I finished reading Farm City earlier this week. There are enough details to figure out that the farm is (or was, at least) on the corner of 28th and MLK, which means Painted Tongue is right around the corner from the farm. I’ve been driving by it for weeks. I drove by after leaving the studio today, and sure enough, there’s a fenced lot that, from the looks of it, may still have a garden in it. Pretty neat.

The book itself was an engaging read. I read it during my BART commute, and I think it’s only by sheer luck that I managed not to miss my stop even once. I have a yard now, so I’ve been dreaming of my own garden full of tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, garlic, basil…now, I’ve never successfully grown any kind of plant in my life, so it’s both an exciting and daunting prospect. Because of that, Farm City is inspiring: if Novella Carpenter can run a farm—a real farm, with animals—on a formerly-neglected West Oakland lot, surely I can tend a little garden in my yard, right?

It’s also making me want to raise ducks, rabbits, and chickens. And if it weren’t for the cost, the nightly Dumpster diving, and the sheer size of the animals, I’d be daydreaming about raising pigs too. But that’s okay. I can still salivate over the thought of tasty salted pig parts. (Disclaimer: I am in no way being compensated by Boccalone.)

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