Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally (Hardcover)

~ (Author), J.B. Mackinnon (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Over a meal of fish, potatoes, and wild mushrooms foraged outside their cabin in British Columbia, the authors of this charmingly eccentric memoir decide to embark on a year of eating food grown within 100 miles of their Vancouver apartment. Thus begins an exploration of the foodways of the Pacific northwest, along which the authors, both professional writers, learn to can their own vegetables, grow their own herbs, search out local wheat silos and brew jars of blueberry jam. They also lose weight, bicker and down hefty quantities of white wine from local vineyards. Their engaging narrative is sprinkled with thought-provoking reportage, such as a UK study that shows the time people spend shopping the supermarket-driving, parking and wandering the aisles-is "nearly equal to that spent preparing food from scratch twenty years ago." Though their tone can wax preachy, the wisdom of their advice is obvious, and the deliciousness of their bounty is tantalizing-if local eating means a sandwich full of peppers, fried mushrooms, and "delectably oozing goat cheese," their efforts appear justified.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Smith and MacKinnon revolt against the industrial model of food distribution and determine to spend a year eating nothing raised or cultivated beyond a 100-mile radius of their British Columbia home. They seek not just health benefits and fuel efficiencies but they also want to reconnect with small, local growers, millers, fishermen, and ranchers to create a community where the consumer knows both where the food comes from and who has produced it. British Columbia, with its Marine West Coast climate, its rivers full of salmon, and its proximity to the sea, offers unique opportunities to pursue this resolve. Along the way, the authors learn a lot about nutrition and uncommon varieties of fruits, vegetables, and herbs, and all the data is shared with the reader. Satisfying all their family's hungers proves daunting but scarcely impossible. Entries for each month conclude with a recipe reflecting use of seasonal ingredients. Knoblauch, Mark
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Harmony; 1 edition (April 24, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030734732X
• ISBN-13: 978-0307347329
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #231,998 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful, June 5, 2007

By	A reader (Southeast USA) - See all my reviews

With all due respect, I have to disagree with the accusation that the authors "finked out" when the winter months came. Yes, they did a lot of traveling, but when they returned home they found "an incredible surplus of good food". Why? Because they had relied on the same techniques that many of our ancestors relied on to get through the harsh winter months (before there were super Walmarts on every corner): they canned, froze/cold stored and dried when things were in season.

I hardly believe that the point of all this is to say "you must eat 100% within a 100 mile radius" or you have failed, but rather to just TRY. Search out your local producers (it takes a lot of leg work at first, but it's worth it), support your local economy. And, in doing so, you'll meet some incredible people who are not just dedicated to protecting the environment, but who are also very concerned about your health.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Reading Plenty is like gardening plenty. , June 9, 2007

By	Genene Murphy (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Reading Plenty begins with whimsy. I enjoyed its early, leisurely pace. A seemingly perfect read. But, here's the thing: there's a passage that describes tomato picking in a late-season field that's littered with rotting fruit. Surprisingly, though, the sweetest finds are found among pounds of odd-shaped discards. That's how I felt about this gem. And that's why I kept reading.

The day-to-day descriptions of the authors' relationship with each other, their families and their relationships with the land are what hooked me. There's great writing in sincerity. The authors are honest. Reflective. And funny. Sadly, though, the best passages are buried in a lot of context that I suspect the editors thought were important and necessary ... like a magazine feature gone wrong.

Would I read the book again? No. Did I learn something. Yeah. Does it linger and would I recommend it? Absolutely.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book, July 8, 2007

By	J. Dunn (Arlington, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Eat Locally. The subject of this book has the potential to be incredibly preachy, fundamentalist, and dogmatic. Instead, it's down to earth, fun, and intelligent. The authors teamed up to write about their yearlong adventure from 2 points of view - his and hers - alternating author by chapter. I was afraid when I bought this book that it would end up being another well-intentioned half-read paperweight sitting on my bookshelf. I'm happy to report that I devoured it in just a few sittings. It even has recipes.

It's easy to feel helpless to take any meaningful action when faced with all that is going on. The grassroots effort to eat locally has the potential for effecting real change in our landscape, economy, and health. After reading this book, "Eat Local" is more than just a slogan - its something I intend to do, and just as importantly, its something I intend to have fun with.