Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver

Have you ever wondered why a stalk of asparagus, although readily available year round, never tastes as good as it does in April, and why a winter squash soup complements so perfectly a cold winter’ day? Or why a conventionally grown tomato arrives in grocery stores hard, white, and tasteless throughout the winter? Are you baffled at the words “genetic modification,” or do you think they have nothing to do with you and the food you eat? How are genetic engineering, pesticides, and conventional, non-sustainable agriculture practices contributing to the rise of cancers, allergies, and other ailments, not to mention environmental destruction? 

Do you wonder what “heirloom” means when referred to a tomato, melon, onion, or any other variety of meat or produce, or how many chickens a “concentrated animal feeding operation” (a CAFO) could fit in your bathroom? (Answer: about 1,152 chickens)! Does it bother you that our national eating disorder and bad eating habits are leading to the prediction that our kids will be the first generation in history to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents?