Dacha Idylls: Living Organically in Russia's Countryside

224 Pages·2010·2.49 MB·English

by  Melissa L. Caldwell

Dacha Idylls
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Dacha Idylls
Living Organically in Russia’s Countryside
Melissa L. Caldwell
university of califor nia press
Berkeley . Los Angeles . London
University of California Press, one of the most dis-
tinguished university presses in the United States,
enriches lives around the world by advancing scholar-
ship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural
sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press
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visit www.ucpress.edu.
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2011 by The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Caldwell, Melissa L., 1969 –.
Dacha idylls : living organically in Russia’s countryside /
Melissa L. Caldwell.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978 - 0-520- 26284- 3 (cloth : alk. paper)
isbn 978 - 0-520- 2 6285 -0 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Country homes— R ussia (Federation). 2. Vacation
homes — Russia (Federation). 3. Organic living —R ussia
(Federation). 4. Gardening— Russia (Federation).
5. Russia (Federation)— Social life and customs. I. Title.
dk32.c27 2011
643'.250947— d c22 2010003233
Manufactured in the United States of America
19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is printed on Cascades Enviro 100, a 100%
post consumer waste, recycled, de-inked fiber. FSC
recycled certified and processed chlorine free. It is
acid free, Ecologo certified, and manufactured by
BioGas energy.
For my parents, Bill and Sandy Caldwell,
mushroom hunters extraordinaire
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Contents
Illustrations ix
Note on Transliteration and Pronunciation xi
Preface xiii
1. Dacha Enchantments 1
2. Intimate Irritations: Living with Chekhov at the Dacha 28
3. The Pleasure of Pain: Gardening for the Soul 48
4. Natural Foods: Feeding the Body and Nourishing the Soul 74
5. Disappearing Dachniki 101
6. Dacha Democracy: Building Civil Society
in Out-of-the-Way Places 130
7. The Daily Dacha Soap Opera 162
Notes 175
Bibliography 183
Index 197
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Illustrations
1. A typical dacha / 5
2. A multifunctional dacha living room / 9
3. A dacha garden / 11
4. Friends and neighbors on a dacha tour / 25
5. A banya / 67
6. A simple meal of freshly picked garden produce / 71
7. Berry pickers compare containers of blueberries / 75
8. Angela, a veteran mushroom hunter / 77
9. Iuliia’s blueberry pies / 96
10. Fences / 109
11. A new community of “McMansions” / 113
12. Showing of the first potatoes of the season / 127
13. Trash heaps become part of the natural landscape / 151
1 4. A sign that reads “Dachniki, do not be pigs.
Dumping trash is categorically prohibited” / 153