Comfort reading

On cold nights, a book to read in the comforts of a cosy bed is very rewarding.

I found this book in our library catalogue, so put in a borrowers request. When it arrived, a quick scan through the pages had me looking forward to getting some time to read it. 

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: Our Year of Seasonal Eating is a writing about a new lifestyle, set in southern Appalachia, USA. Barbara takes us through her memoirs season by season, adding her journal investigative thoughts throughout. Moving from light, humourous conversation to political and environmental issues keeps the reading interesting.

Barbara starts with the first harvest season after a cold winter, when asparagus spears begin to emerge. We're still waiting for our first asparagus of the season, so by the end of chapter 2, I'm out there in the garden inspecting any signs of progress. No, it's too early here still.

Reading on, we move through the stages of garden productivity, when to expect what vegetable in it's seasonal order, and some recipe ideas shared. I'm now only in chapter 7, but the excitement of Spring's possibilities have whet my appetite sufficiently to start sorting through my seeds and seriously plan what we want to be eating in a couple of months.

I love the humour in the book, too. The light-heartedness side of family life, where personalities blossom with innocence, is a lovely side to read. I relate to her youngest in this book, as she sounds so much like Mariposa. Here's an excerpt from page 94 that I had to read aloud to my husband; it made us both laugh:

As weeks passed and her future on the farm began to take shape in her mind, Lily asked if she'd also be able to have a horse. Her interest in equines surpasses the standard little-girl passion of collecting plastic ones with purple manes and tail; she'd lobbied for riding lessons before she could ride a bike. I'd long assumed a horse was on our horizon. I just hoped it could wait until Lily was tall enough to saddle it herself.

In the time-honored tradition of parents, I stalled. "With your egg business, you can raise money for a horse yourself," I told her. "I'll even match your funds - we'll get a horse when you have half the money to buy one."

When I was a kid, I would have accepted these incalculable vagaries without a second though, understanding that maybe a horse was out there for me but I'd just have to wait and see. The entrepreneurial gene apparently skips generations. Lily got out her notebook and started asking questions.

"How mush does a horse cost?"

"Oh, it depends," I hedged.

"Just a regular mare, or a gelding," she insisited. When it comes to mares and geldings, she knows the score. I'd recently overheard her explaining this to some of her friends. "A stallion is a boy that's really fierce and bossy," she told them. "But they can give them an operation that makes them gentle and nice and helpful. You know. Like our daddies."

... and it goes on. Lily is a second grader, so a couple of years younger than Mariposa is now, but still so very much like her in character.

There have been parts I've related to Maestro also, but his interest in the animal world isn't quite as passionate. He really just wants to build things and experiment with his growing manly strength. When I suggested beekeeping as a possible interest, he squirmed with irritation at the thought of bees landing over him whilst collecting the honey. The idea of the money making side appealed though. Hmmm ~ that gets me thinking that there's usually a honey show happening here in August, so I may need to enquire about some type of 'excursion' to explain the practicalities of apiculture.

Scattered throughout the memoirs are her writings on issues, similar to those found in books I've already read, such as Food Inc. They are good reminders of why we should take care of what we eat and how it is produced.

Recipes are available on the Animal, Vegetable, Miracle website, HERE.

Now it's time for me to roll up my sleeves and get some practical work done outside, even though this morning's air is still so very crisp. Our fruit trees need pruning, and I need to make sure that the asparagus stays safe. Last year, our dog, Midgy, was the first to enjoy eating this vegetable, and I don't want that to happen again this year!