BOOKMONGER
Living in harmony
with the land
maybe Gigot could take up farm-
ing herself. But first she decided to
From southern Oregon to the San go back to graduate school at Wash-
Juan Islands, Jessica Gigot spent her ington State University to learn more
early adulthood with her hands in the about agricultural science. She com-
pleted that program and moved on to
dirt, and in the process learned how
pursue a doctorate at Oregon State
to put down roots.
“A Little Bit of Land” is a mem-
University.
oir composed of essays that reflect
Eventually, she bought a small
on Gigot’s journey to becoming land set of acreage in Skagit Valley and
literate as she explores the responsi-
committed to becoming a full-time
bilities of committing to a particular
farmer. “A Little Bit of Land” covers
piece of ground, “to tend and con-
nearly 20 years, and while the story
serve it, to make the place better than is organized by chronology in tan-
dem with geography, other essays
when I arrived, to steward the soil,
interspersed throughout weigh in on
making every effort to cultivate and
themes such as soil, water
preserve a fertileness that
and wind.
could foster food in the
In all of these writings,
future.”
This
Aside from attend-
Gigot has a penchant for
week’s
ing a farming camp as a
straying off into memo-
book
ries of other experiences
first-grader, Gigot went
and inspirations that have
through most of her sub-
“A Little Bit
urban childhood preoc-
informed her choices over
of Land”
cupied with jazz dance
the years, so the book’s
by Jessica
classes and soccer prac-
organization is somewhat
Gigot
tice, fueled by fast food
muddied by detours.
Oregon
and instant meals.
But this shouldn’t
State
But as a college fresh-
interrupt
readers. Gig-
University
man, she had a professor
ot’s
writing
is lyrical and
Press –
that sparked her fascina-
she
is
generous
in shar-
160 pp –
ing
the
quest
she
under-
tion in the field of biology.
$22.95
takes. You’ll learn about
During her undergraduate
all of the work required
years, Gigot studied dro-
sophila flies in the lab and
in “de-hobbifying” her
bumblebees in the field. She ven-
farm and practicing sustainable
tured to New Zealand one summer to agriculture.
participate in the World Wide Oppor-
There are potatoes and purslane
tunities on Organic Farms program.
and baby squash to harvest. There
After graduating from college,
are sheep to milk and to shear. There
Gigot pursued another agricultural
are lessons to be learned about Indig-
enous food sovereignty.
experience as an intern at a medici-
nal herb farm in Applegate Valley, at
Even in a contemporary global,
the confluence of the Coast and Sis-
industrialized food complex, “I
kiyou mountain ranges.
wanted to believe that a small farm
A second internship took her to
could exist and even thrive,” she
a homestead farm on Lopez Island.
writes. “A Little Bit of Land” offers
That’s where she discovered the
readers abundant food for thought.
writings of Wendell Berry and began
The Bookmonger is Barbara
to consider his discussion of nurtur-
Lloyd McMichael, who writes this
ers versus exploiters, and how her
weekly column focusing on books,
own consumption habits probably
authors and publishers of the Pacific
put her in the latter category.
Northwest. Contact her at bar-
baralmcm@gmail.com.
A dream began to percolate –
BY BARBARA LLOYD MCMICHAEL
14 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
‘A Little Bit of Land’ is by Jessica Gigot.