This is one of my all time favorite books! I want to make the book review posts a regular monthly series here on Sweet Athena and I thought AVM would be the perfect book to kick start that. Kingsolver writes a memoir with her husband and daughters about their year commitment to eat local food mostly from their farm in West Virginia. It fits well with our current animal theme, as I think the book explores well our relationship with both plants and animals. I was skeptical to read this book at first because I frankly hate gardening. Yet, Kingsolver’s straight forward, humours writing and my keen desire to treat the earth right, paired with my love of food, created a magical journey for me when reading this book. If nothing else, you should at least read the turkey mating passage.
The memoir is cleverly broken down into seasons and each season offers recipes and menu planning ideas. I recently tried a couple of the dishes from Spring’s section. All recipes can be found in the book or on their website.
I first cooked Asparagus and Morel Bread, which works well as a main vegetarian dish or side dish. I actually did not have morel, but any type of mushroom works. Asparagus is the real star. This dish is like the spring version of the wild mushroom and butternut squash bread pudding I made in the winter.
I also made the easy dish of Eggs in a Nest. A great meal for getting lots of veggies and a little protein in your dinner. I used sun dried tomatoes which add a sweetness to the meal.
~Jess
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