Sown in the Stars (eBook)

Planting by the Signs

Sarah L. Hall (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2023
168 Seiten
The University Press of Kentucky (Verlag)
978-0-8131-9706-7 (ISBN)

Infos

"e;To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted."e;-Ecclesiastes 3:1-2The Appalachian region is deeply rooted in customs that have been handed down for generations. "e;Planting by the signs,"e; a practice predicated on the belief that moon phases and astrological signs exert a powerful influence on the growth and well-being of crops, is deemed superstitious by some but has been considered essential to gardeners and farmers for centuries and is still in use today. Sown in the Stars brings together the collective knowledge of farmers in central and eastern Kentucky about the custom of planting by the signs. Sarah Hall interviews nearly two dozen contemporary Kentuckians who still follow the signs of the moon and stars to guide planting, harvesting, canning and food preservation, butchering, and general farmwork. Hall explores the roots of this system in both astrology and astronomy and the profound connections felt to the stars, moon, planets, and the earth. Revealed in the personal narratives are the diverse interpretations of the practice. Some farmers and gardeners believe that the moon's impact on crop behavior is purely scientific, while others favor a much wider interpretation of the signs and their impact on our lives. Featuring photographs by Meg Wilson, this timely book bridges the past, present, and future by broadening our understanding of this practice and revealing its potential to increase the resiliency of our current agricultural food systems.

Autor

Sarah L. Hall is associate professor of agriculture and natural resources at Berea College. Her scholarly articles on the restoration of native forests and grasslands in Kentucky have been published in a wide range of journals, including Restoration Ecology and New Forests. Meg Wilson, a Berea College alum, is a graduate student in art and art history at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Meg's photographs have appeared in many publications and collections, including Appalachian Reckoning, Appalachian Review, Time magazine, Oxford American, and Looking at Appalachia.

Inhalt

Foreword, by Ronni Lundy
Introduction
1. The Basics
2. The Followers
3. Almanacs & Calendars
4. The Signs
5. Beyond Planting
Epilogue

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 4.4.2023
• Illustrationen: Meg Wilson
• Vorwort: Ronni Lundy
• Zusatzinfo: 1 map, 2 tables, 3 b&w illustrations, 69 color illustrations
• Verlagsort: Lexington
• Sprache: englisch
• Maße: 230 x 230 mm
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Essen / Trinken ► Themenkochbücher
• Themenwelt: Weitere Fachgebiete ► Land- / Forstwirtschaft / Fischerei
• Schlagworte: Almanacs • Appalachia • Aries • Astrology • calendar • Cancer • canning • Constellations • earth • Farmers • farming • Gardening • Interview • Kentucky • Leo • Lunar • Moon • Oral History • phases • Pisces • Planets • Planting • Scorpio • seed • signs • Taurus • VIRGO • Zodiac
• ISBN-10: 0-8131-9706-6 / 0813197066
• ISBN-13: 978-0-8131-9706-7 / 9780813197067