Growing a Farmer by Kurt Timmermeister

This book came to my attention when Grover called to tell me that he read in the paper that the owner of Kurtwood Farms on Vashon Island was going to be reading from his newly-published book at our local bookstore the next day. Since Mark had just graduated from a fascinating and enlightening hog butchery workshop on Vashon, I wanted to hear what Kurtwood Farms was all about.

Turns out that Kurt Timmermeister was a successful chef and restaurateur in Seattle, who bought a parcel of land on Vashon - first to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city after work but which eventually led to his becoming a full-time farmer.

At first I was put off by his writing style. By put off, I mean that I found it distracting. I had to force myself not to pick up my editing pen and go to work on it. This is a personal problem of mine. There can be a fairly minor problem with a sentence that causes me to be unable to focus on its meaning. For instance, page one includes the sentence, "What was significant to me about this entire process was there was integrity." That "was there was" bothers me greatly. How about the not-quite-as-bad "What I found significant about this entire process was its integrity."?

After awhile, I stopped this mental editing. Kurt didn't claim to be a writer. He's a restaurateur turned farmer. And this book is not a "city boy moves to the country and lives off the land" story, written to entertain us or warm the cockles of our hearts. He is honestly and sincerely telling us the story of his farm, what it means to him, and how it developed over time. It is realistic and it is also fascinating.

The book imparts a great deal of information as well as being the story of Kurtwood Farms. I realized how true this was when I got to the end of the book. It actually has an index, where you can look up calculus, coagulants, cannibalism and Cargill, among many other things, just in the C's. This wealth of information is generously shared by Kurt with his readers, in a charming way, and with much humor.

He's tried a variety of farming activities, so there's something for everyone: vegetables, bees, chickens, raw milk, eggs, pigs, vinegar, cheese-making and especially Jersey cows. His descriptions of the butter will make you sorry you have given it up for olive oil. The descriptions of slaughtering the pigs may not be for everyone. His explanations of the farm's finances will discourage you from trying it yourself.

I'm actually going to read it again. But my biggest take-away first time through is this: food deserves our respect. If you eat meat, stop and think about the animal that gave its life for your dinner. If you're eating a potato, stop and appreciate the effort that went into growing it. And know what you're eating; it should be "food" rather than a "food product."

And by the way, Kurt was charming in person, as well. You will enjoy his book. The full title is Growing a Farmer: How I Learned to Live Off the Land.