07/28/2014
Bilow, a classically trained cook and currently a staff writer at Bon Appétit magazine, recounts her memorable year working and falling in love on a central New York farm. Following culinary school, Bilow began work as a freelancer writing about food. After struggling for three years, Bilow landed an assignment from a local food magazine reporting on the “best and most loved foods in Syracuse.” Bilow writes, “I knew nothing about farming, other than it was necessary for the type of food I wanted to consume. Otherwise I considered it irrelevant to my interests as a cook and writer.” Bilow initially volunteered cooking meals for the farm employees and helping out with chores. She also fell deeply in love with one of the Stonehill farmers and soon moved to the farm full time. The author skillfully explores the deep satisfaction that arises from, and the physical stamina required by, the production of food and animal husbandry. Stonehill, “in addition to raising beef, pigs, and chickens for meat, keeping hens for eggs, and growing vegetables,” is a licensed raw milk dairy.” Bilow’s lively and descriptive narrative tracks one year on the farm from thinning spring seedlings and the beginnings of her romance to her departure a year later. A lively, charming coming-of-age story complete with farm-tested recipes. (Sept.)
"Rochelle Bilow brings tantalizing insight into the behind-the-scenes operations of a CSA farm, but also into the intricacies of falling in love. Until Bilow’s book, I’d forgotten what a fragile dance it can be."
"Bilow’s love for food and cooking practically drips off the pages in mouth-watering detail."
"A delicious memoir for anyone who has ever been drunk on the idea of farm love. You cannot help but cheer this farm girl on as she sings a bluesy ode to farm life and a complete love song to the table. The Blistered Tomato Gratin was amazing and the Bacon Maple Cornbread is going to be a regular around here for a long time. This girl can cook and write. It is a heady combination."
"I am currently mesmerized by a marvelous new book entitled The Call of the Farm. At the end of each chapter [are] honest dishes . . . that celebrate the bounty and beauty of seasonal, farm-to-table eating. Not only did Rochelle roll up her sleeves and muck out in the farmyard, she harvested many meals in the farm kitchen with each passing week, filled with heart and heartiness alike."
"A wonderfully entertaining story, pulling the reader ever deeper into Rochelle Bilow’s year of farming and romance. Humorous, honest, and poignant, it is a compelling look into her life of cooking, loving, and living on a CSA farm."
"A delightful account of discovering the secret to health and happiness that so many people long for. Rochelle Bilow’s memoir is a celebration of real food, the value of hard work and, of course, unbridled love. If you’re intrigued by the simple, rural life, this book is for you!"
"As gripping as a novel, The Call of the Farm immerses you in an aspiring food writer’s journey from city to country as Rochelle Bilow falls in love with a farmer and learns to cook with real food. This beautifully written, honest, and vivid memoir sucks the reader in and lets us share Rochelle’s failed attempts at butter churning, cold days of rock picking in the spring mud, and moments of delight finding companionship with a crew of like-minded farmers."
"If you’re looking for a book intimately detailing the circle of life for all inhabitants on a farm, including animals, vegetables, and humans, Rochelle Bilow’s The Call of the Farm is the very thing. Covering a full year of living, working, cooking, and loving on a central NY farm, her book is candid, visceral, sincere, and delicious. I haven’t been able to look at farmers’ markets in the same way since reading it, and that’s a very good thing."
"If you’ve ever had romantic notions of farm life, Rochelle Bilow plays them out season by season in this sweet tell-all. Her experience brings readers into a world they’ll likely never encounter first-hand, complete with honest-to-goodness farm-to-table living. The charming romance between her and a farmer (as well as the lifestyle itself) only heightens the storyline—and your appreciation for Bilow’s all-in emotional journey."
"Rochelle Bilow has done the impossible: make me want to live on a farm. I am not a farmer or a foodie or a female, and I couldn’t put this down. She somehow makes churning butter sexy."
A lively, charming coming-of-age story complete with farm-tested recipes.” —Publishers Weekly “Foodies and wannabe farmers will love this memoir and will root for Bilow as she answers her own call of the farm.”—Library Journal “[Rochelle] Bilow brings sensuality to every scene, with rich descriptions of food and farm life, from washing freshly laid eggs to rendering lard. [She] offers readers a slow-cooked story, with tenderness and intermingled flavors enriched over time.”—Kirkus Reviews “Bilow’s love for food and cooking practically drips off the pages in mouth-watering detail.”—Bust “I am currently mesmerized by a marvelous new book entitled The Call of the Farm. At the end of each chapter [are] honest dishes . . . that celebrate the bounty and beauty of seasonal, farm-to-table eating. Not only did Rochelle roll up her sleeves and muck out in the farmyard, she harvested many meals in the farm kitchen with each passing week, filled with heart and heartiness alike.”—Farmette blog “Rochelle Bilow brings tantalizing insight into the behind-the-scenes operations of a CSA farm, but also into the intricacies of falling in love. Until Bilow’s book, I’d forgotten what a fragile dance it can be.” —Catherine Friend, author of Hit by a Farm, The Compassionate Carnivore, and Sheepish “A delicious memoir for anyone who has ever been drunk on the idea of farm love. You cannot help but cheer this farm girl on as she sings a bluesy ode to farm life and a complete love song to the table. The Blistered Tomato Gratin was amazing and the Bacon Maple Cornbread is going to be a regular around here for a long time. This girl can cook and write. It is a heady combination.” —Ellen Stimson, author of Mud Season and Good Grief! Life in a Tiny Vermont Town “Rochelle Bilow has done the impossible: make me want to live on a farm. I am not a farmer or a foodie or a female, and I couldn’t put this down. She somehow makes churning butter sexy.” —Jeff Wilser, author of The Maxims of Manhood and It’s Okay to Sleep with Him on the First Date “If you’re looking for a book intimately detailing the circle of life for all inhabitants on a farm, including animals, vegetables, and humans, Rochelle Bilow’s The Call of the Farm is the very thing. Covering a full year of living, working, cooking, and loving on a central NY farm, her book is candid, visceral, sincere, and delicious. I haven’t been able to look at farmers’ markets in the same way since reading it, and that’s a very good thing.” —Ashley English, author of Handmade Living, A Year of Pies, Building Country Comforts, and the Homemade Living series “As gripping as a novel, The Call of the Farm immerses you in an aspiring food writer’s journey from city to country as Rochelle Bilow falls in love with a farmer and learns to cook with real food. This beautifully written, honest, and vivid memoir sucks the reader in and lets us share Rochelle’s failed attempts at butter churning, cold days of rock picking in the spring mud, and moments of delight finding companionship with a crew of like-minded farmers.” —Anna Hess, author of The Weekend Homesteader “If you’ve ever had romantic notions of farm life, Rochelle Bilow plays them out season by season in this sweet tell-all. Her experience brings readers into a world they’ll likely never encounter first-hand, complete with honest-to-goodness farm-to-table living. The charming romance between her and a farmer (as well as the lifestyle itself) only heightens the storyline—and your appreciation for Bilow’s all-in emotional journey.” —Erin Byers Murray, author of Shucked: Life on a New England Oyster Farm “A delightful account of discovering the secret to health and happiness that so many people long for. Rochelle Bilow’s memoir is a celebration of real food, the value of hard work and, of course, unbridled love. If you’re intrigued by the simple, rural life, this book is for you!” —Tim Young, author of The Accidental Farmers “A wonderfully entertaining story, pulling the reader ever deeper into Rochelle Bilow’s year of farming and romance. Humorous, honest, and poignant, it is a compelling look into her life of cooking, loving, and living on a CSA farm.” —Leigh Tate, author of 5 Acres A Dream
