Somehow I didn’t hear about Kurt Timmermeister’s new book Growing a Feast : The Chronicle of a Farm-to-Table Meal until it was already published. But no matter. It was a perfect sobering-up-about-food read after the intoxication of the holidays. I very much enjoyed his first book and I’ll say the same about his latest. But when you read it you shouldn’t expect the same adventurous and experimental tone as Growing a Farmer.

Growing a Feast reflects a more seasoned outlook; a cook and restaurateur who has evolved into a farmer and cheese maker. Some of the romance and innocence of country life has waned, but Kurt still lives a model of elegant and graceful austerity.

Growing a Feast is a good read. Kurt’s immersed-in-the-moment narrative style makes you feel like you are right there with your hands in the whey, and it includes recipes! I highly recommend it.

In the NYT article about his book it’s mentioned that Kurt would rather not continue living the single life. After reading Growing a Feast I would think his insistent adherence to principles, which I greatly admire, makes for a somewhat solitary existence. It must be difficult to find a partner who is as passionate and willing to live off the land. It doesn’t sound like he is lonely, but his high standards demand a partner with unusual strength and endurance*.

Thinking about Kurt’s personality traits made me curious about his birth chart. Just for fun (and because I wish him well) I thought I would share some general things about the play of five elements within his chart. Also I was feeling I had permission to be nosy since he put it out there that he would like to be in a relationship.

Kurt is a yin water day master – which reminds me I wanted to share my favorite quote from the book. It is exactly the kind of thing I would expect to hear from a yin water day master:

“There is a line that I would prefer not to cross and it is a line that I adjust at whim.”
~ Kurt Timmermeister

I love it!

Without knowing what time Kurt was born 25% of the data that makes up a natal chart reading is missing. Not to mention the hour pillar is crucial in determining a person’s career as well as the current phase of luck. Each pillar represents a certain age range of your life and one component of your luck for that phase. Kurt’s life events give me a clue as to what his favorable elements are so I do have a guess as to what his hour pillar is. There are only 12 possibilities … but that’s best left for another post.**

Kurt was born on June 14, 1962 in Seattle. Here’s the chart:

Because of the arrangement of the stems and branches in the chart the energy of his life flows to support the earth element. Again, I say this without knowing his hour pillar.

This is how the five elements break down for a yin water day master.

• It seems that the water element is not strong, but never underestimate the uncontainable energy of yin water. Water represents his friends, siblings, family, acquaintances, age mates, peers. The one water element we can see in his chart is “far away” now. He probably had more friends and people in his immediate circle when he was younger.
• The wood element is present, fueling the fire. Wood is his output, talents, emotions and self expressions. An occupation associated with the wood element is writing books. So writing books (wood) supports his money (fire).
• Fire is strong and there is a potential of much more. Fire represents his money. Restaurants, cooking and other hospitality industries are included in the realm of the fire element. Fire supports earth and his restaurant profits are what allowed him to purchase the farm. In terms of yin and yang, fire may represent a romantic partner to a male water day master.
• Earth for a water daymaster represents power and reputation. When people speak of Kurt or write about him, they almost always mention something good about his reputation and his high standards. In Kurt’s chart earth also represents control and self control. He really began to come into his own after he bought his first four acres (earth) on Vashon Island. Kurt is probably best known for his cheese, which is a product of the cows that graze on the farm (earth). The cheese is aged in a cave (earth). He has a good reputation due to his cheese and his cows and the orderly way he manages that aspect of his business.
• There is no metal present in the natal chart unless it is in the hour pillar. Metal is his resource, health, learning and study. It would give him the ability to do the physical work needed to maintain his farm. He is an autodidact – in Kurt’s case a trait that may come from metal or earth. He mentions in the book that he drives around a lot now, delivering his cheese. That would be a metal related activity. Metal can also be represented by the northwest location so being born in Seattle is a bonus for Kurt.

If there is any advice I can give it would be to add more playfulness to his life, especially in the spring and summer months. It doesn’t really fit with a farmer’s schedule does it? Hmm…

*Just an observation, not a criticism.
**I reserve the right to change my interpretation if/when I know Kurt’s birth time.