Mud Season Memoirs

Book lover alert! There are lots of memoirs out there concerning food, farming, and rural living, but these are a few I've read recently:

The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food, and Love by Kristin Kimball (2010)

Of the three books here, this was by FAR my favorite. The author, who once frequented the literary circles of NYC, finds an unexpected dual love: farming, and a farmer to go with it. Their adventure lands them at Essex Farm, located in Essex County, NY -- only a couple hours north of where I grew up. The story is wonderfully composed, and full of interesting anecdotes that make the book zip right along. I'd recommend this book to a wide audience of people, despite its focus on farming. Backyard gardeners and food-lovers will still resonate with many of its themes.

Fifty Acres and a Poodle: A Story of Love, Livestock, and Finding Myself on a Farm by Jeanne Marie Laskas (2002)

Though this book takes place on a farm, I found it to be less about farming and more about the adjustment of "city folk" to a rural lifestyle. The author is quite introspective and thoughtful in relating her slow acclimation to her oddball neighbors and the completely foreign countryside that surrounds her. An enjoyable read, and I even think the author wrote a sequel a couple years later.

Heirloom: Notes from an Accidental Tomato Farmer by Tim Stark (2008)

Tomatoes! In early spring, they seem so far away, so of course I had to pick this one up. Unfortunately, there weren't as many luscious descriptions of tomatoes as I would have liked, but the author's story is intriguing none-the-less. It's actually quite interesting how he gets started, and the people he meets at the massive Greenmarket in NYC (which I would one day love to visit). Written as a string of anecdotes loosely tied together, I felt pieces of the puzzle were missing in places, or perhaps glossed over a little too much. Overall though, another enjoyable memoir.

I'm currently reading The Rural Life by Verlyn Klinkenborg -- another book that takes place in upstate NY. It's very relaxing to read for some reason, probably because he has a very poetic writing style. I could add quite a few more books here... but we'll just stick with these for now.

Oh, shame on me: I still haven't read The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan! I'm sensing a trip to the library soon... and if anyone has suggestions of other books, pass them on! I'm all ears. :)