Hockessin Book Shelf, Hockessin, Del., has teamed up with Coverdale Farm Preserve of the Delaware Nature Society in Greenville to launch the One Farm, One Read program. Throughout the year, they will be hosting special events, with hands-on farm experience, book discussions and food prepared from farm-grown produce. The inaugural title to be read and discussed by the community will be Rochelle Bilow's memoir The Call of the Farm: An Unexpected Year of Getting Dirty, Home Cooking and Finding Myself.
Rebecca Dowling, owner of Hockessin Book Shelf, said the concept was born when Michele Wales, farm program coordinator at Delaware Nature Society/Coverdale Farm, "asked me to be on the lookout for a book that might work for programming throughout the 50th Anniversary year for Coverdale Farm. We had it in our minds that we use a cookbook, one thing on our wish list was that an author appearance would be part of the event planning. After meeting Rochelle Bilow at BEA, I brought her memoir back to Michele with the exciting news Rochelle might be available for an event. Sitting at a picnic table at Coverdale Farms on a beautiful summer day One Farm, One Read was born."
A kick-off event is set for October 25, with a full day of activities, including a harvest-hike through the fields, barns and gardens of Coverdale's 352 acres; collecting ingredients for Rochelle's afternoon cooking demonstration in the farm kitchen; and a book reading and signing out in the fields.
This is not the first time the two have collaborated on community events "out of a mutual interest," Dowling added. "Cookbook club at Coverdale Farm was one type of book/nature programing that we discussed and planned and it stuck. We have been doing cookbook club for over a year now and have sold out every one."
Wales agreed: "Rebecca sums it up well. Very simple concept, incredibly popular program. It truly is our only program (out of many, many, many per year) that sells out with waitlists every time. I am so proud of this program and love that I have to read and work with cookbooks for my job."
