Growing a Farmer Blog Post 2

I am glad Growing a Farmer was assigned to our writing class. As someone who enjoys learning about nutrition and fresh grown food, I found this book incredibly educational. Kurt Timmermeister does an outstanding job of revealing to us the trials and tribulations of establishing a farm from the ground up. It is tremendously informative when it comes to teaching us about fruits, vegetables, bees, cows, butchering and slaughtering various animals. At times, Timmermeister was a little too revealing. I felt as though the chapters on slaughtering and butchering the animals went a little far. I understand the importance of including them in the book, but I personally did not enjoy reading about the minuscule details of killing the pig. The novel recounts success stories and failures that accompanied his journey, creating an extraordinarily raw and authentic tone. He is exceptionally real when discussing his failures, such as trying to enter the milk market. I believe he includes these defeats to teach readers that failure is common in any profession. It encourages readers to take on whatever defeats that will face them and bounce back stronger than before. After reading the book, I personally felt inspired to start buying more produce from small farms and farmers markets.

My favorite chapter in the novel was the chapter titled The Table. He begins the chapter by describing “daily life” on the farm. Although he describes chore after chore that he must complete, he paints a relaxing picture. All through the novel, Timmermeister is constantly improvising and creating new adventures to embark on. I thought his idea to host dinner parties with his fresh produce and meat from the farm was genius. It is interesting that he came full circle from his first restaurant career to his restaurant on the farm. The cookhouse dinner menu that he presents looks delicious and listening to the way he describes the Sunday family meals sounds lovely. I can only imagine how fresh all of the food must taste. Timmermeister ends this chapter by saying, “The animals are content in the field, the gardens lush with vegetables, the orchards ever more prolific and most importantly the table, the center of this farm, is filled with food and family. I believe this is the perfect quote to sum up the novel.