While written in first person as a snapshot—a year in the life of a Locovore—Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal Vegetable Miracle reads like a novel. Anyone whose daily concerns revolve around the state of our environment or the health of our food will find much inspiration in this enduring tale of a family who chooses to spend a year reconnecting with their food sources.

What does this mean? Kingsolver and her family commit to reducing their dependence on petrochemicals, and in so doing, become full time farmers, eating only what they are able to produce or purchase locally.

While the challenges are many, the family’s preparation and determination is sometimes awe-inspiring and always creative—with a dash of humor to maintain the fun factor while you read. Kingsolver crafts a heart-warming story of the family’s daily challenges, explaining how obstacles are overcome and the methods by which they manage without waste or want.

Including sidebars on factual information such as organic foods, sustainable farming and our country’s petrochemical dependence, Steven Hopp, Kingsolver’s husband and an environmental scientist, adds the meat to her narrative—facts, statistics and resources.

Kingsolver’s daughter, Camille, a yoga instructor and Duke University student, also interjects with occasional sidebars on nutrition and seasonal recipes that helped get the family through times of voluminous harvests of zucchini squash (see Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies and skimpy fruit availability (see Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp).

I was particularly interested to read Kingsolver’s solution to a party menu, when food choices were minimal. She matter-of-factly took inventory of available seasonal foods in her garden, sought out local options from nearby farms, and created a delightful menu using combinations from her many resources.

The epitome of the Locovore, a person who chooses to eat only locally produced foods, Kingsolver professes not to be a purist, yet presents a doable lifestyle for those who might wish to take a crack at producing and/or living off their locally available foods. A must-read for anyone interested in food production, health or limiting their oil usage, her charming family narrative will open your mind to the possibilities of not living a life dependent on processed foods.

Additional Resources:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle website

More about Barbara Kingsolver, by Harper Collins

Carrie Boyko has been writing non-fiction in various genres since 1992. Currently she writes for 3 blogs, two that are hers: Organic Journey Online and All Things Dog Blog.