Farm City by Novella Carpenter

A friend got me this book for my birthday and I haven't put it down since. Reading about urban farming makes what I have look like a real farm . Carpenter managed to keep bees, chickens, rabbits, 2 pigs, turkeys, ducks, and as she puts it "two monkeys" in a small apartment and an abandoned concrete lot across the alley. Along with making me appreciate the space that I have to work with, reading this book has opened up the potential for, and I'm sorry if I offend anyone, the idea of raising animals for more than just companionship and a few eggs. When I first started venturing off into the idea of having my own chickens the only things I thought of were eggs and compost. Novella vividly paints a relationship between animals and humans as it was intended; to raise animals, to respect their life, and to be thankful for their gifts. Once upon a time, knowing my food would have seemed morbid and I wanted no part of picturing my fried chicken's former life of clucking around a yard, pecking at worms and dust. Fast food, grocery stores, and any other modern "conveniences" have cut us off from the reality that what we eat was alive. We have no connection to how those animals lived. Were they confined in tiny cages? Or, were they roaming free and allowed to be cows or chickens or pigs before they became our nourishment? At least with my chickens, I can ensure they will live as chickens should with sunshine and scratching dirt and chasing grasshoppers. This book reminded me of the waste and carelessness of our convenient world. I find myself avoiding as much as I possibly can at the grocery store if I can make it myself or buy it at my Saturday farmers' markets. The more books I read about homesteading, the more ashamed of myself for living the way that I did for so long. By leaps and bounds or by baby steps and caution, I will become more self reliant. I will provide for my family. I will show my daughter the beauty and rewards of growing your own food.