Review: Out in Blue Fields: A Year at Hokum Rock Blueberry Farm

Out in Blue Fields: A Year at Hokum Rock Blueberry Farm by Janice Riley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The first half of this lovely book comprises a year-long essay on conservation, blueberry farming, and life at Cape Cod's Hokum Rock Blueberry Farm. While I enjoyed the month by month accounting of the arduous work of farming, I was most struck by the cautionary tale provided by the estate-hold the Spear family has on Hokum Rock Blueberry Farm. Having sold their land to the city for long-term conservation purposes, while retaining life estate tenancy, the town, proper owners of the land, refused to aid the Spear's in protecting the land from unscrupulous development by neighbors who cut down a large stand of pine and oak trees, many of which were more than a hundred years old. When you see what love and labor have gone into the farm, the town's refusal to aid the Spear family is really disheartening.

The second half of this book focuses on family history, blueberry growing tips, various plants and insects found on the farm, and a host of yummy-looking recipes using blueberries.

All in all, this is a truly beautiful book. It releases Tuesday, March 27, 2018.

I received a Digital Review Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


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