Book Review: Unprocessed by Megan Kimble

We could create $140 million in new city revenue and 1,600 jobs if a community the size of Tucson shifted just 10 percent of its spending to local businesses in a single year, Megan Kimble writes. This powerful statistic stood out as I devoured her book, Unprocessed.

Unprocessed

Kimble is Managing Editor of the beautiful Edible Baja magazine. As a struggling writer, she spent a year eating completely unprocessed food, which she defined as anything she could theoretically make herself from real ingredients, no added sugar or chemicals, emulsifiers, etc. And she does make her own foods sometimes, even grinding fresh wheat flour to make bread and churning peanuts into peanut butter. I was a little apprehensive, as there are a lot of these kinds of books out there. But I have to say it was incredibly informative, well written, and fun to read!. Plus, it’s got lots of Tucson references in the memoir side of the book which makes it even more endearing.

Does she still eat this way, you might ask? I read a recent interview where she says mostly, yes. She gives herself a little leeway for the occasional Sonoran dog or birthday cake, but her research helped her realize how easy it really was to eat this way.

A few other quotes that stood out and inspired me to join a local CSA – Community Supported Agriculture – where I pick up a box of local farm produce every week.

“If everyone in southern Arizona, all million of us, shifted just five dollars each week to food sourced directly from farms in our region, these farmers would earn, on average, an additional $287 million their farms are currently losing every year.”

“When $100 is spent in a national chain store it sends $43 back into your community, compared to the $73 that sticks around when that $100 is spent at a locally owned business.”

Happy eating and reading!

~Betsy, Seed Librarian @ PCPL