Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life

"Fall brings the end of annual growth: hard-shelled fruits with developed seeds inside, and the root crops. The growing is over, but the season of good eating will last a lot longer. Our year here was marked by extraordinary drought, but with just a few well-timed irrigations and a wealth of mulch, our garden fed us nicely through the summer and has provisioned our root cellar for the months to come."

- Barbara Kingsolver

To see a celebration of the seasonal changes on author Barbara Kingsolver's farm (that's her book and her image of "Momma turkey" and her poults above), visit www.animalvegetablemiracle.com.

A gathering to talk about her book (co-authors Steven Hopp and Camille Kingsolver) will happen Thursday, Nov. 19, 6:30 p.m. at Cromwell Belden Public Library, 39 West St., Cromwell.

Here's a taste of the book:

"We wanted to live in a place that could feed us: where rain falls, crops grow, and drinking water bubble right up out of the ground. This might seem an abstract reason for leaving beloved friends and one of the most idyllic destination cities in the United States. But it was real to us. As it closes in on the million-souls mark, Tucson's charms have made it one of this country';s fastest growing cities. It keeps people services across the wide, wide spectrum of daily human wants, with its banks, shops . . . . save one thing - the stuff we put in our mouths every few hours to keep us alive . . . . virtually every unit of food consumed there moves in to town in a refrigerated module from somewhere far away."


Kingsolver and her family move east to a farm for a year - at least that was the idea in the beginning - and as a gifted writer, she focuses her skills on the seasonal march of food, memories connected to those edibles, and producing for the table. Recipes, sharp observations and funny - much food for thought too. A whole site is devoted to the book and includes a way to view the animals, plants and people about which she writes. (Those are two of her spring lambs in the photo above, from the tour portion.)

The program is sponsored by the Connecticut Humanities Council. Free, but registration is required; call (860) 632-3460.

Last Weekend For Belltown Hill's Apple Fritters

The Preli family who own Belltown Hill Orchards of South Glastonbury reminds hungry visitors that this is the last weekend to pick up some of their very own apple fritters.

(That's a picture of them, above, from the farm's e-newsletter.)

The farm store is located at 483 Matson Hill Rd., South Glastonbury. Hours: Farm market, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Weekday PYO 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; weekend PYO is 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. or until dusk.

Pick up fruit, good food, or check out the nook for neighbor Wind-Gait Farm's yarns - three different kinds with mohair blended with wool. (Special orders are available, too.)

Fresh squeezed apple cider, milk and cheeses are also available and check out the bakery and well-stocked pantry products.

For details and even a recipe of the month (Classic Apple Pie), visit the farm's site at www.belltownhillorchards.com
Sign up for their wonderful newsletter - and they will send delectable recipes each week (this week is Harvest Pumpkin Bread, yum).

Call ahead for other details, (860) 633-2789.

While in Glastonbury, it's quite possible to visit numerous farms and farm stores - just look for the small signs along the way. For specific details see the first in a series on the PYO trail that recently provided a weekend of enjoyment and discovery (and pies).