Lean Years, Happy Years—Angelo Pellegrini, Madrona Publishers, 1983
The Unprejudiced Palate—Angelo Pellegrini, North Point Press, 1984
Angelo Pellegrini came to this country as a small boy from Italy, originally settling on the Washington coast and eventually becoming a professor at the University of Washington, living in a neighborhood a few blocks from my childhood home. Simply the idea that the author lived near me was enough for me to pick up these books to investigate them. Many cookbooks and food essays are written every year, but for a joyful, passionate treatise on life, and not just a culinary life, no author surpasses Pellegrini. I must admit that I read about cardoons in his books for more than thirty years before I actually planted one in my garden. Better late than never. He knew what he was talking about.
Living the Good Life—Helen and Scott Nearing, Schocken Books, 1954
The classic story of the city dwellers who leave the city in search of a better, fuller life in the country. In this case the Nearings left as socialist economists, headed to Maine to begin a new life. They left a legacy of books, writings and farms that have inspired more than one generation of young farmers, including myself.
Look to the Land—Lord Northbourne, Sophia Perennis, 1940, 2003
I found this reprint of a classic agricultural text almost by accident. I have rarely seen it quoted in the literature and yet I found it to be an amazing treatise on the challenges of farms. Although written seventy years ago in England, it is incredibly timely. Reading it, I am both astounded that our problems are not unique to our era and at the same time also saddened that we have not solved these problems in the past seven decades.
On Food and Cooking—Harold McGee, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1984
The go-to book for all questions culinary. For years I have wondered about the specifics of foods and cookery, only to have all my questions answered by McGee’s tome.
On Good Land: The Autobiography of an Urban Farm—Michael Ableman, Chronicle Books, 1998
Ableman, now a farmer on Salt Spring Island, wrote this great story about a farm in southern California. I enjoy the story, but even more so, I love looking at the satellite photos of the farm over the four decades of its existence as the suburbs catch up to the rural community, his farm the last one standing. The most visible proof I have of the encroachment of development on farmland.
Salad Bar Beef—Joel Salatin, Polyface, Inc, 1995
Salatin is the master of grass-based animal farming. He has written many books on the subject, and Salad Bar Beef is my favorite. His folksy writing draws me in, makes me think that I too can raise cows successfully. A thorough and complete treatise on rotational grazing completes this book.
Simple French Food—Richard Olney, Macmillan, 1974
Olney inspired me with this book in a few ways. Specifically his treatise on making vinegar propelled me to now have four casks filled with the stuff in my own kitchen. But in a broader sense, there is a joie de vivre that is expressed in his written word. I get the feeling that he loves food, loves to cook and to entertain his guests. The arrogance that trickles out every so often only adds to his intrigue for me.
The Botany of Desire—Michael Pollan, Random House, 2002
The Omnivore’s Dilemma—Michael Pollan, Penguin Books, 2006
All of Pollan’s books are excellent; these two, however, are my favorites. Pollan has that unique ability to describe in simple terms situations that make us all, including myself, stop and say, “Why didn’t I think of that? That is so simple—now I will look at things in a new way….” The Botany of Desire made me look at plants completely differently. To me plants now have an innate intelligence to them. The Omnivore’s Dilemma did the same for me in reference to animals. I look at animals and farming and eating with a fresh approach since reading this book.
Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook—Alice Waters, Random House, 1982
Although the Waters’s recipes are valuable, I cherish this book simply for the opening five-page essay entitled “What I Believe About Cooking.” I have reread this passage many times, finding inspiration for cooking and serving guests. Raising animals, making cheese and growing vegetables are my present goals, yet I need to be sure never to forget that the goal is not simply a beautiful lamb, but rather a leg of lamb, roasted, served and eaten for the enjoyment of the guests. Waters bridges this continuum well in this timeless essay.
The Encyclopedia of Country Living—Carla Emery, Sasquatch Books, 1994
This voluminous paperback, a compendium of rural life, is indispensable. Although many books address the same topics and often in more depth, the encyclopedic nature of this book is invaluable. I also enjoy Emery’s style. She obviously did not raise every animal, grow every plant she talks about here—she quotes liberally from others, bringing in many views on a subject.
The Family Cow—Dirk van Loon, Garden Way Publishing, 1976
The classic writing on keeping a cow for personal use. The first book I turned to when I had no idea what to do with my bovine. Van Loom has presented owning a family cow with such a calmness that reading his book makes me think that keeping a cow is surmountable, and a joy. And it often is.
The River Cottage Cookbook—Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, HarperCollins, 2001
I love this book. I want to live at the River Cottage. I want to jump into the pictures, eat dinner with Hugh and sop up the sauce in the bottom of the pan with that crusty bread. The River Cottage Cookbook has inspired many, including myself, to look around for our local foods: underfoot, in our neighborhoods and in our hedgerows. I don’t have any hedgerows, not really sure what they are, but I want some. Cheers to Hugh.
The Untold Story of Milk—Ron Schmid, ND, New Trends Publishing, 2003
Although Schmid certainly has a perspective of promoting the virtues of raw milk in this book, the sheer volume of research he has done makes this a necessary read. I only wish that those in public health could see the value in raw milk as much as Schmid does.
The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating, Fergus Henderson, Ecco, 2004.
Fergus Henderson has given offal the respect it deserves. He took the least-loved parts of animals—kidneys, spleens, livers, brains—and crafted great recipes to utilize them to their best potential. He also has a style, both to his writing and his London restaurant St. John, that I love: clean, crisp and confident with a touch of humor.
About the Author
Kurt Timmermeister is the owner of Kurtwood Farms, a thirteen-acre farm located on Vashon Island, one of the rural islands adjacent to Seattle. He studied international affairs at the American College in Paris, where he discovered his love of food and restaurants far surpassed his affinity for government work. He returned to Seattle to begin a career in food service and opened his own café called Café Septieme at the age of twenty-four. For eighteen years he ran a series of ever-larger Café Septiemes while at the same time beginning his education in small-scale farming. In 1991 he moved to Vashon Island, buying land that would eventually become Kurtwood Farms, and sold his restaurants. Kurtwood Farms is now home to a small herd of Jersey cows; a motley crew of sheep; happy free rooting pigs; an ever-changing flock of chickens, geese, and ducks; and his two dogs, Byron and Daisy.
More praise for
Growing a Farmer
“In an age and place where most food is produced on an industrial scale, the story of one man’s pursuit of a more direct path between the land and his table is worth telling. In fact, devouring the book is, in its own way, every bit as pleasant as sitting down to that cookhouse table.”
—Greg Atkinson, Seattle Times
“Think of it as the Little Farm That Could. With pluck, luck, and admirable determination, Timmermeister not only manages to supply his paying customers but, more importantly, succeeds in feeding his soul.”
—Carol Haggas, Booklist
“Shot through with humor, the book is a reality check for all those urban fantasies about movin
g to the country and living off the land. Timmermeister simultaneously embodies the locavore ethic and shies away from its sometimes-prissy idealism. . . . The man knows, and makes, great food.”
—Jonathan Kauffman, San Francisco Weekly
“An engaging and informative read. . . . In the course of recounting his journey from chef and landowner to farmer and cheesemaker, Timmermeister delivers a great deal of useful and interesting information in an honest, accessible voice.”
—Culture magazine
“Refreshingly candid.”
—Lisa Campbell, Library Journal
“Timmermeister’s voice is engaging and encompassing—you won’t find any preaching on these pages.”
—Hank Will,
Grit magazine
“Growing a Farmer is kind of like a Walden for the twenty-first century, a book that both takes us back to the essence of something real (in this case, food) while at the same time problematizing the cultural constructs we’ve built around the whole endeavor. . . . In this day and age we’re way too jaded for the pastoral idealism of days gone by, but Timmermeister is forging a new ideal in this book.”
—Tami Parr,
Pacific Northwest Cheese Project blog
“Kurt exudes respect for everything he does. . . . Through his experiences, we come to reconsider where our food comes from and the importance of eating locally.”
—Jenn Risko,
Shelf Awareness
“A finely observed education in ethics and animals, crops and cheesemaking, an up-and-down journey that transformed land into a farm and a man into a farmer.”
—Rebekah Denn, Christian Science Monitor
“Fans of that small genre of live-off-the-land stories . . . will find much to appreciate in Timmermeister’s ability to take a concept back to its root and parse it until the simplest, most elemental truths remain.”
—Paul Constant, The Stranger
“A wonderful and inspiring story of transformation. . . . Timmermeister invites us all to the table to share what he has learned. He shows that it was more his passion and sweat than his knowledge of food or farming that opened the door for his success as a farmer.”
—Edible Louisville
“Anyone interested in where real food comes from will
love this book. I was charmed by Kurt Timmermeister’s story of becoming a farmer and found myself fascinated as he describes how he learned to install bees in a hive, establish an orchard, milk cows, make cheese, and that slaughtering chickens is no party.”
—Jerry Traunfeld, chef/owner of Poppy and author of The Herbfarm Cookbook
“All farmers will nod knowingly at Timmermeister’s exploits, and soon-to-be farmers should take notes as they read this satisfying memoir.”
—Novella Carpenter, author of
Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer
“Kurt Timmermeister created his life as a farmer from scratch—a grand improvisation. Growing a Farmer journals his struggles with the uncertain forces of nature, his happy discoveries in food production, and his quest to improve the land to which he has committed himself.”
—Paul Bertolli, founder, Fra’ Mani Handcrafted
Salumi, Berkeley, California
“Candid, charming, and remarkably informative—an inspiring must-read for any city dwellers who have ever dreamed of ditching their condo for the countryside.”
—Kathleen Flinn, author of
The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry
“An entertaining and revealing account of how a successful urbanite becomes a farmer. Kurt’s personal and farm-related stories, setbacks, and celebrations will give you pause and laughter. This is a delicious story.”
—David Gremmels, chairman, American Cheese Society
Copyright © 2011 by Kurt Timmermeister
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First published as a Norton paperback 2012
Frontispiece: © Clare Barboza
For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book,
write to Permissions, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.,
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact
W. W. Norton Special Sales at [email protected] or 800-233-4830
Manufacturing by Courier Westford
Book design by M. Kristen Bearse
Production manager: Anna Oler
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Timmermeister, Kurt.
Growing a farmer : how I learned to live off the land /
Kurt Timmermeister. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-393-07085-9 (hardcover)
1. Farm life—Washington (State)—Vashon Island.
2. Country life—Washington (State)—Vashon Island. I. Title.
S521.5.W5T56 2011
630.92—dc22
[B]
2010034825
ISBN 978-0-393-34129-4 pbk.
W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10110
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