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Good Reads
The New Year always seems to feel like good time to take stock of things or renew some commitments that might have taken a back seat over the latter part of the old year. Our 2008 Harvest was a long and hard fought battle taking us right up till the end of the year. By the time we had a chance to relax a little, the holidays were upon us and it was nice to put wine a little to one side (only just) and spend some time on other projects or interests – including catching up on some reading. A couple of books really caught our attention and help stir some new energy into our core beliefs.
Alan Weisman’s The World Without Us has already gathered a huge amount of praise and press and I was delighted to finally read it. Understanding how quickly some elements of our current man-made world would disappear should humans cease to be around was fascinating. Learning how long other remains (cadmium, cbrew your arbon dioxide levels and plastics to name but a few) would continue to pay testament to our presence was both fearful and inspirational. A good motivation to make better choices for sure and strangely uplifting!
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is one of our favorite cooks. His latest work – The River Cottage Cookbook is simply an amazing read and guaranteed to get any reader either into a garden, out for a walk or into their kitchen. At the center of Hugh’s message is his passionate support for his local economy, local environment and a resourceful and respectful use of plants and animals. Now, I may not go so far as to recommend you own blackberry wine like Hugh (Medlock Ames Cabernet has enough dark fruit flavors to satisfy thank you very much) but his enthusiasm for hands on agriculture and edibles is truly contagious. I was making my own bread before I realized what I was doing. Hugh has also set up a store specifically for local produce: a concept we’re planning to unveil for Alexander Valley later this year….stay tuned.
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vineyard
