Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Sure, this book's been around ages, but it's always worth another read. I've recently picked it up again, and absolutely love the way Kingsolver approaches the local food movement.

In this story, Barbara Kingsolver, her husband, and two daughters leave their desert town to go live on a farm in Virginia to spend an entire year eating locally. They allow themselves a few exceptions (like certain spices), but otherwise, everything is grown within a short drive from their home.

In one of my favorite little anecdotes, Lily, the youngest daughter at six years old, loses one of her beloved chickens. Her mother attempts to console the wailing child, but with no success. In a last ditch effort she tells Lily, "It's only a chicken." Lily responds yelling, "You don't get it! I love chickens more than you!"

A few minutes later, little Lily comes back with a sheepish look on her face. "Mommy," she says. "I didn't mean that. If I love chickens six, then I love you seven."

This story is a wonderful way to become inspired to grow even a little bit of produce, or visit the local farmer's market. She gives us incentive as a culture to ditch the fast-food industrial culture, while also presenting ecological and environmental perspectives on the problems associated with big-business agriculture.