Cooking from the market! What are your favourite Seasonal, Farm Market, Produce Cookbooks?

[Breadcrumbs]

I'm so excited to see my chives peeking through the still chilly soil. It's a sure sign that growing season has started and my menus will be influenced by what's fresh and in-season at the market.

I love bringing something wonderful home from the local market and then looking through my cookbooks to see what I can do with it.

Over the last year, I've been adding more produce, seasonal and farm market cookbooks to my shelf. I created a bookmark in EYB to bring all those books together in one place and help me search and it turns out I now have 57 such books on my shelf!! (head hanging in shame, yes I should be attending Cookbooks Anonymous!) One "newish" addition to my shelf that I'm extremely excited about is Stephanie Alexander's Kitchen Garden Companion. I love the look, feel and content of this book and I just can't wait to make some of the amazing recipes I've flagged.

I'd love to hear about your new additions and Tried & True favourites. Here are some of mine:

Newer additions to my shelf:

The Big Summer Cookbook: 300 Fresh, Flavorful Recipes for Those Lazy, Hazy Days by Jeff Cox
Eating Local: 150 Recipes from the Farm to Your Table by Janet Fletcher and Sur La Table
Fresh from the Market: Seasonal Cooking with Laurent Tourondel by Laurent Tourondel and Charlotte March

Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets by Deborah Madison

Melissa's Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce: A Guide to Easy-to-Make Dishes with Fresh Organic Fruits and Vegetables by Cathy Thomas
Red, White, and Greens: The Italian Way with Vegetables by Faith Heller Willinger

Seasons by Donna Hay

Simply in Season: 12 Months of Wine Country Cooking by Tony DeLuca

Take a Vine-ripened Tomato... by Julie Biuso

Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch by Nigel Slater

A Well-Seasoned Appetite: Recipes for Eating with the Seasons, the Senses, and the Soul by Molly O'Neill

Williams-Sonoma Cooking from the Farmer's Market by Jodi Liano and Tasha De Serio and Jennifer Maiser

Tried & True Favourites:

The Big Red Book of Tomatoes by Lindsey Bareham

Delia Smith's Summer Collection: 140 Recipes for Summer by Delia Smith

Niagara Cooks From Farm to Table, a Delicious Adventure by Lynn Ogryzlo

The Ontario Harvest Cookbook: An Exploration of Feasts and Flavours by Julia Aitken and Anita Stewart

The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market Cookbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Impeccable Produce Plus 130 Seasonal Recipes by Christopher Hirsheimer and Peggy Knickerbocker

The Santa Monica Farmers' Market Cookbook: Seasonal Foods, Simple Recipes and Stories from the Market and Farm by Amelia Saltsman

A Year in Lucy's Kitchen: Seasonal Recipes and Memorable Meals by Lucy Waverman

[L.Nightshade]

Anyone cook from Janet Fletcher's Fresh From the Farmers' Market? I haven't cooked from it for several years, but I had good results, as I recall. Reading this thread, coupled with my CSA starting in, has inspired me to pull it out from the back of the bookshelves.

[Berheenia]

I've been using the Victory Garden Cookbook for the last 25 years. It has gardening and shopping tips as well as recipes that have become family favorites.

[herby]

I love the Victory Garden Cookbook! I also have her Fish and Vegetables cookbook that I like. Another Solomon's book that no one ever mentions is her Complete Vegetarian Cookbook - made lots of things out of it very successfully. One more oldie but goodie is Pacific Flavours. Going to look through my books as I unpack them tonight and hope to come up with a few more ideas.

[Gio]

It's funny. I used to watch The Victory Garden religiously for all the many years it was on and through all the various hosts but I never bought Marion Morash's book. Her recipe for fish fillets cooked on top of kale is my very favorite way to eat that vegetable. (I actually worked with Roger Swain one year at the Flower Show in Boston.What fun That was.)

[Gio]

I've been reading through this thread trying to get inspired for July's COTM. I have a few of the vegetable books mentioned and am interested in others. Guess I'll spend a drizzly afternoon hauling out what I think might be good Summertime cookbooks and see what I come up with.
Those I do have that I think would work :

Red, White, and Greens: The Italian Way w Vegetables, Faith Willinger
Zuni Café Cookbook, Judy Rodgers
Sunday Suppers at Lucques, Suzanne Goin
The Flexitarian Table, Peter Berley
Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, Deborah Madison
The Savory Way, Deborah Madison
The Art of Simple Food, Alice Waters
A New Way to Cook, Sally Schneider
Mediterranean Food, French Country Food and Summer Cooking, Elizabeth David
My Calabria: Rustic: Family Cooking from Italy's Undiscovered South, R. Costantino
The New York Times Natural Foods Cookbook, Jean Hewitt
The Food Matters Cookbook, Mark Bittman
Plenty, Yotam Ottolenghi
The Vegetarian Option, Simon Hopkinson
Flavors, Donna Hay
Plenty: Good, Uncomplicated Food for the Sustainable Kitchen, Diana Henry
Eat Right, Eat Well: The Italian Way, Edward Giobbi & Richard Wolff
The Farmhouse Cookbook, Wilson Farm, Lexington MA

I think I'll stop there... but you get the picture.

[Breadcrumbs]

I know how you feel Gio. I created a bookmark in EYB called "produce" and bookmarked all the books I felt would be most useful through the growing season. I'd hoped to find book and recipe reviews in EYB that might help me make a decision but so few folks have added reviews as yet that it really wasn't much help. Like you, I plan to just pull some from my shelf and flip through them to see whether a few stand out. I have many of the books you've listed above and agree, they do seem like candidates. Happy browsing!!

[Gio]

The books I seem to be favoring are:

Food Matters... less meat, more veggies and the hope of losing weight in the process.

Eat Right, Eat Well: The Italian Way... lots of produce there with anecdotes about Giobbi's farm.

The Farmhouse Cookbook.. this farm is just a few miles from where we live so it's definitely a regional and personal thing. But makes sense, doesn't it? In fact I wonder why more farms don't create their own cookbooks. I'll probably use this book to supplement whichever book does become COTM.

The Savory Way...I've only cooked one recipe from this book even though I've had it since it first was published... her insanely savory, delectable and addictive Cold Noodles with Peanut Sauce. It's time to take another look.

[beetlebug]

I also use the Dunlop books as well as the Vietnamese books a lot during the summer. Dunlop's dry fried string beans are a weekly staple when the season starts.

[Gio]

That's a great idea BB. The Solomon Complete Asian book would be good as well, come to think of it.

[beetlebug]

I also use a lot of the Indian cookbooks, Sahni and Jaffrey. They are especially useful when I have an overabundance of greens, esp things I don't really like to eat stir fried (turnip greens, beet greens, etc). I use those to make saag. It is a drag to wash it all though.

[dkennedy]

Fried string beans???? Recipe if you please.

[Gio]

DK... here's an on-line recipe for Dunlop's Dry Fried Green Beans:
http://leitesculinaria.com/7324/recipes-dry-fried-green-beans.html

The archived reporting posts from COTM:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/4946...
Don't forget to read the posts that follow TDQ's post for reports from others...

[dkennedy]

Thank you so much Gio.

[Breadcrumbs]

I just ordered Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes: Recipes from a Modern Kitchen Garden based on someone's recommendation . . . I thought it was here however a quick search tells me my memory is failing!!

If anyone has this book and, has tome T&T favourite dishes, I'd love to hear about them.

[Caitlin McGrath]

A sweet-oriented one I like is Rustic Fruit Desserts, by Cory Schreiber and Julie Henderson, which is arranged seasonally and full of photos that make me want to run to the farmers' market and get baking. Its subtitle is "crumbles, buckles, cobbles, pandowdies, and more," and it has plenty of cakes and tarts, and whatnot, too. I ought to delve into it more this year.

There's a thread about it here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/687951

[buttertart]

The Jane Grigson "Vegetable Book" and "Fruit Book" as well as The Mushroom Feast" are classics that are as enjoyable to read as anything out there and have super recipes. Not to be missed!!!

[herby]

I am surprised that no one mentioned Marian Morash Victory Garden books. I have both - The VG Cookbook and Fish and Veg Cookbook and used both a lot. Great recipes, lots of information about vegetables - how to grow, to buy, to store, etc. This is my go-to book when I come home with a veg that I do not know know what to do with.

[dfrostnh]

I have the Victory Garden cookbook and also the Joy of Gardening cookbook which I used when I need info on a vegetable (I garden). It could simply be that these are older books (circa 1980s?) and got put aside for newer books. I recently got them out again for ideas on how to use parsnips. Great parsnip muffin recipe btw but I've been seduced by internet recipes and newer cookbooks. Also prefer the ethnic variations in the Mooswood cookbooks. Despite having a section on herbs, the garden cookbooks didn't use herbs as much as a newer book might. Keep in mind that a basic cookbook in th 70s rarely mentioned herbs esp fresh herbs.

[blinknoodle]

Love Soup is great! I can't wait for local produce to make its way here to try out more seasonal recipes!

[dkennedy]

Finally getting around to sharing my favorite Farmer's Market produce cookbooks. I'll start with the one I use most: The Santa Monica Farmers Market Cookbook by Amelia Saltsman. The beans, greens and pork stew on p. 156 is my all time favorite recipe out of this book. I make it will wild boar. The apricot preserves on p. 170 is also outstanding, though I don't know how it differs from other jam recipes since I rarely make any others. Two years ago the apriums at Trader Joes were truly wonderful and well priced so I made jam for all the teachers as an end of the year present. Three of them asked me how to make it for themselves.

Some other in my collection that come to mind:

How to Pick A Peach - bought this on a lark on the way to a Bar Mitzvah. Ended up devouring the book. Spends a fair amount of time explaining how and where the produce is grown, how to choose, store and prepare, and one simple dish to make with the ingredient (eg. strawberries). Then the general section is followed by 3-4 real recipes for each highlighted fruit/veggie.

Cooking Outside the Box - this one is really fun. I got it 1/2 price during the last days The Cook's Library was open, so it has sentimental value for me. Put out by an organic produce delivery vendor in Britain. Lots of recipe gems in this one, such as recipes using purple sprouting broccoli.

Harvest to Heat - new to my shelves. So far untouched.

The Cook and the Gardener - a great read by Amanda Hesser re her year in the French Countryside.

The Fruit and Nut Book - given to me during college by a dear Aunt. Great reference but rarely used for recipes.

Herbfarm - bought based on a recommendation by a fellow Chowhounder. Never used to date.

The Summertime Anytime Cookbook - great recipes from Shutter on the Beach in Santa Monica. Not exactly seasonally based, chapters are broken down into sections like Sunny Days, Cloudy Days, Stormy NIghts, etc. I am especially fond of the desserts from this book.

The Year I Ate My Garden by Tony Kienitz- not exactly a cookbook but it does contain some recipes. A wealth of information on how to plant an edible garden. I heard Tony giving an interview on NPR some years back and long story short, he ended up landscaping my property. I now have a pomegranate, peach, and an apple tree on my property as well as a thyme carpet and pretty much every other herb you can name. I loved reading this book and re-read it every time I need inspiration. Highly recommended.

Any of the Chez Panisse cookbooks.

Oh, almost forgot - The Blackberry Farm Cookbook by Sam Beall - gorgeous book from Tennessee's famed Chateaux. Don't look it up on Amazon unless you plan on buying it - you will want it!!

[chefathome]

I have many already mentioned but another I'd like to add is Harvest to Heat:
http://www.amazon.ca/Harvest-Heat-Coo.... A very interesting book that highlights the producers and chefs with gorgeous recipes.

[Breadcrumbs]

Oh my goodness chefathome, I'd buy that for the cover alone, how beautiful! I've added that to my wish list @ Amazon...love the concept! Thank-you.

[dkennedy]

Harvest to Heat is available on TGC website if you are a member. May want to wait for their $11.99 sale.

[KaBudokan]

When I saw this thread, this was the book that popped into my head. I just saw this book the other night when I ate at Bolete, an amazing restaurant in Bethlehem, PA. The chef at Bolete contributed a recipe to the book, so they had it on display at the restaurant. Looked like a great cookbook, though I only flipped through it.

[jmckee]

Greene on Greens, by Bert Greene. Fun to read, really good recipes.
Vegetable Love by Barbara Kafka. The ne plus ultra of vegetable cookbooks. Quirky, interesting recipes, plus a guide to choosing, storing, and preparing each type of produce. The last could be a book in itself.
Sweet Simplicity. Jacques Pepin's fruit desserts book. I go to this time and again.

[Breadcrumbs]

jmckee, I wish I'd seen your post before heading out today. I saw Greene on Greens in a used bookstore but didn't know anything about it. If I get a chance to get back there next week, I'll be sure to pick it up. Surely a bargain at $1.99!

I really enjoy Barbara Kafka's books and managed to get Vegetable Love for a song at Abe's thanks for that recommendation jm!

[Breadcrumbs]

jmckee, I just wanted to loop back and thank-you again for your recommendation for Vegetable Love. My copy arrived on Thursday and it's captivated me ever since. I loved Barbara Kafka's "Why" introduction at the beginning of the book. For those of you who don't have the book, she starts w:

"This is a book about pleasure, not a moral tract. I love the seductive perfume of slowly sauteing onions, the impossibly vivid red of roatsed peppers . . . ." While Kafka is quick to point ou that there are plenty of recipes in the book (over 700 pages I might add!!) for vegans and vegetarians, she also includes recipes w meat, fish and chicken.

There's a wonderful "Cook's Guide" at the back which she encourages you to use to "invent your own recipes". In this section she included descriptions of veggies, ways to cook them, timing info and even some gardening info.

I just love this book and all the variety and inspiration it provides. Thanks again jmckee, this is a wonderful addition to my collection.

[jmckee]

So glad you like it. I have left it out on my island starting last week (we usually keep the island clear of everything -- more space to work) and plan to make it my "go to" cookbook for all of this year's growing season. I'm going to put those little sticky "tabs" on the recipes I definitely want to use.

I love her two page defense of iceberg lettuce, by the way. It's so funny.

Go to the avocado section and make the salad dressing. Now. My employer is a Man about the Kitchen who was going through a salad dressing kick last year. I brought him a bowl of this, and he brought me back the washed container the next day, sheepishly admitting that he caught himself licking the bowl clean while watching a baseball game on TV.

Let me know what you make!

[Breadcrumbs]

I'll be sure to read the iceberg lettuce piece jm, I didn't get that far into the book yet. I did see that wonderful sounding Avocado dressing though!! I adore buttermilk-based dressings and I also love avocados so this had immediate appeal and I thought it was an innovative use of the fruit. I'm delighted to know you've tried it and would recommend it! Rest assured there will be a big sticky note on that page tonight!! Thanks again!

[NanH]

It could have been here, but I recall someone saying, 'If iceberg was expensive and hard to grow, it would be THE go to green.'

[Breadcrumbs]

Very funny Nan!!

[buttertart]

Darn you CHers! Have ordered 2 Chinese cookbooks and Vegetable Love today because of y'all. It's all your fault, of course. ;-)

[jmckee]

*LOL*!

[Breadcrumbs]

You're quite welcome buttertart!! ; - )

You won't regret the VL purchase, I can't believe I didn't know about this book . . . I just love it. Kafka's writing style is delightful and the book is chock full of great ideas, tips and recipes.

[buttertart]

She is a very good writer. Her Microwave Gourmet is excellent. So go order it.

[Breadcrumbs]

Look, that's all I need, another nudge to buy a cookbook!! I have her Food For Friends and Party Food . . . both are great.

Note my restraint in not asking which Chinese books you purchased. I'd actually typed the question then "cut" it knowing that I have no willpower. Please resist the temptation to tell me!!

[buttertart]

Check the last few posts...or the WHOLE THREAD: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/672743

[Breadcrumbs]

I will not click on the above link I will not click on the above link I will not click on the above link I will not click on the above link I will not click on the above link . . .

I have a very good idea where your link will take me and have been purposely avoiding that thread for fear of shopping for more books that won't fit on my shelves. . .

So far, so good....

[buttertart]

Aw c'mon, you know you wanna!

[soupkitten]

heh i like "vegetable love" too. kafka also has a great book titled "roasting: a simple art"-- but i will always really enjoy her "soup: a way of life." great books all! she really sinks into a subject/cooking method, it's really too bad folks tend to dismiss this author, maybe because she wrote arguably the only serious microwave cookbook ever?

[Mothership]

You all are so funny. Breadcrumbs - you know you're gonna look at that link :). I have the cookbook addiction too and wouldn't have it any other way. Love book stores. Love those Amazon and B/N parcels at the door. Love the Quick Picks and Deals of the Day. Hated that Borders closed, but had to add more bookshelves as a result. And I love to curl up with a new cookbook whenever I get the chance. I cook out of many of them, but just enjoy the read with others. And I Always take a look at the books mentioned and discussed here (and end up with more than a few of them).

Actually this thread has provided me with a new list to "look in to" - starting with Vegetable Love.

[Breadcrumbs]

Oh I LOVE that you posted this photo Mothership, I was so excited! My first instinct was to see if I could zoom in to see what books you have on your shelves! I'd love to just sit down on that stool and browse through them!

I was thrilled when Amazon finally came to Canada. It seems that all I need to do now is "think" of a cookbook and its on my doorstep the next day!! I've also become a big fan of Abe books because those prices are so hard to beat. Even cheaper than magazines most of the time.

. . . btw, I think I see a spot for Vegetable Love on the 4th shelf of the bookcase on the far right! ; )

[Mothership]

Why thank you. That is so funny. That is exactly my first instinct whenever I see any kind of bookshelves. These are my new bookshelves (I wasn't kidding) and I will be adding an area rug and a big cushy settee. Oh happy day!

And I think that is the exact spot where Vegetable Love shall go...

[Breadcrumbs]

Your shelves are great. When I saw your photo I was wondering if they may be Ikea Billy shelves. We were there last weekend looking at those. I'd love to get all my cookbooks in one place. Right now I have book shelves in the laundry room (off the kitchen so this is prime space!), family room, office, upstairs hallway and, storage room! oh, and then there's the pile that won't fit anywhere that are now piled on my desk!!

I just re-arranged the laundry room shelf to make way for some of my market/seasonal books yesterday. . . and now have nowhere to put the books I had to pull!!

[buttertart]

Don't get the Billy ones, in our experience they don't last (between my cookbooks and his history ones, we have nine bazillion books). We've found that the ones office stores sell work well (being made - at least originally - for holding heavy ledgers etc). Another bibliophile friend likes the higher-end Ikea shelves.

[dkennedy]

That's the same split in our house Buttertart, history for him, cookbooks for me.

[Breadcrumbs]

At ours its music for him . . . albums, cd's etc and cookbooks for me. And he wonders why I'm always giving him iTunes cards!!!

[Breadcrumbs]

I tried to add this the first time but for some reason it posted sideways. I'm giving it another shot and hopefully it's right way up this time!

Edited to add: Nope! Sorry, not sure why this is happening, I've never had this issue before.

[Mothership]

Yes. Actually those are the Billy Ikea shelves. We have a friend who is uber-handy. He screwed the shelf units together top and bottom, forward and back of each shelf to make them more sturdy. I did this because I couldn't anchor them to the wall because the walls behind them are glass. They seemed pretty sturdy to begin with to me, but with the volume of cookbooks I was planning on putting on them, wanted To get all the extra support possible. If the shelves eventually warp, well they are very inexpensive. I guess time will tell. I couldn't find any bookshelves at office supply stores that were tall enough and that I could configure the way I needed.

Oh - and Breadcrumbs, I see in your picture, on the bottom shelf I think - a book that is "something-I-can't-read....Bacon". Perchance you could tell me what that is. "Bacon" of course caught my eye.

[Breadcrumbs]

Thanks Mothership, we also liked how you can configure the shelves to a variety of spaces and a friend of ours just outfitted their guest room as a library using these. Similar to what you did, they have a friend who does cabinetry work and he bolted theirs to the wall. We don't have that option on one of the walls in our office so I like your idea of reinforcing them. Thank-you.

You have a good eye! That book is indeed a bacon book! It's "Seduced By Bacon" by Joanna Pruess. It came highly recommended from a chef I really admire and though I don't recall cooking from it as yet, I do know there were tons of recipes that appealed. I'm hoping it gets indexed soon on "Eat Your Books" which will make it much easier to search and plan menus. Here's a link to the Amazon reviews if you're interested:

http://www.amazon.com/Seduced-Bacon-A...

I created a "single ingredient" section on my bookshelf for books like this as I'd never remember who the author was if I had to search for it alphabetically!!

[Mothership]

Thank you Breadcrumbs. I now have Seduced by Bacon (quick glance - um, yum), Vegetable Love (on the way), and the New Southern Garden Cookbook. I'm looking forward to some new veggie ideas for the summer. I have also accidentally purchased a load of other cookbooks in the last few weeks. I'm going to list them over on the " last 3 cookbook purchases" thread. I'm feeling guilty. Well, not really, but you know... ;)

[Breadcrumbs]

We'll have to come back here an post if we make something from the bacon book Mothership, I hope you enjoy it! I'll be over to the other thread to read about those "accidental" purchases!! LOL!

[Mothership]

Thank you. Absolutely will do!

[herby]

Breadcrumbs, what are the OOOV books - one green and another red - on your bookshelf?

[Breadcrumbs]

Hi Herby, they're actually the 2 Bon Appetit cookbooks (I'll paste a link below). That silly sideways picture is the culprit, the word on the spine is actually "COOK" but of course w the picture being sideways, you can't tell!

Here's the link:

http://www.amazon.ca/Bon-Appetit-Cook...

[Gio]

Here ya go BC:

[Breadcrumbs]

Gio that's amazing, I'm so impressed. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what went wrong or, how to fix it. Genius!!

[Gio]

I have an editing program... tis easy.

[Breadcrumbs]

Well thank-you Gio, much appreciated!

[shrimp13]

Produce, a Field Guide is a great little book to inspire and inform. The flavor pairings they give for each item are a little obvious though. I also have the Meat one. Again great little books.

[Breadcrumbs]

That sounds interesting shrimp, I'll definitely check it out, thank-you!

[jessinEC]

My friend Jennie Schacht wrote an amazing cookbook (her third, I think) called "Farmer's Market Desserts." Gorgeous photos, delicious recipes. Her cherry pie was awesome -- I can't wait to make it again.

[Breadcrumbs]

How wonderful to have such a talented friend Jess! I look forward to seeing this book in Canada.

[LNG212]

I know this is probably not the kind of thing you're talking about ... but I just picked up "Tart & Sweet" by Kelly Geary and Jessie Knadler that just came out. It's a book about canning and pickling by people in Brooklyn. It's arranged seasonally and is about the stuff we can get here in nyc. I am *loving* it. I can't wait to make ramp kimchi, or blueberry lemon honey jam, or chili pear pickles, e.g.

[Breadcrumbs]

Actually LNG I did include my canning books in my bookmark. I LOVE to can and especially enjoy recipes that differ from the standard preserves. Tart and Sweet sounds fascinating and I'll definitely check it out, thank-you for posting this!

[Honestly Good Food]

I'm really surprised that so many of you like Local Flavors. For me, it's not really the recipes that are the problem, it's that most American's DO NOT have access to the types of foods she finds at the market. Never, ever, ever will there be citrus, avacado, tropical fruits, etc, etc at a Farmers Market within hundreds of miles of where I live. She calls it cooking and eating from America's Farmers Markets, but, that's really quite a stretch.

The photographs are really nice though. It's a pretty book.

I like Simply In Season, which is a compilation cookbook from Ten Thousand Villages. No photos, but recipes are all tried and true and very simple. Foods that ALL of us can get at the market.

[Breadcrumbs]

I'll have to take a look at "Simply In Season" HGF, thanks for pointing out that book.

I love books like Madison's for the same reason you're not fond of it. I love seeing what other folks can find locally and, when we travel, we delight in visiting local farm markets and stands to pick up "fresh" produce we'd never otherwise have access to.

mr bc and I will never forget our first visit to the Santa Monica farmer's market. It was the same day we were flying back to Toronto so we knew we'd have to consume everything that day. We did a great job w most of the fruit we picked up but simply couldn't get to the the variety of avocados I'd picked up (we tend to find only Haas here in Toronto). Undeterred, I packed them in my carry-on luggage and before landing we had an "avocado tasting" on the plane. Even the flight attendants couldn't resist a bite!! We shared samples with fellow passengers and succeeded in polishing them off!!

[tcamp]

Yes, that's why I enjoy Local Flavors too. I make it a point to visit FMs when I'm travelling and have the canvas shopping bags to prove it. Not to mention all sorts of food memories--dates from Hollywood FM, stone ground grits from Charleston, ground cherries and blueberries from Ottawa.

There is a 10k Villages right near my house which I shall check out for Simply in Season.

[Breadcrumbs]

oooh yes tcamp, I collect those canvas bags as well!!! I just love them!

[soupkitten]

i run into that problem with very regionally based farmer's market cookbooks, most of them from the west coast. imo the "harvest to heat" and "farmer's market desserts" recs listed below fall into that category, and then they have a dearth of usable recipes for farm/ag products that are commonly available in other regions. or so many pretty pictures you realize there are only 40 recipes or so in a $60 book :(

what's anyone to do, though-- there can't be a farmer's market cookbook that fits all regions, we'll all just have to get a bunch so that no matter where we are, we're covered.

in a similar vein to your rec, i submit "tastes from valley to bluff" from featherstone farm. regional produce (mn/upper midwest usa), recipes ranging in complexity, many submitted by the farm's csa members. no color pix, plastic binding, extremely usable book for seasonal veg cooking. none of the recipes involve charlie trotter-style 3 day/20 step prep. divided by vegetable.

http://www.amazon.com/Tastes-Valley-B...

[blue room]

I have a beautiful book called "Roger Verge' 's Vegetables in the French Style"
I've only made 2 things so far, some time ago (fritters and soup) but every time the book comes into my field of vision I make rash promises to myself.
A book I got just recently is "The Vegetarian Option", by Simon Hopkinson. Have barely opened it, but have high hopes.

[Breadcrumbs]

blue room of course I had to look up Verge's book as soon as I read "beautiful" - I'm a total sucker for fabulous photography! Needless to say it's now in my cart @ Abes!!

[dkennedy]

I have Verge's. I don't cook out of it very often, but I do find the pictures awfully inspiring!

[soupkitten]

verge's also got: entertaining in the french style, and, new entertaining in the french style. i have the latter. classic stuff, very pretty.

[Breadcrumbs]

now you've done it soupkitten . . . I have no willpower and will have to check those out!!
Thank-you

[monavano]

Sunday Suppers at Lucques. Am chomping at the bit to start cooking from the Spring recipes!

[tastycakes]

i love this one! i picked up some morels at the FM this weekend to do the morel mushroom ragout on brioche and made the crab, beet, and avocado salad last night.

also love From the Earth to the Table by John Ash

[Breadcrumbs]

I just added Sunday Suppers to my bookshelf at Christmas and had forgotten it was seasonally based. Will add that to my bookmark list.

Tastycakes thanks for mentioning John Ash's book, it didn't get picked up on my EYB search and like you, I love that book.

[dkennedy]

Interesting that Earth to Table is one of your favorites, Tastycake. I gave that book away last year after years and years of non-use.

[tastycakes]

to be honest, i have only tried two or three of the recipes. i just like to look at cookbooks for ideas and it has some good wine pairing suggestions as well, but i do think some of the recipes are a bit outdated.

[Abby0105]

Local Flavors by Deborah Madison is one of my favorites - I use it so much the pages are starting to fall out!

I also like In Season: cooking with vegetables and fruits by Sarah Raven

[Breadcrumbs]

Thanks Abby! Do you have any favourites from Local Flavors? The book just captivated me w it's photography, so beautiful!

Also great to know you like In Season. I have the book sadly it's been under-used. I'm looking forward to getting more use out of it soon though as this seems to be another one that has been flagged as "Index Soon" on EYB.

[bushwickgirl]

A very laudable list, breadcrmbs! There are many excellent books on your list, especially the Deborah Madison, Donna Hay and Nigel Slater works.

I'll add a few:

Unplugged Kitchen: A Return to the Simple, Authentic Joys of Cooking
My Italian Garden: More than 125 Seasonal Recipes from a Garden Inspired by Italy

Both books by Viana La Place, simple fare, very inspirational writing.

[Breadcrumbs]

Thanks bushwickgirl! I'm excited to see your recommendations as I ordered My Italian Garden last week (from Abe's) on a recommendation from a lady who'd brought it with her to the supermarket last weekend! They sell seeds imported from Italy and she was planting based on that book!

Its great to know you've enjoyed cooking from the book! btw, if you're an EYB member you'll be happy to know this has been flagged as "Index Soon" so we'll be able to maximize our use of it through the growing season!! Very exciting news.

Thanks too for the Fergus Henderson clarification above. I wondered about that too but didn't think of him as a "produce" chef . . . maybe just supportive of local/sustainable? He was in Toronto recently to speak at a local hospitality industry conference. Pity it wasn't open to the public as I'd loved to have seen him.

[bushwickgirl]

You're welcome. I'm glad you bought her book, please enjoy it.

I'm not an EYB member at this time.

"maybe just supportive of local/sustainable"/rural/responsible/thrifty etc.

That's it. His book is not one I would use due to the difficulty of sourcing many of his ingredients, but I think of it as a chef's book, and I'm sure it's a good read regardless.

[Breadcrumbs]

As luck would have it and much to my surprise, My Italian Garden arrived today! What a beautiful, charming book with it's lovely artwork. I'll have to take a good look at it during my daily commutes . . . it's the perfect "briefcase size"!! ; - )

btw, I meant to say that it's nice to see another Donna Hay fan here. I don't read much about her here on Chowhound but I've been a fan for years and have most of her books and magazines. I don't think anything I've ever made from her work has disappointed. So many of her dishes are quick and straightforward to execute as well.

[tcamp]

Wow, impressive collection!

I find myself reaching again and again for Local Flavors when I return from the farmers market with bags of produce. Madison's recipes never disappoint me. Her cauliflower with a parseley, green olive, and caper vinegarette is one of my all time favorite dishes. I also like her Vegetarian Suppers although I am a confirmed omnivore.

Another one I like is A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen, by Jack Bishop. I like the seasonal arrangement of sections, like Local Flavors, which I find very helpful when seeking to use up some new vegetable that appears in my CSA bag.

[Breadcrumbs]

Thanks for pointing me to that Bishop book tcamp, I looked it up online and it immediately caught my interest. Actually a few of his books are now on my "Wish List"! I decided to bite the bullet and order the one you specifically recommended for your CSA bag though as I found it on Abe's and was able to pick it up for less than $20 including shipping so that seemed very reasonable.

I haven't tried that vinaigrette you mentioned from Local Flavors yet but I've now made a note of your recommendation and flagged the recipe. Thanks so much, that flavour combination totally appeals!

[JudiAU]

All of the chez panisse cookbooks
Sunday suppers (wonderful chow hound thread)
Ferrous Henderson books
Zuni cafe

[Breadcrumbs]

Judi, the Chez Panisse books...of course! Thanks for reminding me of these!! EYB has them classified as "celebrity chef" books so I missed them in my bookmarking. So glad you mentioned them, I've added them to my list.

I'm not familiar w Ferrous Henderson, if you see this and have a moment, would you mind sharing a little about their book(s)?

Thanks again!

[bushwickgirl]

I believe JudiAU is referring to Fergus Henderson, a British chef of some note, but to be honest, I'm not sure how his book "The Whole Beast: From Nose to Tail" fits within this catagory of books; it's not specifically produce or garden related, but here's his amazon page:

http://www.amazon.com/Whole-Beast-Nos...

[JudiAU]

Sorry, I didn't mean Fergus Henderson at all. I meant to say Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (also British, also likes nose to tail) http://www.rivercottage.net/about/abo... He has many farm and produce driven cookbooks

River Cottage is a BBC televsion series and the cookbooks are highly seasonal. Excellent cooking. Lots of foraging, grow-your-own, farmer's market, thoughful eating.

[Breadcrumbs]

Thanks Judi. I actually just recently purchase a River Cottage book (my first) at Costco. It's the "Family Cookbook" and I'll have to take a closer look now I've seen your post here. Which of the RC books would you say are best for cooking from the garden . . . goodness knows, I'm always willing to consider buying yet another book!! ; - )

[bushwickgirl]

A horse of a different color from Henderson. It crossed my mind that maybe you meant him. His River Cottage Meat book (me want) is very highly rated and I imagine his other books are equal.

Breadcrumbs, let me know what you think about his Family Cookbook when you have a chance to peruse it.

[Breadcrumbs]

Will do bushwickgirl.

[buttertart]

I have it and am underwhelmed by it, for what it's worth. Started to read it and put it aside, recipes did not appeal.

[soupkitten]

i've got the meat book and the family cookbook. fwiw i think that the family cookbook is really actually intended/written so that young children can do the recipes successfully, and there are pix throughout of hugh f-w's kids doing the cooking. good n simple, very british. . .

his other books are aimed at more competent home cooks, eight year olds, not so much :)