{"product_id":"farm-city-the-education-of-an-urban-farmer","title":"Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer","description":"\u003cbody\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eTitle: \u003c\/b\u003eFarm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor: \u003c\/b\u003eNovella Carpenter\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN: \u003c\/b\u003e9781594202216\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/b\u003ePenguin Press\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished: \u003c\/b\u003e2009\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding: \u003c\/b\u003eHardcover\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage: \u003c\/b\u003eEnglish\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEdition: \u003c\/b\u003eFirst Edition\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNumber of Pages: \u003c\/b\u003e288\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Note: \u003c\/b\u003eClean, unmarked copy with some edge wear. Good binding. Dust jacket included if issued with one. We ship in recyclable American-made mailers. 100% money-back guarantee on all orders.\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher Description: \u003c\/b\u003eUrban and rural collide in this wry, inspiring memoir of a woman who turned a vacant lot in downtown Oakland into a thriving farm \u003cbr\u003eNovella Carpenter loves cities-the culture, the crowds, the energy. At the same time, she can't shake the fact that she is the daughter of two back-to-the-land hippies who taught her to love nature and eat vegetables. Ambivalent about repeating her parents' disastrous mistakes, yet drawn to the idea of backyard self-sufficiency, Carpenter decided that it might be possible to have it both ways: a homegrown vegetable plot as well as museums, bars, concerts, and a twenty-four-hour convenience mart mere minutes away. Especially when she moved to a ramshackle house in inner city Oakland and discovered a weed-choked, garbage-strewn abandoned lot next door. She closed her eyes and pictured heirloom tomatoes, a beehive, and a chicken coop. \u003cbr\u003e What started out as a few egg-laying chickens led to turkeys, geese, and ducks. Soon, some rabbits joined the fun, then two three-hundred-pound pigs. And no, these charming and eccentric animals weren't pets; she was a farmer, not a zookeeper. Novella was raising these animals for dinner. Novella Carpenter's corner of downtown Oakland is populated by unforgettable characters. Lana (\"anal\" spelled backward, she reminds us) runs a speakeasy across the street and refuses to hurt even a fly, let alone condone raising turkeys for Thanksgiving. Bobby, the homeless man who collects cars and car parts just outside the farm, is an invaluable neighborhood concierge. The turkeys, Harold and Maude, tend to escape on a daily basis to cavort with the prostitutes hanging around just off the highway nearby. Every day on this strange and beautiful farm, urban meets rural in the most surprising ways. \u003cbr\u003e For anyone who has ever grown herbs on their windowsill, tomatoes on their fire escape, or obsessed over the offerings at the local farmers' market, Carpenter's story will capture your heart. And if you've ever considered leaving it all behind to become a farmer outside the city limits, or looked at the abandoned lot next door with a gleam in your eye, consider this both a cautionary tale and a full-throated call to action.\" Farm City\" is an unforgettably charming memoir, full of hilarious moments, fascinating farmers' tips, and a great deal of heart. It is also a moving meditation on urban life versus the natural world and what we have given up to live the way we do.\u003c\/body\u003e","brand":"Penguin Press","offers":[{"title":"Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer | Novella Carpenter | Hardcover | 9781594202216 | Used: Very Good | Back Stacks A 1750968","offer_id":48883895042200,"sku":"1750968","price":9.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0492\/1609\/4360\/files\/614zHNLbTGL.jpg?v=1776478736","url":"https:\/\/roundaboutbookstore.com\/products\/farm-city-the-education-of-an-urban-farmer","provider":"Roundabout Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}