Animal, Vegetable, Miracle – check.

I just finished reading "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver. The book is about a family who decides to eat local for one year. They focus mostly on meat and vegetables, and eat only things they either grew or raised, or were grown or raised within 100 miles of their home. I'm not sure why, but I still feel so good, so accomplished, whenever I finish a book. I know, I know . . . I shouldn't be feeling this way at 23. But I do. And I probably will for the rest of my life. It might be due to the fact that I usually start ten books but finish one.

Anyway, I wanted to share a few of my favorite excerpts from the book:

"For a dreamer, he's a practical guy. 'Thinking globally is an abstraction. What the world needs now isn't love sweet love–that's a slogan.' What the world needs now, he maintains, is more compassionate local actions. 'Shopping at the hardware store owned by a family living in town. Buying locally raised tomatoes in the summer, and locally baked bread. Cooking meals at home. Those are all acts of love for a place.'"
This is a way I'd like to live my life. Know that just shopping at a farmer's market every once in awhile isn't all you can do. And it isn't all you should do. It shows your love your environment, and more importantly, your community.
 
"So the farmers took a risk, and took a loss. Some of them will try again next year, though they will likely hedge their bets with Delicata squash and peas as well. Courage, practicality and making the best of a bad situation are much of what farming is about."
I've always admired farmers. My dad started his backyard  garden when I was about 8, and to this day is very proud of his accomplishments (as he should be!) I've heard countless stories about the rabbits, the birds, the butterflies that eat his broccoli. And now that I've been considering taking a stab at gardening, I'm thankful to have heard all these stories. Now I know what to expect and what to take into consideration when planning.
 
"Should I overlook the suffering of victims of hurricanes, famines, and wars brought on this world by profligate fuel consumption? Bananas that cost a rain forest, refrigerator-trucked soy milk, and prewashed spinach shipped two thousand miles in plastic containers do not seem cruelty-free, in this context. A hundred different paths may lighten the world's load of suffering. Giving up meat is one path; giving up bananas is another. The more we know about our food system, the more we are called into complex choices. It seems facile to declare one single forbidden fruit, when humans live under so many different kinds of trees."
This is something I often forget. I can shop at farmers markets and do my part that way, but what about the Famous Dave's barbecue sauce I'm dumping on my chicken? After reading this book, I'm definitely going to think twice when I'm at the grocery store and when I'm planning out my weekly meals. I probably won't go as extreme as the Kingsolvers and become a "locavore," but I'm going to think.
 
"Planning complex, beautiful meals and investing one's heart and time in their preparation is the opposite of self-indulgence. Kitchen-based family gatherings are process-oriented, cooperative, and in the best of worlds, nourishing and soulful. A lot of calories get used up before anyone sits down to consume. But more imporantly, a lot of talk happens first, news exchanged, secrets revealed across  generations, paths cleared with a touch on the arm."
I absolutely loved this passage because it makes me think of all the times in my grandma's crowded kitchen with my mom and aunts. It means so much to me that my family has been "passing the reins" to Heather and me when it comes to holiday cooking and baking. It's something very important to our family and is not taken lightly.

"But if Arizona children have to cut out snowflakes in winter, maybe cooking-school students could be held to a similar standard, cutting out construction-paper asparagus in spring time, pumpkins in the fall, basil in summer. Mightn't they even take field trips to farms, four times a year?"
My new goal is to try to eat seasonally. I distinctly remember having a conversation with Jenny Shanahan about this a few years ago. I recall talking about how much we love things like strawberries, but we need to resist in January. Instead, find out what's in season and learn to love them. Tonight, I made a delicious sweet potato (which are actually the white ones – the orange ones are yams. Did you know that?) and a chicken breast, along with some frozen broccoli from my dad's garden. While I might not be able to COMPLETELY eat this way, I'll be able to prepare for it a little more this summer and do it even better next winter.

I would really recommend this book. I liked that it wasn't too scientific or economic – it was a story about a family. What worked, what didn't. It talked about drying tomatoes, hunting for mushrooms, making a business about selling chicken eggs, and turkey sex.

Next on my reading list?
"The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho.