I devoured this book in a matter of days! Novella Carpenter's "Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer" is just that. Moving to Oakland's Ghost Town neighborhood (and I use the term "neighborhood" loosely, Novella set up shop in a vacant lot, planting trees, veggies, setting up a chicken coop and harboring a bee hive. This alone I find impressive, but not satisfied she goes on to raise (and butcher and consume) ducks, turkeys, rabbits and yes... pigs.
The writing style seems conversational and as a result very personal. I especially enjoy that she doesn't necessarily find what she does very unusual. Sure, loose turkeys on MLK is pretty darn unexpected, but her efforts feel humble and she does not try to place herself on a pedestal. "Anyone can do this if you're ready for this lifestyle," she seems to say. Yet she is not selling an idea, either.
It seems she learns more about people and the environment around her than farming itself as she negotiates vegetable thieves, high-end chefs, and neighborhood children discovering farm animals in person for the first time.
While I'm not quite to the point of taking a pair of pruning shears to a duck's head, I am feeling more motivated to get my vegetable garden in gear for winter greens and root vegetables. I'm even contemplating bees. . . and eventually chickens. It's like Novella decides early on- chickens are the gateway drugs of farm animals!
