Animal, Vegetable Mineral by Barbara Kingsolver
This most fascinating exploration of the ethics of food is refreshing in these days of mass confusion about what is 'the right thing to do'.
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In essence, Kingsolver and her family (daughter Camille and husband Steven L Hopp also contribute to the book) try to see whether it is possible to live off the land – theirs and their neighbours – for a year. The term 'locavore', which refers to eating locally, is clumsy, but basically sums up the principle.
Kingsolver explores the difficulties of adjusting to the idea of having to give up foods that aren't in season, or that are in fact never in season. She explores the longing for greens when none are available, and sweet berries in the dead of winter, and the issues of 'harvesting' animals as well as vegetables.
What emerged most powerfully for me were two central principles: firstly, that 'the right thing to do' is to honour the best efforts of integrity; and secondly, that the pleasure to be found in seasonal produce, eaten at its best and without industrial-scale refrigeration and transport compromises, emphatically outweighs the convenience of having pale versions of those foods around in supermarket fridges 12 months a year.
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