Looking for a great read to settle in for the winter? Kristin Kimball’s “The Dirty Life”, is farm fantastic. A true story about a Manhattan writer and Harvard graduate. While on a writing assignment she meets Mark, a farmer with very clear organic ideas on farming. How does a 13 year vegetarian fall for a rugged man of the land? She was Intrigued over the slaughtering of a pig and falls in love with him over a deer liver! The hardest thing to believe about the entire book is that a committed city girl gives up her high heels for a a pair of overalls. She claims to be professionally dirty ever since.
Mark woos Kristen with his culinary skills. His kitchen packed with gallon jars of black beans, dried apples, wheat, rye berries and small ears of corn, which takes up half of his trailer. It smells of milk, meat and dirt, reminding Kristen of a market in a third world country. Mark’s dream is to have a farm where no money changes hands, only goodwill and favors. Mark believed if you start out by giving big items away that people would be discomfited by such gifts and try to make it up to you by giving something big in return.Whilst away from the farm, Kristen finds her body was craving the farm food, land and the back breaking work it took to tend to the soil.
Without ruining the story we highly suggest you take a look at this simply written interesting memoir of farming, food and love.
Today, the 600 acre Essex Farm offers a year membership that feeds 222 members. The farm provides a full diet of grass fed-beef, pastured pork, chicken, eggs and fifty kinds of vegetables, milk, grains, flour, fruit, herbs, maple syrup and soap. Most of the food is on an all you can eat basis.
http://home/slauck16/domains/ladymoonfarms.com/public_html.kristinkimball.com