Farming, family and food

 Good Husbandry

by Kristan Kimball

Was the title a pun?  The book is about a farm and the man and wife who own it, told by the wife. But a good bit of her struggles are with the husband she loves as much as the work that she learns to love.

It's lovely. Very much. Throughout. A little sad in the struggles they have with modern farming methods that threaten to overwhelm their little operation as they try to grow it. But they stay true to themselves and their beliefs, even while they compromise with "progress."  Such as this--they tried to use draft animals for plowing and hauling, and did so quite successfully for some time, but they kept having to train new teamsters to handle the horses. The new people, once trained, would eventually leave and go on to start farms of their own. Eventually the tractor took over more and more of the work around the farm--less learning curve.

But still, very, very lovely. If I lived there, I'd join their CSA.