Impressions of Growing a Farmer by Kurt Timmermeister
Kurt Timmermeister pivots
from his plans of running restaurants in Seattle to explore the connection
between what he eats and where it comes from by trying to run a farm.
As the above mentioned
premise describes, this book is about a journey, a process. This journey from
restauranteur to farmer along with the process of building and managing the key
components of the farm is the highlight of the book. These key components
consisted of everything from beekeeping and picking fruits to pigs and cows.
There is a certain respect he gives each of these processes along with the
uphill task involved in profitably executing the tasks involving these
components. However, as I am a vegetarian, the chapters on slaughtering pigs
were not as “appetizing” as it may have been to others.
One of the chapters that
contain these passionate descriptions is the chapter on beekeeping. I am
particularly scared of bees and fond of honey, making for rather interesting
preconceived notions. Timmermeister, gives detailed insights on how the Queen
Bee is protected by an army of worker bees and the sheer “bee-power” that goes
behind the smallest amounts of honey. It made me appreciate the volume of work - human or animal that goes behind each ingredient we eat, and this teamwork between man and animal that produces food.
Overall, this book is the
perfect example of enjoying the journey more than the outcome. It puts the process
on a pedestal and gives an honest and passionate representation of this journey.
Its personal yet practical.
This seems like a very good book and I am especially interested in the beekeeping section. Growing up, I was always absolutely terrified of bees (still am), but as I got older I learned how crucial bees are. While I understand they are important I've never known much about that besides that we should all perhaps not wish they were dead, and I feel like this part of the book might have been very useful in explaining the details.
ReplyDeleteI also read this book. I really like your interpretation of enjoying the journey. Timmermeister seemed to enjoy his mistakes almost as much as his successes. I think that's a sign that you're on the right path in life.
ReplyDelete- Brendan Graniez
Once I was stung by a bee, but it was my fault because I had bothered it. even if I have always had a tremendous fear of bees since then, they are also insects that fascinate me because of the hierarchy inside their society and their super organized life. We humans have still a lot to learn from the animal world!
ReplyDeleteI like your summary of this book, and your focus on it being about the process. There can be a calm in enjoying things that might seem otherwise mundane, and a lot of fulfillment in being able to taste the fruition of your work. That's something that I need to work on.
ReplyDelete-Diana Zhao
I am also scared of Bees! I got stung once on my eyelid and I had a puffy eye for 2 weeks. And damn Vish, the chapter on slaughtering must have been very unpleasing for you to read.
ReplyDeleteI love food! Reading your post makes it sound like this would be a fun book to read. I used to live in my brother's guest house a few years ago and he decided to get beehives to make his own honey. I love bees but when I get stung by them, I always have a horrible reaction to them. When my brother finally got his beehives in the backyard I went to extreme measures to try and dodge the bees every single day!
ReplyDeleteI definitely share your fear of bees! Only been stung once in my life but still expect to get stung every time I see one! Great summary of the book as well. I really liked how you explained the book as a journey
ReplyDelete-Christian
I love the bit about teamwork between humans and animals to produce food. Once you recognize how much work animals put in to make products that we enjoy like honey or milk, you gain a huge appreciation and admiration for the animals. I found some stats online relating to bees and honey.
ReplyDeleteApparently, bees must visit approximately two million flowers to produce a single pound of honey, flying upwards of 55,000 miles. Also, on average, a single bee will produce 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in its entire life.
So I guess next time you decide to sweeten your tea or put some honey on your toast, think of how much effort and how many animals it took to produce just the honey you're using in that instance.