The Call of the Farm: An Unexpected Year of Getting Dirty, Home Cooking, and Finding Myself

by Rochelle Bilow

Honest, self-aware, and wonderfully tender, The Call of the Farm is for anyone who has daydreamed about a simpler life—or fallen too deeply in love.


Rochelle Bilow, a classically trained cook and aspiring food writer, was nursing a broken heart and frustrated with her yet-to-take-off career when she set out to write a short profile of a small, sustainable CSA farm in central New York. At most, she expected to come away with a cute city-girl-in-the-country piece. But after just one day of moving hay bales, feeding pigs, and tapping maple sap, she was The air was fresh, her muscles felt useful, and the smells from the kitchen where the farmhands gathered at day’s end were intoxicating.


Add in a sweet but enigmatic young farmer whose soulful gaze meets her own, and The Call of the Farm is set in motion. This enticing memoir charts the unexpected year that unfolds as Rochelle immerses herself in life at the farm. She cooks her way through four seasons of fresh-from-the-earth produce (with such tantalizing results as Blistered Tomato Gratin and Crisped Potato Casserole with Shaved Chives), grapples more than once with the finer points of rendering lard, and begins to feel she has finally found her niche—all while falling hard for that handsome, blue-eyed farmer.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Food, Foodie, Adult, Cookbooks, Biography Memoir

289 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 23, 2014

About the author

Rochelle Bilow is a food and romance writer who previously worked as the social media manager at Bon Appétit and Cooking Light magazines. A graduate of The French Culinary Institute, she has also worked as a line cook, a baker, and a wine spokesperson. Her first book, The Call of the Farm, a swoony farming memoir, was published in 2014. Raised in Syracuse, New York, Rochelle now lives in northern Vermont.

Reviews

[Desiree Koh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was this Sweet Valley High, rural edition? Forgive me for expectations, but the title of the book led me to look forward to a tell-all about life on a modern farm, how that might have been alluring and fulfilling enough to put a fledgling writing career on hold. I knew there was romance going into it, but I didn't expect much of it to materialize as a narrative similar to an early spring holdover post-Oscar season and pre-blockbusters that you force yourself to watch on a transcontinental flight because you've seen everything else already. It was fascinating to learn more about sustainable farming despite all the twee details of mismatched cutlery and a rag-tag crew; unfortunately, the momentum was always frustratingly interrupted by Bilow's swings of romantic insecurities and little girl lost love-pining.

That overwhelmed the book so much, to a point where it felt like the true calling of the book - if I hadn't misunderstood - was as neglected as the runt of the pig litter. And it wouldn't have been as boring and dreary if the narrator hadn't come across as every helpless female romantic protagonist you just can't seem to raise your pom-poms for. There is a lot of dialogue that helps re-create Bilow's year-long time on the farm, and knowing she kept a journal throughout and that she is a journalist, I trust it is all as faithfully re-created as needed to pour out the story. Courageous, yes - she pulls no punches in revealing every iota of emotion and personal thought. But, man, the contrived flirtations, cheesy pleas between lovers and college-caliber conundrums makes one think (many more than just once): If everything unfolded in such a routine and affected manner, why bother reading this book when it's all in our own 20something-era pre-social media diaries? There was nothing sparkling or magical about this farm fling that enhanced the story, at least not for an outsider, and Bilow's pining and incessant need for acceptance made even her greatest efforts at cooking wonderful meals each day irritating. That normally would have been the most enjoyable part of the book for me, and it's magic to see how she conjures beautiful meals out of thin air, seemingly. But about a third of the way in, it started to come across as someone trying way too hard to find a way into a life not ordinarily hers, and as a reader, you get disgruntled that there's less effort to form that connection with the reader. If that indeed was Bilow's plan, to portray herself at a time when she had this effect on people, then she didn't have to expend too much effort in generating major annoyance and eye rolling. I don't know about the rest of the farmers, but personally, I was relieved when she left, likely because that also turns out to be the last page of the book.

All this is very surprising to me, because Bilow's magazine copy and Instagram posts are exceedingly delightful, sharp and smart. I'm not sure I have been inspired in any way then to make sure I give my local CSA producers and farmer's marketeers an extra hearty pat on the back and better business the next time I see them.

[Fran Callahan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finished because, once I start something I finish it. I would recommend that others not bother. I felt like I was reading a YA book about a girl's silly crush. I wanted more farm, less "Ro."

[Angela Critics · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book for the farm and CSA content and hopes of more on cooking with seasonal farm ingredients. What I got instead is a self-indulgent study of her love affair with one of the farmers. If it were a YA book I'd be describing it as too much teenage angst. But for a woman in her mid-twenties, the constant worry of "am I moving too fast," "did I say the wrong thing," "I'll give him anything if he won't leave me" really got on my nerves. I finally skimmed quickly to the end of the book to find out if she ever stopped whining about the relationship and actually talked about the farm. But it turns out the farm couldn't have been all that important since when the relationship didn't work out she abandoned the farm.

DNF at under 20%. This book has an audience, but I am not it.

[Lanette · Rating 1 out of 5]

To me, this was the farm version of "Eat, Pray, Love"... girl tries to find herself by escaping, and thinks the answer is jumping in bed with the first guy who comes along. If this was my story, I'd be embarassed to share it with anyone, much less publish it. Instead of a book about farming, this is a book about her sexcapades and how she is constantly apologizing to the guy so she can keep him happy and he won't dump her. Spoiler alert: it doesn't work. Not worth the 99 cents I paid for the kindle edition... if you're looking for a good farm memoir, try Kristin Kimball's "The Dirt Life" or Forrest Pritchard's "Gaining Ground." This book isn't it.

[Asheley T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rochelle has a culinary degree and is a freelance food writer. While visiting a full-diet CSA farm in New York on assignment for a piece, she fell in love with the farm. The way everything looked fresh and natural, the smell of the place, everything. She ended up coming back for another visit, and then volunteering. And then volunteering more of her time until she was basically working full-time for free (or for fresh food, basically). And then she was paid staff. Rochelle used her culinary skills in the farm's kitchen, preparing fresh meals for the farm staff and she also worked out on the farm. Feeding animals, planting vegetables, working in the farm's food store, helping with the slaughter of animals. I loved reading as she learned what it takes to do the physical work of the farm, the mental and physical demands of the job, and how it takes many hands to run a farm exactly like that one. I loved reading Rochelle's successes inside of the kitchen and out on the land. I also loved reading her failures, as she was honest about them. It was obvious that she loved what she was doing when she was on the farm and her enthusiasm was infectious to someone interested, like me.

She also fell in love with one of the farmers.

This book is basically a year-long look into Rochelle's time at the farm: what she did, the jobs she learned and was responsible for, some of the foods she cooked, some of the adventures she had. It's a great look into the head of someone that moves from city-to-farm and is a complete newbie, working as staff on a farm that someone else owns. All of that is one part of it. I absolutely loved reading about the different jobs on the farm because I'm very interested -- what would it be like if I decided to farm full-time for a living? Would I be any good at it? Could I make it work? I LOVED THIS PART OF THE BOOK. Loved it.

Mixed into all of this, Rochelle has included details of her relationship with one of the farmers, which grows into love over the course of her year there. Rochelle doesn't really hold much back in terms of writing about the relationship and their time together and her thoughts, which I enjoyed. This is part of her year on the farm, and all of these these thought processes and adventures are what I enjoyed about the book.

All of the parts of this book are what kept me turning the pages. I was riveted. I genuinely felt sad as the book was coming to an end because I knew that Rochelle's year at the farm was about to be over. I love that Rochelle chose to write about her experience and honestly, I didn't realize full-diet farms like this exist. Or maybe I did, and I just didn't truly know how they work. They're fascinating and this seems like a great way to work close to nature, close to healthy, close to fresh.

I think that if people have any issues with this book, it will probably be because they're going into it looking for more farm-stuff and less relationship/romance-stuff. As far as I am concerned, I loved it, and I'm always looking for books like this so I was happy to randomly find it and make the one-click purchase for my Kindle.

[Badseedgirl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh Library book club, why do you keep hanging this twaddle like a millstone around my neck?

This novel was another book about one of those overindulgent young women who create problems for themselves. I wanted to punch the Author in the mouth for making me read endless pages about her one-sided romance with an obvious good-time Charlie Farmer who treated like a slightly backwards child. What kind of woman would put up with that nonsense!?

I did find the idea of Community Supported Agriculture interesting, but I would have to look for a book about it to really know. All I know about it after reading this book is that the farm hands are slobs and live life like modern day hippies, eschewing such niceties as shampoo, and deodorant. Other than that, this novel is very short on actual details.

And seriously, what is it with these memoir writers and their obsession with killing chickens. This is the second memoir in a row I have read that has gone into loving details about how to kill and process a chicken! I just read about it in Year of No Sugar. I guess these women feel that participating in this process some how makes them appear to be "serious" about their little projects. I don't know but for some reason it just pisses me off.

Final thoughts after it was over, Bad writing, Bad book.

[Meg Pocher · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was a well written memoir-ish book but I wanted to slap the girl - I have known girls like this in my 20's and I didn't like them either and now that I am in my 40's and I am a farmer I appreciated her work on the farm but she just jumped into it and the relationship with the guy and I wouldn't have appreciated that on my farm knowing she was basically using the farm to get to the guy - I won't say much more in case you want to read it - but I wouldn't unless you were injured on the couch and the book was given to you - which was my situation ;)

[Jaylia3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a culinary school degree and experience as a restaurant chef Rochelle Bilow hoped to make a career out of food writing, but it wasn’t happening as quickly as she wanted. Looking for a breakthrough article she set up interviews at a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm to gather information and surprised herself by falling in love with everything she saw--the small farm group lifestyle, the farm fresh cooking ingredients, and a particularly appealing farmer who caught her eye. She hung around for about a year, eventually moving in and becoming part of the crew, and this memoir recounts her farming, cooking, and romantic experiences.

CSA farms have members or subscribers from the local community who come out once a week during harvest season for shares of whatever the farm produces, and Bilow’s farm supplied everything from vegetables to meats so the farm experiences she details range from weeding to slaughter, but for me the best part of the book are her descriptions of what she cooked for the rest of the workers. She created lavish meals fit for rural gods, gods who don’t have cholesterol issues that is, with abundant amounts of uber-fresh vegetables and meats enhanced with generous portions of animal derived fats like lard and butter. The book is divided by the time of the year, and season appropriate recipes are included at the end of each section.

As a vegetarian I appreciated the humane treatment of the farm animals, but squinched my eyes and skimmed over the sections about converting them from living creatures to food. Her love experiences made me squirm a little too, both because for my sensibilities she overshares the physical side of her relationship and because her farmer’s ardor didn’t quite equal her own, but Bilow’s openness and honesty are part of her charm and add to the interest of this book, so I wouldn’t have her eliminate the passages that made me uncomfortable.

I read an advanced review ebook copy of this book supplied by the publisher through NetGalley. The review opinions are mine.

[Zaida Malik · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of those books I had a love/hate relationship with. As someone who is interested in food, nature, and farm life, I was eager to read it, but it didn't quite deliver.

It started out promising as culinary school grad Rochelle Bilow feels as though her dream to be a heavy-hitting food writer isn't quite working out. Feeling unfulfilled, she heads out to Stonehill Farm, a full-diet CSA run by a group of dynamic young farmers, for an assignment. She is soon drawn to the farm and its crew, and one young farmer, Ian, in particular. Pretty soon, she lands a volunteer position cooking lunch and dinner for the crew. This ultimately leads to a paying job where she not only cooks, but helps out in all areas of the farm, as well as getting her own living space in one of the farmhouses.

The book, and Bilow herself, are at their most engaging and likable when she sticks to cooking and life on the farm. Her passion for food and enthusiasm to learn everything there is to know about farm work are infectious. The reader is right there alongside her, sharing her joy as she whips up hearty meals with the kind of fresh ingredients many chefs only dream of; her embarassment when she messes up some chore; and her triumph when she gets it right. After reading this book, it actually inspired me to seek out a similar volunteer opportunity in my area. If she had only kept the focus on cooking/farmwork, gone into more depth about the various tasks, and told us more about the rest of the crew instead of only her and Ian, I would've given this a higher rating.

Unfortunately, she didn't. The title should really be "The Call of the Farmhand", because the bulk of the narrative deals with her romance with Ian. That's where the book fell apart for me. I've never been a romance novel kind of girl and she includes a lot of tedious detail about this relationship, including several Way Too Much Information moments. And despite both the author and all Ian's friends calling him a "great person" repeatedly, I just didn't see it. To me he came across as a nit-picky jerk who exhibited several red-flag-raising behaviors. At this point in the book, I also became cynical and started questioning Bilow's motives for being at Stonehill. If she hadn't met and started a flirtation with Ian that first day she volunteered, would she really have been as dedicated or gung-ho about the farm, or would she have helped out for a short while, then moved on to something else?

During the passages about the relationship, Bilow morphs into the kind of woman I really dislike: clingy, whiny, needing constant reassurance, willing to change her personality to please someone else. I wanted to reach through the pages on several occasions and shake her, tell her to grow up. Yes, she is young here; however, the rest of the crew isn't all that many years older than her and they seem a lot more together and mature. Again, I would have loved to get to know them and their stories better; it would have made much more satisfying reading than this YA-esque romance did.

(SPOILERS AHEAD) The ending of all this came as no surprise. Not just that the dysfunctional, one-sided relationship imploded, but that by the time all this happens, the rest of the farm crew seems to be as fed up with the author as I was. After she put in her notice, even though the two bosses told her they could find a way to make it work so she could stay on, I'm still willing to bet there were big sighs of relief from the whole crew once she drove away for the final time.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Since the cover and ISBN number look right, I'm assuming "How to Tame a Wildflower" is simply the working title that later became changed to "The Call of the Farm.")

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.

Like The Dirty Life, Bilow's memoir is set on a full-diet, draft-powered CSA farm in the northeast. Along with four acres of organic veggies, the crew raises layers, milk cows, and chickens, pigs, sheep, and cattle for meat. CSA members are invited to take home as much as they can eat, and the whole operation is run by idealistic young people who consider 60 hours of farm work per week to be a part-time job. Bilow ends up becoming immersed in the farm, where she spends most of her time cooking, sharing her favorite dishes in both story and recipe form throughout the book.

The setting aside, the heart of Bilow's memoir follows her "emotions-first" love affair with a man and a farm. If you're like me, you'll be unable to put the book down once you start, and will end up reading long into the night. I owe you two pieces of warning, though, before you pick up this riveting memoir. First, strong language and moderately explicit sex would garner an R rating if The Call of the Farm were a movie --- use your own judgment if you prefer your books to be squeaky clean. Second, the ending might depress you as much as it did me, and you will definitely spoil the story if you read the about-the-author blurb on the back of the book. On the other hand, if you enjoyed This Life is in Your Hands, The Call of the Farm will be right up your alley.

Spoilers about the ending:
I really wanted an epilogue showing how, even though Rochelle left the farm and the man, the experience helped her achieve her dream of becoming a staff writer at Bon Appetit. Instead, the book just ends as Rochelle leaves in a bout of depression, making me feel about the way Rochelle felt when her boyfriend broke up with her and she said, "I can't believe you put me through all of this for nothing." Thus the four-star rather than five-star rating.

Those caveats aside, The Call of the Farm is poised to become one of those must-read homesteading books of 2014. I enjoyed a galley copy, but the title will be available to the general public in September and can be preordered now. All told, I'd highly recommend Rochelle's book if you enjoy homesteading memoirs (especially of the "city girl goes to the country" type), since this piece of light summer reading packs a punch.

[Clover White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading Rochelle Bilow's food columns in the Syracuse Post-Standard and thinking, "Boy, she sure has a crush on someone at that farm!", so when I saw there was a book, I had to read it. It turns out, there WAS a gorgeous farmer, Ian, at Stonehill Farm, partly responsible for the gushing pieces Rochelle wrote.

I almost gave this book three stars, then I realized it wasn't that the book was poorly written, I was just sick of reading about organic farmers who were jerks. (Here's looking at you, Mark, in "The Dirty Life" by Kristin Kimball). I grew up on a farm, and my father wasn't a workaholic jerk who constantly belittled my mother. So, yeah, not a fan of Ian, even though he used horses to farm and cared about sustainable food.

I did enjoy the parts of the book where it talked about the nitty gritty of running a whole foods CSA, but there was way too much of Ian being clueless and controlling, and too little of the delicious-looking recipes. (And WAY too many sex details. Good grief.)

[Melissa (Vacation Mode) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I'm being a bit generous with my stars. I have read quite a few books about people who have left their city lives behind and moved to farms. Some of them are quite good and inspirational: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, for example, is phenomenal. This one, in contrast is vain, whiny, and more about her relationships (and lack thereof ad nauseum) than it is about farming. And that was very disappointing.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book and found her experiences to be both interesting, funny, uncomfortable (in a good way) and alluring. I love the idea of living on a farm, and it was great to read more about hard work and the issue of getting along with your crew. I think the two things that were done best in Bilow's memoir were: a) exploring her touch and go relationship with farmer Ian. Bilow does a fantastic job of showing the reader her insecurities and opening up about the tough truth about falling in love with someone who isn't ready to commit to you. b) This book made me want to cook ALL THE THINGS. Bilow is most confident and specific in her writing when the topic is on food, cooking and where the food comes from, which makes sense since she is a food writer and trained cook. Her descriptions of the chaotic farm kitchen, pots of coffee on the stove and communal meals made me miss the earthy crunchy camp I went to and worked at for many years. It is a different way of living and she did a great job of describing that divide between "town" life and farm life.

I wish she had gone into the farming tasks with as much clarity as her cooking. She spends a lot of time worrying she isn't doing a great job, but then feeling good about challenging herself. I loved this and wish she took it further. The book lacked a satisfying reslolution. How has farming changed her for the better? How has it influenced her confidence, career, relationships and happiness? Since she was still grieving about Ian at the end of the book, it would have been nice to jump 3 or 5 months in the future so she could reflect more on her experiences. What was it exactly that she loved about farming? About cooking on a farm? About being in relationship with a farmer? I guess I was just craving some more self-reflection at the end of this very interesting experience.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was attracted to this book because the author and I graduated from the same college, and the CSA she is writing about is near where I live. The summary of the book was interesting and I jumped into the book with both feet. It quickly turned into a dreaded read, but I was determined to finish it. I was looking forward to some solid details about farming and CSA's but this book ended up being more of a true romance read.

[Marcy Bitner · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read it in an afternoon, but not at all what I anticipated it to be. This is more a non-fiction silly romance than it is a "year discovering farm/gardening life" biography. Reminded me of something I read as a teenager. Finished it only because I started it.

[Virginia Brien]

Disappointed in that it was not what I expected. I wanted farm life info not a flighty heroine in a romance. I wanted something like "the Dirty Life" by Kristin Kimball which is the same premise: a writer, a farm, a romance.

[Marsha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh, she got really annoying. I did enjoy the bits about the farm.

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down. But then again, it is a boom about a city girl moving to the farm.

[Paul Lindars · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the interest of full disclosure, I know the author of this book and consider her a friend. However, I approached this story--and am attempting to write this review--as objectively as possible with the knowledge that the woman that I know now is different in many ways from the woman who experienced the things in this story.

"The Call of the Farm" is a memoir chronicling a period in the author's life where she found herself at a crossroads professionally and personally: her desired career and the life that she had envisioned for herself had not yet materialized, and she was questioning not only her own value but also the realism of attaining those goals. During this time she finds herself drawn to a local farm, and the appeal of that tight-knit community, their attachment to the land, and the joy to be found in the labor associated with working it. She begins to work there and begins a romantic relationship with one of the farmers. The remainder of the book is the story of the subsequent year spent as part of that community. The new skills that she acquires, the changing nature of farm life as the seasons change, and the intensity of her romantic relationship are all described in detail.

There are two clear voices to the narrative. The author is a trained and experienced chef and all aspects of food preparation and consumption are an integral part of her character. When discussing the meals that she prepared for the farmers and the tasks on the farm relating to the growing and processing of food, she is commanding with effortless competence. It is clear that she is a master of these subjects and her passion for them infuses the text and infects the reader. The addition of recipes at the conclusion of each section of the book play to this voice. When discussing her shifting relationship with the farm community in general and her romantic partner in particular, she is much less commanding and her insecurity and the emotional storms that consumed her are readily apparent. Many reviewers of this book have been critical of this aspect of the story, mocking the poor decisions that she made and harshly judging her reactions to difficult situations. Those reviewers have apparently never been--or choose to forget being--a 25-year-old who is unsure of their place in the world and is confused by the emotions within them, and the untenable position that their romantic interest places them in. I find her voice in this regard to be very authentic and relatable.

The story of a young woman falling in love and finding herself is not one that I would normally be drawn to. I read this book because it was an important story for Rochelle to tell and I honor her courage and authenticity in telling it in intimate detail. It is an easy and fast read and I encourage anyone interested in the details of life on a small farm to pick it up. The recipes alone make it a worthwhile selection.

[Lucky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. I didn't love it. That said, I think some reviewers have been a bit harsh, giving the author 1 star because she displays frustrating levels of self esteem problems in regards to her relationship with another farm worker named Ian. So, yes, I could have reached through the pages and given her a kick or two when she expresses crippling amounts of doubt in herself and she manages to let this farm hand creep keep her at arms length because he just doesn't know if he she's the one that will inspire his commitment. But, that doesn't really address the writing...the QUALITY of the writing.

I have to agree with other reviewers I think the writing is strongest in the passages about cooking, the beauty of the farm and even sometimes her interactions with anyone but Ian.

I would have been more satisfied if she addressed the self esteem issues beyond just showing they existed in excess. It would have given me more understanding of WHY she accepted less. So, my criticism is that she didn't dig deep enough, though I would have been just as happy to not have the romance as a prominent plot device. I would have been more interested in her loneliness.

All in all, I liked this book and have already recommended it to a friend who ran a CSA for awhile and another friend who I think might like it. Is it perfect, no. Did the ending leave me unsatisfied? A little bit. Eh, if you like reading food memoirs or stories about young women who haven't found their way enough to realize the treatment they deserve from a partner, this is a pretty good book.

[ML · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first pulled this book off the shelf by random choice and cover art, I was hooked from the start. After all I've had a growing interest in local agriculture and sustainable food and overall the romanticism of a farming life. I liked it enough at first read to reserve a copy for when I returned home and I will say that as a whole I enjoyed the book and never wanted to quit it for any reason. Here's where the love-hate relationship begins. I love that Bilow includes recipes and beautifully describes the pros of farm life, I also appreciate how she doesn't leave out the parts that aren't so pretty. For the first half of the book, the balance between her personal relationship and farm life seemed pretty balanced, but once her relationship got rocky all that was playing in the back of my head was, so annoying all of it was. As a young modern day female, I definitely understood all of the feelings Bilow had about relationships, needing to feel validated, etc., but there was a point where it became quite whiny and her character started to get a bit old. I just wanted to jump in the book and shake her! It was a fun, quick, read though and I enjoyed it.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went into this book hoping to hear a lot of farm talk. Instead, the focus is on the horribly insecure and clingy author's love affair with another farm worker.

I cringed as Bilow castigates herself for making minor mistakes, even though she was new to the job and it doesn't seem as if anyone had trained her. Perhaps Bilow meant these accounts as humorous - I found them painful.

A friend offers help and Bilow questions whether she means it; the friend tries to explain that Bilow should accept or not accept, but not question the offer's sincerity.

Yet this happens more than once again in the book. When Bilow is in pain, her boyfriend offers to cook breakfast and Bilow's response is, "You don't have to do that." What? Is it her job to cook every meal, even when they're on vacation and she is suffering? What century are we in?

There are some interesting bits about how a CSA functions and some fun accounts of meals, as Bilow is a trained chef, and accounts of the beauty of the farm, but none of it is memorable and a sense of the farm as an entity that fascinates these young people to the point of giving their lives to it - it's not here.

[TeaBea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting to learn more about CSA farming - there's little tidbits here and there, but essentially this is a love story. And not really a great one.

I want to start off with saying that Ian is a prick. And pretty strange...I immediately disliked him and he made me uncomfortable and I wished that Ro would get over him. It felt very sad and school-girl, she was trying to impress him and make him happy but he never seemed happy or grateful for what she did. In fact, he seemed to consistently scold her like a child which got my blood boiling. So really, the love story here was a fail...if it was supposed to be a love story.

I guess I'm just disappointed in what this book turned out to be. I wanted more recipes and more about farming from the perspective of a cook - and it just really fell short.

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read and enjoyed Rochelle Bilow's column in the local newspaper, and then found her (name) again when going through some old issues of Bon Appetit, and that reminded me that I had wanted to read this book.

This book is a mix of memoir and food writing. Part of the time, she's trying to figure out herself, her career, and her love life (all important, and good things, to do). For that, we're along for the ride as she shifts from volunteer to paid employee at a local CSA that is doing some unusual things. The other part of the time, she's describing meals, and foods, in vibrant detail, and provides recipes at the end of each season on the farm. The book made me appreciate the side of my CSA (not the one where she worked) a bit better, and all of the really hard work and physical labor that goes into my weekly share.

[San Diego Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Jenn Serra for San Diego Book Review

Rochelle Bilow's "The Call of the Farm" chronicles Rochelle's year at Stonehill farm, and her love affair with Ian, a farmer, and her life long love of great food. Ro struggles with confidence issues, and feeling like maybe shes still an outsider at the farm while dealing with her rocky relationship with Ian. She makes you love him and want to strangle him for breaking her heart for his own selfish, condescending reasons.

You can read this entire review and others like it at San Diego Book Review.

[Teri-K · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book with a split personality. It looks like it's going to be about farming, and it kind of is. But more of the book was about the author falling madly in love with a guy on that CSA farm and moving in with him. I'll admit it was interesting watching her give up more and more of herself to try and please him - why do we women do that, anyway? But ultimately I'd have enjoyed more about how they made the CSA work and a bit less about her personal life. Oh, and there are recipes. Overall about 2.5 stars, which I'll round up because it's hard to find realistic books about farm life.

[Jackie Schmitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know this book is not for everyone but I enjoyed it! It started a bit slow but then you realize it's not all about just boring farm life. I grew up on a farm and know what kind of hard work it can take to make it successful.
I liked how the author incorporated the personal relationships along with recipes, cooking hints and daily routine into the storyline. I felt like one of the crew sitting at the table, enjoying a meal and soon to learn what kind of chore, I'd be expected to manage.
I know it's a good book when I don't what the ending to happen and I have questions, like "What happened after you left the farm?" "What happened with Ian?"

[Ellen Pilch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. A young woman goes from city girl to country girl and falls in love in the process. It pulled me right in with the romance, but also irritated me that she was wiling to put up with a man's lack of commitment.
I found learning about life on a farm interesting. All the jobs were shared- including killing chickens which is something I would never do despite eating chicken. If you want to learn about sustainable farming or just like a little romance, you will enjoy this book.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is exactly what you think it is--girl starts volunteeringand then working on a farm because she falls in love with the idea of farming, and also falls in love with the farmer, and this book follows her journey. It's not a bad book, but it's a little surprising how much this falls into the farm-porn trope. It's also annoying that the main plot of the book follows the ups and downs of her relationship, where she becomes increasingly annoying, clingy, and prone to cry at least every 20 pages or so. It's a fine book for the genre, but very much "what you see is what you get."

[Megan Millard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was like reading a slow-motion train wreck of all of my own bad relationship choices.

While Bilow spent a year working on a farm, she makes the mistake of falling a bit too hard for a farmer who doesn't share her feelings.

I felt like the red flags were continually waving frantically at her but she couldn't let go. I saw myself in her so much it was kind of sad, to be honest. At least she got out after only wasting one year in a toxic relationship.

I really hope she finally found her happiness.