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Show Page 10 The Ogden Valley news Volume XXV Issue IX July 1, 2018 Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A book review By Forrest Brown As we quickly jump into the spring and summer seasons, it is quite productive to read and learn as much as we can about agriculture and the growing period. One book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver is an excellent source if one wants to open their heart and mind to a colossal amount of information on anything and everything to do with home food production. The author paints a compelling picture of the past, the present, and the future of the U.S. agriculture industry—both the large industrial farming machine and the small mini-homestead, which, fortunately, is seeing somewhat of a comeback in America. In her book, Kingsolver blesses us with a story told using her Appalachian upbringing. Her family eventually abandoned the urban life for the country and vowed for one year to only buy food raised in their own neighborhood or grow it themselves. Join me as we explore this intriguing and amazing work. Barbara Kingsolver was raised in the countryside of Kentucky, surrounded by tobacco and dairy farms. In her early years, the things that greatly influenced her were the Bookmobile (in the absence of a local library), a large family garden, and parents who tolerated all forms of the study of nature. She grew up with a strong work ethic among the people of the rural southeast. She then attended DePauw University in Indiana, graduating with a degree in biology. After college, she spent some time in Greece, France, and England, finally settling in Tucson, Arizona. She worked at a variety of different jobs, but really enjoyed writing. Eventually, she and her husband and their two girls felt the itch for a simpler way of life. So they quit their jobs and sold their house in Arizona and moved to southern Appalachia in Virginia to begin a life of farming. Their new farm was actually owned by her husband Steven before they were married. It consisted of twenty acres and included a farmhouse, a barn, and several orchards and fields. Ms. Kingsolver writes, “We wanted to live in a place that could feed us: where rain falls, crops grow, and drinking water bubbles right up out of the ground. This might seem an abstract reason for leaving beloved friends and one of the most idyllic destination cities in the United States. But it was real to us. As it closes in on the millionsouls mark, Tucson’s charms have made it one of the country’s fastest-growing cities. It keeps its people serviced across the wide spectrum of daily human wants with its banks, shops, symphonies, colleges, art galleries, city parks, and golf courses . . . Virtually every unit of food consumed there moves into town in a refrigerated module from somewhere far away. Every ounce of the city’s drinking, washing, and goldfishbowl-filling water is pumped from a nonrenewable source.” Following this statement, the author spends some time discussing the food culture in America, both past and present. Basically, she says that the American diet is all over the place. It has a lot to do with the culture, which varies from region to region, depending where you live. The food culture, according to the author, used to be exclusively controlled by what crops and plants were grown in the surrounding area. For example, in the South, a good deal of the food is fried such as chicken, okra, cornbread, and even some deserts. The West has always been known to have a high production of fruit and vegetables. With the advent of our interstate highways and the invention of refrigerated trucks, the traditional food cultures of specific areas in the U.S. soon changed. Now you can ship almost anything from coast to coast. In the 1970s the “Green Revolution” began to propagate across America and with it the industrialization of our food chain. As more and more small farms disappeared, corporate America saw its chance to cash in and bring most foods to a large percentage of citizens. Ms. Kingsolver writes that the problem with this is that it takes an enormous amount of energy to produce, process, and ship all this food so that all of us can have so many options and choices when it comes to purchasing what we eat. She is opposed to this and favors more Americans producing their own food and/or purchasing their food from farmers in their local areas. She writes, “A majority of North Americans do understand, at some level, that our food choices are politically charged, affecting arenas from rural culture to international oil cartels and global climate change. Plenty of consumers are trying to get off the petroleum-driven industrial food wagon: banning fast food from their homes and schools, avoiding the unpronounceable ingredient lists . . . . Something positive is also happening under the surface of our nation’s food preference paradigm. It could be called a movement. It includes gardeners who grow some of their own produce—one quarter of all U.S. households, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.” Her words do not leave us without hope. Even though we are all part of this huge industrial food chain, we see many, even in large cities, growing some of their own food. Some public schools are now allowing students to attend classes where they grow gardens and learn about the great outdoors. There has been a lot of interest from the people in America for more naturally grown and processed food as we have seen large increases in poor health and obesity in our society. The writer of this book goes through the initial experiences that her family had as they decided to not purchase any of their food from anywhere outside their own local area for one year. It was quite a daunting task as they sat down at their kitchen table to put together their grocery list for the first week. They were hoping to start harvesting from their garden, but being that it was early April, they had yet to see any produce come from it at that point. One of their neighbors who raised chickens was able to provide a steady flow of farm fresh eggs, but a diet of only eggs get old in a hurry. She reports that her family had started harvesting some asparagus that soon became a staple in their diets. The significant thing that came to their rescue in their first year was the local farmer’s market. This became a weekly adventure for their family. At the farmer’s market they could buy locally-grown honey to replace all the recipes that called for sugar. They could get all the vegetables they needed, and the one thing that her family desired the most, fresh fruit. They were able get apples, various berries, grapes, strawberries, melons, and their favorite—peaches. Add to this list a good selection of vegetables such as Eden 4th of July Celebration 7:30 - 10:00 a.m. Breakfast 9:00 a.m. Children’s Parade onions, potatoes, corn, and various kinds of beans. One thing that this writer does that adds a lot of value to her book is the inclusion from her husband, Steven Hopp, of what she calls “sidebars.” These snippets of information enhance the book’s overall appeal. He discusses how to find a local farmer, the use of energy in agriculture, genetically modified plants, data from the global food industry, benefits from small farms, the organic food industry, alternative farming systems, pest resistant pesticides, homegrown food production, edible landscaping and gardening, growing your own food in the city, and much more. A good example of one of his sidebars is titled “Paying the Price of Low Prices.” It reads, “A common complaint about organic and local foods is they they’re more expensive than conventional (industrially grown) foods. Most consumers don’t realize how much we’re already paying for the conventional foods, before we even get to the supermarket. Our tax dollars subsidize the petro- leum used in growing, processing, and shipping these products. We also pay direct subsidies to the large-scale, chemical-dependent brand of farming. And we’re being forced to pay more each year for the environmental and health costs of that method of food production. “Here’s an exercise: Add up the portion of agricultural fuel use that is paid for with our taxes ($22 billion), direct Farm Bill subsidies for corn and wheat ($3 billion), treatment of food-related illnesses ($10 billion), agriculture chemical cleanup costs ($17 billion), collateral costs of pesticide use ($8 billion), and costs of nutrients lost to erosion ($20 billion). At a minimum, that’s a national subsidy of at least $80 billion, about $725 per household each year.” I hope as you continue to work you your yards and gardens this summer, you will take the time to read one of the best sources of information on this topic. It is by far one of the best books I have read on one of my favorite hobbies. Enjoy! NORDIC VALLEY cont. from page 1 lifts will be added “throughout the next decade.” Because much of the proposed expansion of skiable area is targeted for construction on abutting Forest Service property, which is designated as a “Roadless Area,” developers, in response, state, “This project would require a Special Use Permit, as well as a Forest Plan Amendment to allow the construction and operation of a gondola within the area. However, our plan is to build the minimum number of roads required to install and maintain our lifts, and leave the natural landscape as intact as possible to preserve its wildlife, watershed, and aesthetic value.” If you would like to comment on the proposed development, visit the Nordic Valley website noted above, and scroll to the bottom of the page. Developers note that in the near future, public meetings will also be hosted to obtain feedback from the community. emissions.” The website adds, “. . . Nordic Valley is expanding to become a world-class resort destination while still retaining the down-to-earth, skiing-first experience locals have come to love.” In addition to the 4.3-mile gondola, Nordic Valley will, according to the website, “feature a number of new chairlifts to significantly increase skiable acreage, as well as upgraded snowmaking capabilities to ensure a worldclass guest experience.” The website also claims that the expansion will benefit both Eden and Ogden economically through expansion of the tourism industry, service, and outdoor industry. Developers have targeted spring 2020 as the date set to begin the expansion, with completion by the beginning of winter operations in this same year; however, additional resort facilities and chair- SNOWBASIN cont. from page 5 New England clam bake is a traditional method of cooking seafood, such as lobster, mussels, crabs, soft-shell clams, and quahogs. The food is traditionally cooked by steaming the ingredients over layers of seaweed. The shellfish will be supplemented with vegetables, such as onions, carrots, red potatoes, and corn on the cob. Adding the Snowbasin touch, the chefs will build a fire pit with Gambel oak and local granite rocks; then bury all the ingredients in layers of seaweed, wet burlap, and sand. As the coals of the Gambel oak burn, they slowly smoke and steam the ingredients along with the granite rocks helping to create steam from the wet burlap and salted seaweed. Before the meal, all the items are dug up, placed in piles, and then served for the guest’s pleasure. July 27: John Paul Campout - Take the John Paul Express Chair up the mountain and explore the geological remnants of an ancient ocean floor while enjoying the majestic view at 9,000 feet. The event will go overnight, where guests will be able to set up camp either inside or outside the John Paul Lodge. Appetizers, education, campfire, dinner, cowboy yodelers, storytellers, and live guitar music will occupy the evening. A hearty breakfast will be served in the morning before heading back down the mountain. Dinner will be prepared over an open fire with Dutch ovens. The event includes all food, beverage, and transportation up the mountain. This is a Dining Discovery Culinary Expedition experience of a lifetime. September 14: Kombucha Tasting & Dinner - Snowbasin Resort is partnering with local Kombucha vendor Sünnte to offer a social dining experience with passed appetizer tastings, a live cooking station; Kombucha based alcoholic beverages, as well as Snowbasin Chefs and Sünnte producers on site to talk. September 21: Farm to Table Dinner Explore the bounty of all Utah local items in a highly creative 5-course dinner. This dining event has been the talk of the town for the last four summers. Talk to the local purveyors, artisans, and farmers as well as the chefs. Also, visit with our community supported agriculture partners like Sandhill Farms and Borski Farms. This culinary event is the cornerstone of the Dining Discovery dinners and showcases some of our best at Snowbasin Resort. For more information, please visit www. snowbasin.com or call 801-620-1000. To make reservations call 801-620-1021. BLADEZ Complete Yard Care Call Destiny 385-264-9506 801-940-0217 Come join in the fun and participate in the parade! Decorate your bikes, four wheelers, tractors, wagons, trailers, etc. Please call Nick Froerer at 801-510-3210 if you can volunteer. Saturday, June 30th 6:00pm 6:30pm Rodeo Registration (anyone is invited to participate) Rodeo Events Begin Tuesday, July 3rd 7:00pm Set-up (we need everyone to help, please come) Wednesday, July 4th 7:30am 9:00am 9:30am 9:30am 11:30am 1:00pm 1:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm DARK Breakfast Parade & Flag Ceremony (line up at 8:45am to the East) Carnival Row Opens Arena Games (Mutton Bust, Pig & chicken catch) Park Games (Cake walk, Sawdust Find, Volleyball) Arm Wrestling Fish Catch (Will start when Fish arrive) Dinner ...Yum! Dancing in the Park Patriotic Tribute & Fireworks!!! LibertyPark.com |