T H E D I R T Y L I F E :A M e m o i r o f F a r m i n g , F o o d , a n d L o v e

b y K r i s t i n K i m b a l l

This October, VBPL is bringing sustainability, farming, and local food to the forefront with “On the Same Page: Virginia Beach Reads The Dirty Life.”

This community reading program brings together neighbors to read and talk about the same book at the same time. VBPL will celebrate Virginia Beach’s rich agricultural history all month with a full menu of events based on food and farming. Everyone in Virginia Beach is encouraged to read Kimball’s book, available in a variety of formats at your library, and participate in discussions and events throughout October.

For more information, visit www.VBgov.com/SamePage

look inside for details

Call your library for program registration unless otherwise noted. Call your library for program registration unless otherwise noted.October 2013 October 2013

BA-Bayside CL-Central GN-Great Neck JUL-Joint-Use KV-Kempsville OF-Oceanfront PA-Princess Anne PB-Pungo-Blackwater WW-Windsor Woods BA-Bayside CL-Central GN-Great Neck JUL-Joint-Use KV-Kempsville OF-Oceanfront PA-Princess Anne PB-Pungo-Blackwater WW-Windsor Woods

Compost Stew and StoriesEnjoy stories, songs and rhymes and learn how to start composting at home! Ages 3 & upS, 10/12, 10:30 a.m., PB, 385-7790

Garden FreshStorytime and CraftCelebrate fruits and veggies with this healthy and refreshing storytime. After create your own masterpiece with various vegetables. Registration begins 9/30. Ages 3-5Th, 10/17, 2:00 p.m., CL, 385-0150

TEENS & ADULTS

ALL AGES

YOUTHAge 3 - 12

All About BeesBees are farmers’ best friends! Learn why and how we can preserve this valuable resource as the Beekeeper’s Guild teaches us All About Bees.M, 10/14, 5 - 6 p.m., GN, 385-2606S, 10/19, 12 - 1 p.m., PA, 385-2610M, 10/21, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m., KV, 385-2627M, 10/28, 5 - 6 p.m, WW, 385-2630

Goats!Join Shannon and the goats of Shady Goat Farm to learn all the wonderful things about our bearded animal friends. W, 10/9, 11 a.m., BA, 385-2680W, 10/23, 10 a.m., OF, 385-2640

Book Discussion:The Dirty Life by Kristin KimballAges 13 & up

S, 10/5, 2 - 3 p.m., CL, 385-0150T, 10/15, 6 - 7 p.m., JUL, 822-7800

Cooking DemonstrationJoin Matt Knack, Executive Chef at Croc’s 19th Street Bistro, for a cooking demonstration using local and seasonal produce. Registration begins 9/30. Ages 18 & upM, 10/14, 6 - 8 p.m., CL, 385-0150

Virginia AquariumSensible SeafoodBy making good choices now we will help ensure a bounty of seafood for this and future generations! As consumers, we can be good stewards of the environment by making the right choices when we purchase our seafood. Sustainable seafood is Sensible Seafood, and that makes sense for a healthy marine environment. Learn to make sustainable seafood choices in stores and restaurants. Ages 18 & upS, 10/19, 10:30 a.m., PB, 385-7790Th, 10/24, 5:30 p.m., BA, 385-2680

Wild FoodThink you could survive in the wild? Join Vicki Shufer as she talks about her book The Everything Guide to Foraging: Identifying, Harvesting and Cooking Nature’s Wild Fruits and Vegetables. Ages 13 & upSu, 10/20, 2 - 4 p.m., JUL, 822-7800W, 10/23, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m., KV, 385-2627

Good BugsEnjoy stories, songs, poems and crafts celebrating the work and habits of Nature’s smallest and most industrious creatures- beneficial insects. Registration begins 9/30. Ages 5-9F, 10/11, 11 a.m., KV, 385-2627S, 10/12, 11 a.m., JUL, 822-7800

Skype Q&A with Dirty Life author Kristin KimballAsk Kristin Kimball your burning questions about The Dirty Life and life on the farm.Ages 13 & upS, 10/26, 1 - 2 p.m., CL, 385-0150

Farm Fare FinaleJoin us for a finale celebration to have fun while feeding your mind and body with information on local food and farming, including a roundtable discussion with local farmers, crafts, and activities for all ages. All agesS, 10/26, 2 - 4 p.m., CL, 385-0150

CompostingLearn the various methods of composting and vermiculture (worm composting) with a Master Gardener. Reduce your trash production and feed your garden with this terrific, economical way to repurpose food waste.Ages 18 & upS, 10/5, 10:30 a.m., OF, 385-2640Th, 10/10, 5:30 - 6:30 a.m., PA, 385-2610

Cooking with HerbsLearn how to grow, store and use your own herbs. Make recipes for butters, dips, vinegars, and mustards. We will even show you how to make fancy bottles for gifts. Nothing is as wonderful as fresh herbs, but you can enjoy them all year long. Ages 13 & upT, 10/8, 3 - 4 p.m., KV, 385-2627

What’s for Dinner?Join us for a moderated civic conversation about our food system and sustainable agriculture. Registration begins 10/1.Ages 13 & upTh, 10/10, 6:30 - 8:50 p.m., CL, 385-0150

Book Lovers’ Coffee HourJoin in as we discuss The Dirty Life and other books pertaining to food, farming and sustainability.Ages 18 & upM, 10/14, 10:30 a.m., BA, 385-2680Th, 10/17, 11 a.m. - noon, PA, 385-2610

CanningCome learn the basics of home food preservation with the Virginia Cooperative Extension. Why buy store-bought canned goods when you can preserve your own home-grown produce? Ages 18 & upS, 10/12, 12 - 1 p.m., GN, 385-2606Th, 10/24, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m., PA, 385-2610S, 10/26, 11 a.m. - noon, OF, 385-2640

Build Your Own Rain BarrelLynnhaven River Now, Mike’s Rain Barrels and VBPL are partnering to offer two rain barrel workshops. Rain barrels are an easy way to reduce stormwater runoff from your property and provide water for your plants and other outside uses.

Cost is $60 per rain barrel.Space is limited. Each participant will assemble his own rain barrel to take home that day! Registration begins 9/30. Call 962-5398 or email Trista@LRNow.org to register. S, 10/19, 10:30 a.m. - noon, BA, 385-2680M, 10/28, 5 - 6:30 p.m., GN, 385-2606

$ABOUT THE AUTHORKristin Kimball and her husband Mark founded Essex Farm in 2003. They have developed a unique farming and business model, providing a full diet, year round, for 200 people. The Dirty Life is Kimball’s acclaimed memoir about their farm’s startup year.

Single, 30-something, working as a writer in New York City, Kimball was beginning to feel a sense of longing for a family and home. When she interviewed a dynamic young farmer, her world changed. She fell in love with him and his work. She knew nothing about growing vegetables, let alone raising pigs and cattle and driving horses. But on an impulse, she shed her city self and moved to 500 acres near Lake Champlain to start a new farm with him in upstate New York.

The Dirty Life is the captivating chronicle of Kristin and Mark’s first year on Essex Farm, from the cold North Country winter through the following harvest season—complete with their wedding in the loft of the barn.

Her vivid descriptions of landscape, food, cooking—and marriage—are irresistible. At Essex Farm, she discovers the wrenching pleasures of physical work, learns that good food is at the center of a good life, falls deeply in love, and finally finds the engagement and commitment she craved.

ABOUT THE BOOK

AUTHOR CHAT& FINALE!

T H E D I R T Y L I F E :A M e m o i r o f F a r m i n g , F o o d , a n d L o v e

b y K r i s t i n K i m b a l l

For more information, visit www.VBgov.com/SamePage

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