Estate Grown
by Mara Feeney '73
My book is a collection of short stories about how a couple of urban professionals (both BMC alumnae) purchase country land and figure out (on a very steep learning curve) how to engage in agricultural pursuits. With the help of neighbors (and despite the antics of others) they succeed in creating an organic paradise, growing their own olives, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and wine grapes. Over the course of three decades they secure a firm footing in the complex rural community and win a prestigious award for their estate-grown Zinfandel.
This feast for the senses is just the ticket for anyone who has driven through the country and wondered "Gee, what would it be like to leave the city behind, move to a place full of meadows, vineyards, orchards and forests and start growing my own food." The author's innocence optimism and perseverance invite readers to imagine themselves undertaking such an adventure and make it all seem doable. The Fiddletown Stories is escapist literature at its very finest, filled with descriptions of the unique foothills environment and the colorful characters who inhabit it.