salmonread's review against another edition
3.0
excellent plane reading - consumed this on round trip flight newark to atlanta. makes me want to get a plot in a community garden even though i don't know how to garden. also makes me even more excited for the CSA season to begin. also makes me miss my friends in vancouver.
mcsayegh's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting to see how an urban couple goes local, but maybe a little too much information about their personal lives....
shiny_raccoon's review against another edition
4.0
I love this genre of a challenge for a year. And I love the issues surrounding food. I LOVED it.
yung_sch0lar's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked this. It didn't come off as super preachy or self-righteous (which is really easy to do when talking about eating locally. I think the authors are very aware of how their position in life affords them the opportunity to have this experiment. My favorite part of the book is all of the recipes in the beginning of each chapter. Super easy to read, although there will be passages in each chapter that read a bit too much like an encyclopedia entry (I still appreciated them though because some of the information I really didn't know -- I just thought they could've incorporated the facts a little better). Overall, it was a pretty good, easy read.
hoperu's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't planning to read this, but now that I am reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I am getting reinspired by the whole idea of local living, and want to hear about someone doing it in a climate more like the one I am living in right now.
mrsthrift's review against another edition
4.0
two people in vancouver decide to eat for an entire year only food from within a 100 mile radius. they do some research, and spend a lot of time [b:on the road|6288|The Road|Cormac McCarthy|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21E8H3D1JSL._SL75_.jpg|3355573] to local farms to find the ingredients needed for their new diet. it helps, of course, that they are adventurous eaters and that James is a remarkable cook. attention is also paid to the authors of the Good Housekeeping cookbook, who are a primary source of information and consolation in this challenge.
why? to see if they can. for an adventure. to look at where our food comes from in the global production system. because fresh food tastes better. because they are curious -- all decent reasons.
the book is divided by months, and with each, i felt the seasons shift as the local bounty does. each month opens with a recipe based on their local food, and the recipes are more than just a set of simple instructions -- each also has a line or two of sage wisdom about choosing the ripe vegetables or a reflection on the cultural relevance of the recipe.
the most amazing thing to me came in the skills we have lost. for example, how many of us know how to can food? to ferment? to produce 100 mile flour, or pasta, or salt? how many people could the land around us feed, effortlessly, if we consumed with a little more intention. and just how far James & Alisa have to go to meet these "needs" is astounding. it also really made me want to can some food.
mostly memoir, there is also solid research and a lot of references and resources to back up their experience. there are also moments where the relationship is obviously strained under the stress of their diet. this is resolved anti-climatically when they reflect fondly on spats over canning tomatoes. i laughed aloud when the potatoes sprouted eyes and tried to escape their cupboard. their adventures to eat locally on the Yucatan Peninsula nearly moved me to tears. there was a real sense of community and momentum as the authors travel occasionally to meet other people starting 50-mile, 100-mile or 250-mile years. again and again, it is made abundantly clear that the earth could provide for us in every capacity if we only knew where to look.
why? to see if they can. for an adventure. to look at where our food comes from in the global production system. because fresh food tastes better. because they are curious -- all decent reasons.
the book is divided by months, and with each, i felt the seasons shift as the local bounty does. each month opens with a recipe based on their local food, and the recipes are more than just a set of simple instructions -- each also has a line or two of sage wisdom about choosing the ripe vegetables or a reflection on the cultural relevance of the recipe.
the most amazing thing to me came in the skills we have lost. for example, how many of us know how to can food? to ferment? to produce 100 mile flour, or pasta, or salt? how many people could the land around us feed, effortlessly, if we consumed with a little more intention. and just how far James & Alisa have to go to meet these "needs" is astounding. it also really made me want to can some food.
mostly memoir, there is also solid research and a lot of references and resources to back up their experience. there are also moments where the relationship is obviously strained under the stress of their diet. this is resolved anti-climatically when they reflect fondly on spats over canning tomatoes. i laughed aloud when the potatoes sprouted eyes and tried to escape their cupboard. their adventures to eat locally on the Yucatan Peninsula nearly moved me to tears. there was a real sense of community and momentum as the authors travel occasionally to meet other people starting 50-mile, 100-mile or 250-mile years. again and again, it is made abundantly clear that the earth could provide for us in every capacity if we only knew where to look.