Eating Local: The Cookbook Inspired by America's Farmers

Comment: Formerly of Chez Panisse, food writer Fletcher builds her cookbook around the CSA - community sustainable agriculture - model, in which locals buy shares in a farm, providing income to the farmer and fresh food for themselves. Fletcher profiles 10 farms, from 75 to 1500 members, from Oregon to Massachusetts.

Illustrated with enticing photographs of the produce, people, places and dishes, the book is divided into three sections - Vegetables, Fruits, and Meat, Poultry and Eggs. Vegetables, organized alphabetically, get the bulk of the attention, from Grilled Asparagus with Citrus Oil to Lebanese Pickled Turnips. Fletcher includes classics like dilly beans, braised Romano beans, and pickled okra, and lots of contemporary fare, like Green Garlic Soufflé and Grilled Radicchio with Bagna Cauda and Greek Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes and Grilled Pita Chips.

Fruit dishes include Mixed Citrus Compote with Pomegranate Seeds, Peach and Boysenberry Cobbler, and Baby Greens with Grilled Figs, Blue Cheese and Walnuts. Grilled Five-Spice Chicken, Lamb Burgers with Grilled Red Onions and Feta or Grilled Sausages with Baby Turnips and Turnip Greens round out the meal.

Innovative, mouth watering and fresh, this will furnish plenty of ideas for all that summer produce.

Comment: I have tried out numerous recipes in this book, it is great, quick way to learn about your local farmers,
what they do, how to contact them and how to cook the season food.

Try the zucchini salad recipe, it is great for no-cook zucchini salad

Comment: Part of what I love about this book is that it is written from the perspective of CSAs. The photos of the recipes are gorgeous, and various CSA farms are featured. These are not your run of the mill recipes. Many of them use specialty oils (and describe how to make them yourself!) and cheeses. Recipes like Stuffed Artichokes with Pine Nuts and Currants and Mexican Pork Stew with Tomatillos use simple ingredients but are complex enough to satisfy foodies.

I loved just reading through this cookbook; I can't wait to make more of the recipes in it.

Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher to review on my blog [...]. I was not obligated to review the book and all opinions are mine.

Comment: First of all, the pictures in this book are amazing. So if that is more important to you than interesting recipes, buy this book. However, if you have any familiarity with fresh vegetables this book will probably not be much use to you. I have had CSA memberships and my own garden in the past, so I was looking for some interesting new uses for fresh vegetables, this book does not provide that. Included are recipes such as warm beets with greens, and three types of pea pods steamed together! Boring, basic, but useful if you don't know how to cook. This book should have been called 'learning to cook fresh vegetables.'

Comment: I work part-time at a Sur La Table store, and picked this book up the moment I saw it come in stock! The photography is beautiful, and best of all, REAL. The people you see in this book are the actual farmers working their farms. The book focuses on 10 sustainable farms throughout the country, giving you a peek into each one along the way, with beautiful recipes for the fresh picks!

If you consider yourself a locavore, someone who shops regularly at a farmers market or CSA, or want to learn more about doing so, you should pick up this book. If you've been timid about joining a CSA or visiting your local farmers market because you're not quite sure what to do with all those fresh fruits and veggies, this book will help you!