonderful balance among educating readers about gardening, slow food, food science and telling a great tale of a family s adventure of local eating. The recipes are great, too!What a revelation to learn that we have all been anesthetized by the large corporations, whether they be the corporations that produce processed food, or the seed companies with their genetically modified terminator genes in the seeds. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and we have already made changes in our food shopping. Wish this great book were still ...

Home is where the heart is . . . This book is very close to my heart. It s about no-nonsense, simple cooking with great flavors all year round. When I began writing it, I didn t really know what recipes I would come up with, but something began to inspire me very quickly . . . my vegetable patch! I came to realize last year that it s not always about looking out at the wider world for inspiration. Being at home, feeling relaxed and open, can also offer this. I love to spend time at home in the village where I grew up, working with the boss, Mother Nature, in my garden and seeing all my beautiful veggies coming out of the ground. Inside you ll find over one hundred new recipes, plus some basic planting information and tips if you fancy having a go at getting your hands dirty as well!

#Jamie at Home (2008-11-21) This book is a lot like his others in that he tells a story along with sharing favorite recipes. The pictures are beautiful (except for the bunny picture) and in this particular book he shares his love of gardening and tips on how to garden yourself which I found very helpful. If you are a Jaime Oliver fan this is a must have.

#Great down home cooking.... (2008-11-10) If you were fortunate enough to catch his Jamie at home show on the Food channel, then you already have this book. He uses good natural, fresh from the garden food items and makes delicious food. Love the butternut squash muffins, the Beef guiness and cheese pie. . . I could go on. Great hearty tasty food. He talks about his garden, his vegetables, and gives you hearty recipes for all. Love this book!!

#Excellent recipes - the title is true to the contents (2008-11-10) I bought this book from a large-scale book store for full price (doh!) only a few days ago, and I m eager to cook many of these recipes. The directions are concise and clear, the photos are gorgeous, and the meals themselves seems like a dream come true. The book even includes educational tidbits on meat cuts, asparagus nutrients, etc. The only reason I give this cookbook 4 out of 5 stars is because the recipes aren t all that practical for every-day cooking, especially at every-day salaries. I ll have to spend...

#Making food fresh, local, simple and delicious (2008-10-30) I loved the series and the cookbook is a great companion in the kitchen. Jamie Oliver has convinced me that we can make small differences to our habits when cooking that make big changes not only for our palettes but for our communities. I now will go the extra step to try to buy local when possible. I will search out available farmer s markets. I will speak with the grocer as to why there is not local produce. And then we have the actual taste of the recipes! So far, my particular favorites are the English Onion Soup...

#I knew this was a great book - therefore a great gift (2008-10-20) There are many celebrity chefs, but Jamie Oliver, if only he would curb his TV swearing, is by far the best - the most enthusiastic, in touch with kitchen reality and home cooking limitations. this is a great book - I don t cook and I ve made some great meals just by following the instructions

The decline of cheap oil is inspiring increasing numbers of North Americans to achieve some measure of backyard food self-sufficiency. In hard times, the family can be greatly helped by growing a highly productive food garden, requiring little cash outlay or watering. Currently popular intensive vegetable gardening methods are largely inappropriate to this new circumstance. Crowded raised beds require high inputs of water, fertility and organic matter, and demand large amounts of human time and effort. But, except for labor, these inputs depend on the price of oil. Prior to the 1970s, North American home food growing used more land with less labor, with wider plant spacing, with less or no irrigation, and all done with sharp hand tools. But these sustainable systems have been largely forgotten. Gardening When It Counts helps readers rediscover traditional low-input gardening methods to produce healthy food. Designed for readers with no experience and applicable to most areas in...

#Easy to use for both beginners and advanced gardeners (2008-11-16) This book is easy to read and comprhensive. It even tells a person how to start a garden in the spring. Great for first timers who didn t know to get the garden prepared the Autumn before. It also provides lists on which veggies are easy to grow and hearty and which require more care and are delicate.

#Sound Gardening Advice (2008-10-24) Comprehensive, to the points, easily read but full of gardening goodness. I would HIGHLY recommend anyone considering a garden reading this book first to ensure you don t waste: money, time, or energy. My family put off building our garden just so we can finish the book and ensure we build it right the first time.

#practical advice not found in other gardening manuals (2008-10-21) Whoa. . . talk about turning my whole world of gardening upside-down! This tome has earned a permanent spot on my bookshelf by telling me things that make good common sense I ve never read elsewhere. Solomon really laid it out to me about composting. It turns out everything I ve thought I should do. . . like turning my compost frequently and chopping it into tiny bits to get it to decompose faster. . . burns up much of the nutritional value of the stuff by making it burn too hot. The most earth-shattering for ...

#Things I Never Knew About Gardening! (2008-10-01) I am a gardener and I read books and magazines in addition to my hands on efforts. This book has made me think about the way I have been gardening and the complications that I have put on my efforts. This is a much more simple way to do things and I have learned so much about larger spaces, the effort levels of fruits and vegetables, simple tool use and care and water resources. Excellent book. Although I bought it for myself, I had to get it away from my husband.

#Good book, very detailed (2008-09-06) I think this book is a very honest account of how to grow veggies under difficult circumstances. He has honest criticisms of the seed/garden center/etc businesses and how to avoid buying stuff that is of poor quality. His advice on simple methods for determining your soil type, making your own compost fertilizer, spacing for various crops, type of sprinklers that work best and where to get them, and a whole lot more is here and very valuable. I especially liked his advice on simple garden tools, how to find them and how to use them and how to ma...

Anyone can learn to store fruits and vegetables safely and naturally with a cool, dark space (even a closet!) and the step-by-step advice in this book.

#anyone can root celler almost anywhere with this book (2008-11-16) Love this book. The author did a great job providing several different forms of root cellaring and comprehensive instructions on how to build and maintain them. Everything from building an out building, to using an old refrigerator. Plenty of sketches and photos. They include lists of produce that is easy to store, and how to store it. Also included is plenty of recipes.

#Extremely informative (2008-11-16) Great reference book even if you live in urban areas and want to preserve your food.

#root cellaring (2008-10-31) This is something I have always wanted to do but always living in the city have never done. When we move to Montana I will make my first attempt and this book explains several methods as well as what veggie keep best and how to preserve them. Love it.

#Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables (2008-09-16) This book has become a useful guide and inspires me to do more with my garden. Previously I d give away or mulch seasonal crops that were too successful but now I intend to build my own cellar. I was also impressed by the choices of recycled or re-used materials in the construction.

#Excellent knowledgebase for raising and keeping veggies! (2008-09-09) If you have a cellar and have a garden, this book is a great way to enjoy your harvest longer. It offers suggestions on what types of veggies to grow, and how to keep a crop growing longer. I don t know about you, but my garden takes a lot of work for the short Oregon growing season. I am thankful to have the advice of this book to help me get the most of our gardening efforts!

If you love the joys of eating home-garden vegetables but always thought those joys had to stop at the end of summer, this book is for you. Eliot Coleman introduces the surprising fact that most of the United States has more winter sunshine than the south of France. He shows how North American gardeners can successfully use that sun to raise a wide variety of traditional winter vegetables in backyard cold frames and plastic covered tunnel greenhouses without supplementary heat. Coleman expands upon his own experiences with new ideas learned on a winter-vegetable pilgrimage across the ocean to the acknowledged kingdom of vegetable cuisine, the southern part of France, which lies on the 44th parallel, the same latitude as his farm in Maine.This story of sunshine, weather patterns, old limitations and expectations, and new realities is delightfully innovative in the best gardening tradition. Four-Season Harvest will have you feasting on fresh produce from your garden all through the winte...

#Not A Waste Of Money (2008-10-26) I ve been familiar with Eliot Coleman s work for a few years now. I found an interesting article in Mother Earth News, 2004, regarding his daughter, Clara, and her attempts at gardening in the winter. It peaked my curiosity, so I saved the article. I have yet to get myself organized enough to attempt what she did, but I took it another step and purchased this particular book so that I would have more step-by-step help. Still, yet, I m not quite brave enough to try, but if I can t do it with the help of this awesome book, I shouldn t waste my ti...

#Useful book (2008-10-06) This seems like a very helpful book. We all need to learn to grow year round.

#New take on gardening (2008-09-30) An interesting and different look at gardening. I plan to test the information I picked up this winter. I didn t really care too much about the travel log, but it did help explain the thought process. Well worth a read.

#Great insight for winter gardening (2008-09-18) This was a great book for people like us who would like to be self-sufficient even in a northern growing zone. I learned a lot and I m sure I will refer to it often.

#Get things to Grow all Year! (2008-09-18) This book is really better for those places that have four seasons. Not all of the book is applicable to our warmer California winter climate.