"In the 22 years since Kurt Timmermeister bought four acres of rocky, suspect farmland here for $100,000, he has had his ribs broken by an amorous female cow, lost a lamb to a crow that pecked its eyes out, and recoiled from the cannibalism of his chickens (when they weren't eating one another, they were picked off by raccoons), among other blood- and mud-flecked dramas.   

 

". ..This farming coming-of-age story is both a cautionary tale and an inspiration to those who aspire to the farm life. His hard-won lessons - how he learned what he and his land had an affinity for (cows, not sheep) and how to profit from that (sell cheese, not vegetables) - were the subject of his first book, "Growing a Farmer: How I Learned to Live Off the Land," 

 

Read Penelope Green in the NYTIMES for an update here 

 

 

More about the Book: "When he purchased four acres of land on Vashon Island, Kurt Timmermeister was only looking for an affordable home near the restaurants he ran in Seattle. But as he slowly settled into his new property, he became awakened to the connection between what he ate and where it came from: a hive of bees provided honey, a young cow could give fresh milk, an apple orchard allowed him to make vinegar...."