Editorial Review

Jimmy Williams learned all about vegetable gardening at the knee of his grandmother, a South Carolina native from a traditional Gullah community whose members were descendents of Caribbean slaves. He pays homage to his family history in this inspiring step-by-step guide to designing and planting a backyard vegetable garden and growing one's own food. With this essential garden manual, home gardeners can learn how easy it is to plan a garden, design and construct growing beds, tend the crop without using harmful chemicals, harvest gorgeous vegetables, and cook a delicious feast using Jimmy's favorite family recipes. ... Read more

Reviews

Thank you, Amazon, November 15, 2010
I saw this book listed as one of Amazon's Best Books and took a flier. Wow! It is exactly the kind of book our family (semi urban with a small back yard) have been looking for! Comprehensive, well written, brilliantly illustrated and laid out so that even a monkey can follow it. It lays out the entire process whereby the at home gardener can become if not entirely self sufficient then virtually supermarket produce-free within a single growing season. This book is an instant classic -- and revolutionary. Remember The Whole Earth Catalogue or Our Bodies, Ourselves, or even Doctor Spock's Baby Book? It is as revolutionary, as readable and as essential as those.

Uniquely useful, beautifully written, November 26, 2010
I've been only organi-curious to date, but I have two sisters who garden, Christmas is looming, and I knew they couldn't already have this just-released book. So after a little research I ordered one "test" copy. (As of now, there's not a lot of info on the Amazon page, but googling the book title turned up a publisher's site with sample PDFs and a worthwhile youtube video.)

The book is written 1st-person from Jimmy Williams' point of view, and he's a one-off. His stories bring to life his really unique background, with his both Native American and African/Gullah near ancestry. But each unusual story is there to illustrate concrete tips and techniques - e.g., how his grandmother used her rolling-pin as a time-saving gardening tool - he still uses one the same way. The style is vivid and brisk, engaging and inspiring, especially in the more anecdotal early chapters. The whole book is accessible and confidence-building for a garden-inexperienced reader like me, and doesn't assume any knowledge, though the very detailed discussions of techniques and special adaptations for urban growing in the later chapters build on the basic skills colorfully introduced early on.

The middle chapters comprise a businesslike, highly practical, and comprehensive guide for getting started simply, growing from seeds (or seedlings), with, for example, alternative illustrated plans for creating beds in urban gardens; and moving on to wider subjects - how to prepare, water, and maintain the soil and garden through the seasons, and to expand it over time to include more variety, recommended plant pairings and rotation, etc. Williams shares a wealth of his own soil amendment recipes and cultivation techniques he developed himself or inherited, and provides book references and links to his favorite suppliers. I strongly suspect that the originality of his approaches and insights will be of interest to experienced gardeners, not only to beginners like me. Reading the book is like having a generous, enthusiastic, and highly experienced friend who is "opening the bag" to you on how he succeeds at what he loves.

The next-to-last chapter covers his "edible A-list" of vegetables to grow and eat, with a page or two on each, including his tutorial on getting the best results, and listing his favorite varieties. The final chapter will likely be many readers' favorite - an excellent mini-cookbook of twenty traditional southern recipes from Williams' multi-sided background, updated for the modern kitchen and garden.

Williams' very strong and agreeable personality carries throughout the book - his unique voice is strong even in the businesslike, practical sections - and the whole book comes across as personal. At the same time, the writing is elegantly fresh, economical, and readable - Heeger, the co-author, doesn't "speak," but in the strong flow and imagery of the prose, "From Seed to Skillet" is a wonderful literary collaboration. In his blurb on the cover, Michael Pollan picked exactly the right phrase in describing Williams and Heeger as a "fine coaching team."

Finally, the book itself is beautiful - large and very handsomely printed, and filled with photography that is well-chosen, illustrates key processes, and is inspiring and plain luscious to look through. After reading it, I ordered a copy for each sister for Christmas (problem solved), and kept the test copy for myself. Enthusiastically recommended!

Video Review, December 7, 2010
This is a very extensive book with a great story and purpose. If you are interested in lowering your food bill and becoming less dependent on others, then this is your book!

XOXO

The Most Informative and Simplest Guide to Growing Vegetables (Small or Large Plots) for Your Family Table, December 17, 2010
A fiend of mine who's a hardcore gardener gave me this book because
I had been talking about wanting to grow some of my own food but am a
totally inexperienced gardener. My friend, on the other hand, has been
gardening for years, so I thought that if she liked this book it would be
completely over my head.
When it came, I started flipping through it because of the pictures, then
I was pulled in by Jimmy Williams's story and finally, his approach to
gardening was so clear and unintimidating that I started to get excited.
I've only had the book a week but already, I know where I'm going to
put my new vegetable garden and what I'm going to plant.

A gardener's best friend, December 20, 2010
I have been working a small garden on the side of my house for almost two years now with very little knowledge and with less than perfect success. From Seed to Skillet has become my go to resource and already I am finding myself in a little Eden of my own. Written in a style that is completely accessible yet inspiring- If I had to use one word to describe Seed to Skillet it would be empowering. I have not seen a book so well laid out in a long time - It is beautiful, clear, easy to learn from and has a great sense of story to boot. All of my friends from full time farmers to those with a row of potted plants at their doorstep are getting a copy for their birthday this year. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Radiantly healthy skin, hair, feet, hands, eyes, and nails. Commercial beauty products make this promise every day and live up to it with varying degrees of success. Stephanie Tourles offers a better solution to everyone frustrated with the endless cycle of expensive, synthetic, famous-name cosmetics that often fall short of expectations. Take control of beauty treatments with homemade products that use safe, nourishing ingredients to pamper the body and soothe the senses.

Tourles, a licensed esthetician, herbalist, and aromatherapist, has developed 175 recipes that are fun, simple, and immensely satisfying to make in home kitchens. Her natural beauty treatments deliver the results promised by department store brands — skin, hair, and nails that glow with vitality and inner wellness. Lotions, scrubs, toners, balms, and masks polish and balance the skin, soothe current problems, and prevent future ones. Shampoos, rinses, and conditioners tone the scalp, boost highlights, and leave hair soft and shiny. The book's whole-body coverage also includes recipes for hand and footcare, nail treatments, shaving cream, and even popular spa treatments such as microdermabrasion exfoliants, detox and cellulite soaks, ayurvedic oils, and herbal cold salves. Most important, there is never any doubt about the purity of these ingredients!

Each formula is clearly presented in recipe style, with notes on prep time, storage, and uses. Many products can be customized according to personal needs, whim, or mood, and they all use readily available, natural ingredients. Organic Body Care Recipes is a natural treasure for every body. ... Read more

Reviews

If you are torn between 2 books on this subject - get this one!, November 25, 2007
This book is absolutely awesome. The recipes are simple (and great at that!), she gives a lot of background info on each of the ingredients. Being a licensed cosmetologist myself, I can tell you that she really knows her stuff (she is a licensed esthetician). I have been making my own bath and body products for a few years (using pre-made bases from suppliers) but just decided to introduce a completely organic line of products and I think this is the best book that I have read so far on the subject and highly recommend it. Great for beginners or those who have been doing this a while.

Simply Awesome!, August 15, 2007
I LOVE this book!! Not only are there tons of cosmetic concoctions (ranging from creamy body butters & lotions to herbal hair conditioners & foot soaks), but there are also thorough descriptions of different hair & skin types that each recipe will benefit. It even has a section on edible body potions that you may want to try on your "honey" (think sensual love-making). The best part is that each recipe gives you just enough to yield about 1 to 2 applications. That way, you can decide which ones you like and which ones you don't before you make large batches of it. All the ingredients are easy to find (there is an appendix on where to buy / order) and the author even gives us a comprehensive list of the different properties of herbs, oils, essential oils, etc. that you can use in these recipes. I've made & tried three so far (coconut body butter, rosemary hair rinse, & orange sugar scrub) and have found each one to be great. I can't wait to experiment with the rest of them!

Good for casual/basic recipes, but may not satisfy everyone, May 3, 2009
I purchased this book primarily because I am interested in making my own lotion, preferably with safe/natural/eco-friendly ingredients. I don't necessarily want to market it, like another reviewer, but I would like to make lotion that is somewhat professional/sophisticated. After a quick Google search, I had learned that lotions tend to include water-based ingredients, oil-based ingredients, an emulsifier (which ensures that the water and oil ingredients stay mixed together), and some kind of preservative. I bought this book thinking that it might go into a bit more detail about basic lotion formulas (ratios of ingredients to each other), or at least provide some recipes that I could learn from.

As it turns out, I had already learned more about lotion-making from my Google search than I learned from this entire book. Of the five body moisturizer recipes, four are basically oil-based, with essential oils added. There is nothing wrong with using oil to moisturize the skin -- but I find it can be inconvenient (insofar as absorption may be slower than with lighter lotions, and you're more likely to get oil on clothing or sheets). Additionally, oil-based moisturizers will probably not appeal to those with problem skin. The author's fifth body moisturizer recipe does include water in addition to oils, and uses beeswax and lanolin as emulsifiers. The recipe does not include a preservative, however, which means (as the author states): "No refrigeration is required if used within 30 days. If refrigerated, please use within 3 to 6 months. (Refrigeration may change the texture of the product, but potency will not be affected.)" Since this recipe yields 2 1/3 cups of moisturizer, and I'm not likely to use it all in 30 days -- and I don't enjoy cold lotion -- this recipe is of limited use for me.

There are also five face moisturizer recipes. One of them is basically water and glycerin, and another is oil-based. The other three recipes each call for a trio of emulsifiers: beeswax, lanolin, and borax. I'm a newbie to the world of cosmetics ingredients, but my understanding is that borax is considered by some to be an unsafe ingredient. (A good reference is cosmeticsdatabase.com.) My guess is that the author has a good reason for using borax, and the reason is probably that borax (it appears) may be safe in small amounts -- though possibly not for infants. What perplexes me, though, is that the author offers no explanation or discussion on this topic.

As mentioned by other reviewers, some of these recipes are extremely (absurdly?) simple. Examples include the Aloe Vera Toner (ingredients: "pure aloe vera juice or gel, commercially bottled or from fresh-picked leaf"), the Tangerine Toner (ingredients: 1/2 cup witch hazel and 10 drops tangerine essential oil), and the Yogurt Exfoliating and Bleaching Mask (ingredients: 1 tablespoon plain yogurt). I don't know about you, but I'm not sure those should count toward the "175 Homemade Herbal Formulas" in this book. As useful as they may be, I'm more inclined to call those "tips."

I don't mean to sound too harsh in my review of this book. I think that, depending on your needs, this book may be perfectly fine. Many of the recipes look to have interesting combinations of oils and essential oils, and I'm guessing many of the finished products smell like heaven. I'm mainly trying to present my perspective on the book, relative to my own goals -- and hopefully it will be relevant to people with similar interests. But again, if you are more looking for recipes for casual use, you might really like it.

One final note -- as I've indicated above, the author calls for animal products in some of her recipes. This is fine, but I was disappointed that she didn't offer animal-friendly alternatives. (In her entry for beeswax, she does mention vegetable emulsifying wax as an alternative, but then says, "but this wax has been refined and does not have the same alluring qualities as beeswax. Always try to find the real thing!") For dairy products, the author makes no mention of looking for organic versions -- i.e., from cows raised on healthy diets, without use of rBST or prophylactic antibiotics. She also makes no mention of the fact that cows contribute significantly to the greenhouse effect (deforestation, water use, methane emissions, etc.). I was surprised by this only because I think there is a lot of overlap between people interested in organic products, and those interested in animal-friendly and eco-friendly products.

A marvelous resource, October 16, 2008
I own and love this book. I bought it because I was looking for natural recipes to care for my dreadlocks. I found that and so much more! Not only are there recipes for body, face, and hair care but there is a complete ingredient dictionary. In addition, the author discusses the different types of hair and skin issues that people may have and how to address them organically. Sprinkled throughout the book are suggestions for storing and gifting products and alternatives for hard to find ingredients. To top it all of, a list of resources follows the recipes to direct the reader to further reading and online stores to buy ingredients and supplies. I have recommended this book to friends and coworkers and truly enjoyed making and using the products.

NOTE: Please ignore the two star review posted by Figgi. This reviewer claims that Tourles advocates the use of talc in her recipes even as they admit that they have not read the book. Talc is neither listed in the ingredient dictionary nor the glossary. In fact, there is only one mention of the substance in the whole book (p. 262) and that is to state that it is undesirable to use due to the presence of arsenic. Tourles goes on to list the number of natural and organic options that make excellent substitutions for talc. Please do not let a reviewer who admits to only skimming the book discourage you from using this marvelous resource.

Wonderful recipes!, November 28, 2007
This book provides alot of information for beginners - details about the uses and benefits of a long list of essential oils and carrier oils. It walks you through step by step and makes the process enjoyable and educational! I have already begun using some of the recipes with items I purchased at my local health food store and seeing the positive results!!

Yummy and Easy Recipes, June 25, 2008
After reading Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet, I decided to delve into the world of homemade body care products.

Organic Body Care Recipes, by Stephanie Tourles, is fantastic! Making my own body care products feels so gratifying...like cooking a delicious meal. Ordering ingredients and containers is easy, thanks to the internet.

I like the format of the book and the easy to understand directions to make products.

I've even been playing around with labels for the containers. The holidays will be a snap this year, as I intend to make body care products for all my friends and family.

Wonderful!, March 17, 2008
I received this book for Christmas and can't say enough good things about it. The information is extensive but very well organized. There are sections on the importance of maintaining healthy lifestyle habits, how to figure out your skin type and what your body care needs are, a list of ingredients explaining origins and uses, and then the recipes. There are so many recipes, no matter your skin type you are sure to find several to choose from.

All of the ingredients are truly natural, and many are suprisingly common and inexpensive. Admittedly, some people might have a hard time finding some of the ingredients if they do not have a well stocked health food store in their area. Even with several shopping options in my community I have had to purchase a few things online. And yes, the initial investment in ingredients might not be cheap- but, the recipes last for a long time, so in the end you save quite a bit of money! Plus, they work! No more wastng money on high end, not really natural products that don't do much.

Since I recieved the book I have been using a skin cleanser/toner/mositurizer in one, a tooth cleaner, and deoderant powder made from recipes in the book, and I couldn't be happier. I also had the pleasure of attending a discussion led by the author at my local food co op this month. She had so much knowledge to share, and did so in a very warm and gracious manner.

Love this book! You will too., June 24, 2008
If you're serious about throwing out your store bought, chemical filled cosmetics or even thinking about it, then you MUST get this book! I bought this book about 6 wks ago, kept reading a few pages here and there, started ordering ingredients, then finally about 2 wks ago started making one or two items in my kitchen. I've since made about a dozen skin care recipes from Organic Body Care Recipes. My bathroom/kitchen/shower area smells wonderful. My skin looks, smells and feels great. I love storing them in glass bottles/containers I can pick up at Big Lots or even Walmart and reuse again & again. Normally, I stay away from Walmart but their glass oil bottles, glass sugar bowls w/lids, and sealed storage containers are PERFECT & cheap. As well as reusing my own class containers and jars at home. Ikea is another good place to go.
Ms Tourles list places where you can find these organic ingredients online but I found other sites even more reasonably priced and you can order smaller quantities on the internet. I've loved everything I've made from this book, & you learn about ingredients, their properties (and what you can sub for if you are allergic or dislike any ingredient) so you truly can make exactly what you want. For me, this was one more step in reducing waste and pollution in the world besides saving money.
MY Warnings: After making one or two items I was hooked. I then spent about $300 on ingredients. I went all out on base oils, clays, many essential oils, dried herbs (not avail in my grocery store) & even flavorings for my lip balms but it was well worth. These will last all year long, will supply my family of three and I can make gifts at the holidays for my friends and family. They tried some small samples I've made and are already putting in their orders.
Get this book, spend a week or two reading it at your leisure, find a product or two on your shelf you want to replace...and do it. You'll feel great and become addicted like I am. Another book suggestion, Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano, this book gives a great all around approach to doing your part for our earth. Again, just try one or two things...slowly you'll be hooked.

Great Natural Body Care Education, April 4, 2008
I know a Natural Body Care Recipe book is great when it teaches me things I didn't know. I have my own business making natural body products, and I have tons of books like this for ideas and references. I think you really do need to be experienced to use a lot of the recipes, but there are a lot of at home recipes too using things you may already have around the house like strawberries, baking soda, papayas, etc.

This book is educational, full of great useful information, and easy to understand. I love it!

Organic bodycare recipes, May 26, 2008
I am very pleased we bought this book: it gives a clear overview of herbs and spices, oils and flowers to use in your own products together with some non-organic items. Most things you may have in the garden or just in the pantry, it made me look at a lot of things in a different light: how can I use them as well. A good book for anyone who wants to create their own creams, masks and powders, it has even got some advice on making anti-bugs stuff. What I did miss though was a recipe for a base cream and for a base shampoo. There is not a lot of emphasis on emulsification. I am still struggling with the basics of cream making, ie how to make a cream more solid or more liquid, how to stabilize a cream so, over time, it does not seperate into it's watery and oily phase. Still, a good book, with lots of recipes ready to use, definitely a worthwhile purchase. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Create you own backyard winery!

From breaking ground to savoring the finished product, Jeff Cox's From Vines to Wines is the most complete and up-to-date guide to growing flawless grapes and making extraordinary wine.

Wine connoisseurs, gardeners, and home winemakers will find the latest techniques in this fully revised and updated edition. With thorough, illustrated instructions, you'll learn how to:

-- Choose and prepare a vineyard site

-- Construct sturdy and effective trellising systems

-- Plant, prune, and harvest the perfect grapes for your climate

-- Press, ferment, age and bottle your own wine

-- Judge wine for clarity, color, aroma, body, and taste ... Read more

Reviews

Excellent starter book for new grapegrower/winemaker, June 11, 1999
The new revision is an excellent book for anyone putting in a new vineyard, or thinking about winemaking. The two most certainly go hand in hand, however, if you are just interested in improving your knowledge of growing grapes, then it provides much very usefull information. On the other hand, if you are a new or aspiring winemaker, the section on making wine is filled with up to date, smart information, and can also be a stand alone reference to winemaking. By combining the two related fields, grape growing (specifically for winegrapes), and winemaking the winemaker will better understand what he should be looking for in winegrapes for his resulting wine. Conversely, the grape grower will have an understanding of how to grow his grapes to achieve the best possible product for the winemaker. If you are a grower of French Hybrid grapes, or the newer selection of American crosses from Elmer Swenson, David MacGregor, the University of Minnesota, New York Experiment Station named and numbered varieties, et al, then you do NOT want to pass up this book. A.J. Winkler's book "General Viticulture" is a bit outdated and a good revision would help... this one is right on the money.

Great information for the home winemaker, October 17, 2000
As an avid home winemaker, I was thrilled to find this book. It doesn't get bogged down in long technical descriptions and pages of history. Instead, with sections like "Problems in the South", it gets right into what will and will not work for your home winemaking efforts.

The intro has a glossary of terms and a basic overview of winemaking which is very helpful for those new to the fun. Tables list which kinds of grapes work best for different regions, so those who are planting vines have a best-case scenario laid out for them. Clear instructions tell how to plant the vines, how to prune them, what a trellis looks like, and even harvest details.

That's just to start. Now the books goes into the winemaking process, and it shines here as well. The conversational tone makes it easy to follow discussions of pH and brix and pomace. The book offers various normal situations winemakers find themselves in, and solutions to fix them. There is even information on barrel usage and aging techniques.

The back appendix section offers places to buy wine supplies, wine societies, common vine pests and treatment, and much more.

In all, this is a fantastic resource for the home vine grower and winemaker. Grab a copy if you're either one!

Excellent survey of all aspects of winemaking, April 11, 2001
This is an excellent introduction to the topics of growing grapes or winemaker hobbyist. Cox does an admirable job of providing enough information and tips for the backyard grapegrower or basement/garage winemaker. Other books may go into more detail but this is a comprehensive overview that encompasses each aspect of growing and winemaking.

As a wine enthusiast, I have given thought (more than once) to learning more about the complete wine-making process. Reading this book has given me just enough confidence to try this as a backyard/basement hobbyist. It's not that I believe I can grow and make world-class wine -- rather, I expect to be able to appreciate the effort that goes into making a world-class wine. And, with any luck, I'll be able to make something worth drinking. The sections of the book on choosing grapes appropriate to your region, growing and training tips, fermentation, aging, bottling are all clearly written. The supply sources listed in the back are comprehensive enough to be able to find the basics. All in all, a very solid effort.

One of the "Bibles" for backyard grape growers., March 5, 1999
Cox's "From Vines to Wines" is probably one of the best introductions to backyard grape growing and basement winemaking available today. From selecting vine stock to harvesting the crop, the first half of the book covers all the bases for grape growing. The second half is dedicated to winemaking, from first establishing what type of wine you want to create to labeling the bottles. This book is definitely oriented towards the hobbyist - readers with designs for a large vineyard (1+ acres) will want to start with this book but move on to more detailed texts. Personally, I found the section on site selection and soil analysis a little thin - fine if you're limited to the space on hand (your backyard), but lacking if you want to buy acreage dedicated to a vineyard. No data was provided on small scale commercial operations or basic vineyard economics. Cox's winemaking chapters are probably the best I've seen. He goes through the whole process and highlights potential trouble areas. Overall, a very good book for the hobbyist.

From Vines to Wines, October 12, 2000
I found that Jeff Cox's book to be an excellent "short" guide for growing grapes and making wine. The book is targeted towards the backyard gardener and hobbyist. His examples of trellis construction is excellent with its illustrations of construction techniques. The section on disease and pest would have benefited by including color photos. I would recommend that this book for anyone that is interested in starting a small (less then 200 vines) vineyard.

The best of the best, May 16, 1999
Of all the books I have read on growing grapes and making wine, and I have read a few this is the most comprehensive and useful. Jeff Cox is a master at making even the most difficult aspects of viticulture easy to understand. I recomend this book to anyone looking for an all in one guide to turning vines into wines.

Excellent book period., August 17, 2000
This is an excellent book. It completely explains the whole wine making process from the best grape variety for your area, proper growing techniques and care of the plants to making excellent wine with the fruit. I could not find a more complete A to Z book of the whole wine making process than this one.

Unfortunately I live in an area which is too cold to grow the wine grape variety Cabernet Sauvignon. That is the variety I wanted to grow the most, but this book pointed out that this variety will not do very well through the short growing season in my state and will have allot of difficulty through the very cold winters here. Excellent information which will save you future dissapointment and point you in the right direction. Since reading this book I've done extensive research for a red wine grape variety which will do extremely well in U.S. states with short growing seasons and harsh cold winters. A good choice not covered.. I searched the net for several days to find this information, so I thought I would share it.

Reference for all things grape, February 3, 2006
This book is not just a one-time read. It will become your reference for all things grape. I bought the book about two years ago in hopes of starting my own vineyard. There's so much information and it's so complete that you really don't have to know much about wine or the growing process. If you have an interest, it's all here from siting of your grape vineyard, to planting, to pruning, to fermenting and cellaring, to enjoying the finished product. Read through the chapters and you'll feel like an expert. I took a long-distance learning course on wine growing from UC Davis (THEE school for wine growing) that cost more than $1,000. I enjoyed it, but learned more reading Jeff's book. You won't be disappointed.

The best introduction to growing & making wine, July 4, 2005
I have acreage in california that I want to use for growing and making wine (I also live there, it's not a commercial venture). I have been doing research on what to grow, what to plan for etc. and this book has been, by far, the most helpful resource so far. Cox covers all aspects from site selection, planting, training, harvesting, and the wine making process itself.

This book won't answer every question you have, but it answers far more than most. Highly recommended!

Easy Read, October 2, 2002
This is a well compiled, easy to read treatise on the subjects of viticulture and eneology. Focused on the layperson, it is very easy reading whilst glossing over none of the facts.

The book covers growing grapes suitable for wine, focused specifically on the North American region. It doesn't labor over the different types of grapes and their most suitable areas but it does give some information. It covers the history on wine making grapes and some of their historical regions. Moreover, it gives details on trellising and pruning techniques.

Further, the book describes the process of winemaking. The authors easy going an informative style provides for a pleasant read.

The author provides the reader with incite into his own experiences and even suggests alternatives to the common approach.

I could recommend this book, not only to a perspective grape grower or wine maker, but to those that would like to learn more about wine, its history and how to taste it (all of which are between these covers). ... Read more

Editorial Review

Organic food is synonymous with premium quality, the deepest, richest taste, conscientious farming, and optimum health. It’s what we need to feed our kids, what we deserve to feed ourselves. And no one is doing more to popularize organic food that Myra Goodman, a mother, a creative cook, and most significantly, co-owner of Earthbound Farm, the world’s largest grower and purveyor of organic produce.

In Food to Live By, a dazzling full-color cookbook, Myra Goodman offers an utterly appealing, new casual style of cooking based on using the best ingredients, organic or otherwise. The dishes are irresistible: Sweet Corn Chowder. Spinach, Feta and Mushroom Quiche. Foggy Day Chili. Merlot-Braised Short Ribs with Cipollini Onions. Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Ginger Lime Salmon. Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Spiced Orange Sauce. Blue Cheese Smashed Potatoes. Coconut Lemongrass Sorbet. Cherry Panna Cotta. Farm Stand Carrot Cake. Plus, throughout are Farm-Fresh Ingredient boxes—on sorrel, corn, asparagus, artichokes— cooking and shopping tips, and health notes.

Before Myra and her husband, Drew, founded Earthbound Farm, they tended a small organic raspberry patch in Carmel, California—and Myra baked (and sold)amazing Raspberry Corn Muffins, plus jams, and more. Then Earthbound grew to offer organic lettuce mixes to local restaurants, and eventually the rest of the country. When The Organic Kitchen at Earthbound Farm opened, it was yet another venue for Myra, and the café’s chefs, to share delicious recipes and ideas. Now Food to Live By brings this organic revolution to everyone who cares about what they eat. ... Read more

Reviews

My new favorite cookbook!, January 27, 2007
The beautiful cover of this cookbook caught my eye but the personal story of Earthbound Farms beginnings and the fantastic recipes have held me captive and peaked my enthusiasm for organics and healthy cooking. Since buying this delightful cookbook I feel a bit obsessed with trying recipe after recipe. I was especially happy to see the meat recipes as I have wanted to incorporate more organic meat dishes into my family's diet, especially with 2 teenagers, but felt I lacked experience in buying and preparing meat. What a hit they have been with my family and unexpected surprise in this cookbook. The Sizzling Steak with Olive Sauce had everyone applauding mom's new found culinary skills and the Merlot Braised Shortribs elevated my status to "chef Mom".
In addition to expanding my repertoire of meals this cookbook has given me healthier versions of some family favorites. The Maple Walnut Muffins thrilled me with the small amount of sugar and no butter! Using a 1/4 cup of heart healthy canola oil instead of the 2 sticks of butter I was using in The Barefoot Contessa's Banana Crunch Muffins showed me how easy to eliminate fat and not sacrifice taste. My kids adored them as well as all 30 of the recipes I have tried to date.
This is a cookbook I highly recommend and bought for many family and friends. Its interesting tips and facts as well as beautiful, inspiring photos have made cooking 24/7 for my family a delight and pleasure.

Healthy Tasty Food, March 13, 2007
Myra Goodman and her husband, over 20 years ago, began their farm by offering passers-by a taste of their organic raspberries. Today, they own and operate the world's largest grower of organic produce. Food to Live By encourages readers to embark on a healthier way of life. Through organic food, people can live a cleaner life. This is not confined to only vegetarianism, but to meat, produce, wine and more. Packed with color photos of Earthbound Farm, as well as the recipes, this book teases the reader into trying easy-to-prepare, healthy recipes that packed with originality. If you are pressed for time, Goodman offers shortcuts by using organic packaged products, so you can have the flavor and health without the guilt. Included in this book are guides to greens, squash and more. Similar to The Organic Cook's Bible (by Jeff Cox, Wiley, April 2006, ISBN: 0471445789), but with more recipes. Delicious encounters within this book are: Chicken Piccata, Pumpkin Pecan Muffins, Portuguese Kale Soup, and Apricot and Almond Tart.

Excellent General Cookbook. NOT just organic., January 17, 2007
`Food to Live By' by Earthbound Farm co-founder, Myra Goodman and culinary `accomplices' Linda Holland and Pamela McKinstry announces itself as a cookbook for organic ingredients, and yet except for an emphasis on cooking with fruit, this is largely a brightly illustrated and joyfully assembled general purpose cookbook, I'm certain that the publisher, Workman, has a lot to do with the sidebar intensive style and better than average illustrations and snaps, but I also suspect much is owed to the great pleasure the author had in realizing this book.

The fact that the book does not quite fill its billing as a `healthy foods' book tempted me to give it only four stars. Two facts changed my mind. First, the hefty (402 pages) book lists for a scant $21.95 US. Second, the last Chapter 10 on `Basics' has excellent advice on making stocks. It may not be on the great reflective level of Deborah Madison or as finicky as the Culinary Institute of America textbook, but for a budget priced book, it is very good indeed.

I would still have demoted it to four stars if the general level of recipes was weak, but they are not. All of the traditional stuff is entirely up to snuff. For example, the pastry crust recipe hits all the right notes. The only caveat is that this and other recipes call for whole-wheat pastry flour, which I have not seen in my local megamart (Wegmans). On the other hand, I have seen lots and lots of `Earthbound Farm Organic' products in my very same Wegmans and the story of how Drew and Myra Goodman established their little business that could almost sounds too good to be true.

This story takes up the first 24 pages (the Roman numeraled ones in the introduction) of the book (which means that 402 pages are all recipes, no fluff). This is primarily a tale of being at the right place at the right time with the right idea. The couple leased a 2�-acre farm in Carmel Valley, California and started by raising and selling raspberries while they accumulated moneys to continue their educations. One thing lead to another, falling into great good luck when they hit upon the notion of bagged salad greens just at the time that the country was becoming a lot more interested in more diverse vegetables and in organic produce, all with the same convenience of other supermarket fare. The result is that our heroes now own and run the largest producer of organic vegetables in the country, and probably in the world.

While the book starts with raspberry recipes and continues with soup and salad recipes, great destinations for their organic produce, the chapters are really almost exactly what you would find in a conventional cookbook. As the author points out, eating organic is certainly NOT the same as being a vegetarian (however, I suspect it is much easier to find organic fruits and vegetables than it is to find organic milk, eggs, meats, and poultry, let alone `organic' fish). This brings me to one of the very few complaints about this book. There is no appendix of sources for some the things not sold by Earthbound Farm. This includes the whole-wheat pastry flour and Grade A dark maple syrup. Fortunately, there are very few such `hard to find' ingredients.

The very first thing that told me this was a book with which to be reckoned was the recipe for carrot soup. While I'm sure I have a recipe for this somewhere among my dozen soup cookbooks, this is the first time this has caught my attention, and I plan to make it at the first opportunity. Talk about liquid gold!

One thing this book brings to mind is a latter day `Whole Earth Catalogue' lifestyle; however, there is very little hint of the hippie ethos and lifestyle here. We are, after all, talking about the owners of a multi-million dollar business. Thus, there are not many bread baking recipes or detailed canning or pickling recipes, but there is a bit of all these things, including ice cream making and homemade granola.

While Workman publishing sometimes strikes me as something of a `cookbook factory' publisher like Chronicle Books, both publishers seem to maintain a high standard, and this book fits a higher standard than most. Every so many pages, we run across little presents such as `A Field Guide to Great-Tasting Tomatoes'. These are informative and great eye candy. My only caveat is that you don't consider them `complete' guides. They do, however, spice up this amazingly low-priced book.

The value of this cookbook to you is directly in proportional to you inclination to collect cookbooks, divided by how many cookbooks you have now. If you already have 500 cookbooks, this one won't add a whole lot beyond the uplifting story of how the family Goodman got rich raising lettuce. It does not have a strong `health food' emphasis (just look at the mac and cheese recipe') and aside from the very good stock making section, there are not a lot of cooking insights, but that doesn't mean it isn't a danged good cookbook. So, if you like vegetables and soups and a really nice collection of good recipes, this book will brighten your day.

One of the best cookbook I have ever owned!, November 12, 2006
The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook, Food To Live By, was recenty given to me as a gift, and now I am turning around, buying more copies, and giving them to some of my friends as gifts. Very simply, this is a fantastic cookbook. The recipies are user friendly and delicious -- and not just for adults -- my four year old daughter loves the Lemon Berry Mousse on page 358 and many of the dishes here. The abundance of color photographs are beautiful, and the layout flows very well.

I like that there is an introduction from author Myra Goodman, co-founder of Earthbound, that describes their humble beginnings as a roadside stand, and how their determination to avoid chemicals and pesticides led to them bringing organics into the mainstream (THANK YOU EARTHBOUND!!!). In 2003 they openned the esteemed Organic Kitchen in Carmel Valley, California (one of only three certified organic food establishments). This book brings recipies from the Organic Kitchen and others.

To be sure, Food To Live By is definitely more of a cookbook than a diet or "health book", although it does use ingredients and provide some little tid bits that encourage us to eat organic, whole foods. While the recipes are wholesome, they don't compromise on taste. There are also cooking tips and ideas as sidebars throughout.

Food To Live By is broken up into chapters starting with the Introduction, followed by a chapter on Raspberry recipes (honoring raspberries, the crop that got Earthbound Started). Then there is a chapter on Soups, Leafy Green Salads, Meat and Poultry Main Dishes, Fish and Shellfish, Pasta and Vegetarian Main Dishes, Side Dishes, Breakfast and Brunch, Desserts, and Basics, such as homemade stocks and sauces.

Some of my favorite recipes so far are the Roasted Balsamic Artichokes, Creamy Macaroni and Three Cheeses, Kathy's Rosemary Roasted Chicken, the Cherry Panna Cotta, and Earthbound's Famous Maple Almond Granola.

Overall the book focuses on good food - that is, food which yummy and appealing on a sensual and aesthetic level, while also being sound on basic health principles. Enjoy!

real food!, February 17, 2007
This cookbook is not a " health food" cookbook per se, but focuses on whole and natural foods, including meat. The book is attractively designed and nicely illustrated with photos, there are helpful hints throughout, and the recipes are well laid out and easy to follow. I have made several recipes so far and all turned out good to excellent, and I intend to make the majority of the recipes in this book. My only criticism is that I wish more of the photographs related to the preparation of the recipes. Photos of fields, bunches of flowers, etc are pretty, but don't help with the recipes. Also, I wasn't interested in all the information about the Earthbound Farm company, but others may feel that this makes the book stand out from others.

Wonderful! A life saver!, October 12, 2007
This is the very best cookbook ever! I use this book faithfully almost every day. It's wonderful and easy and not intimidating and EVERY recipe is a winner!! I have been trying to teach myself to cook for a few years now, and I've found that anyone can do it if you can follow a recipe. The trick is finding a good one! I've tried many books, and each one might have one or two recipes that I might add to my "regular" repitoire, a couple of recipes that are awful or too hard or involved to make, and the rest of the book that is never used. Not so with this book!!! The recipes are all simple and easy to follow. They don't take a long time to prepare or have too many steps (although some require a little planning, like that you marinate overnight). They use regular ingredients that you can find in any grocery store. You don't need any crazy kitchen gadgets or expensive appliances. But best of all, the recipes are absolutely delicious!!! Most are old favorites but with a delicious twist... the BEST chicken salad you have ever eaten, the juciest ribs you ever tried, the most flavorful chili ever. She uses fresh ingredients and there are a lot of fresh herbs, curry, and vegetables. There are huge, full-color pictures so you can leaf through the book and decide what looks good to you that day. I have no trepidation whatsoever with trying something new from this book on a whim (although I've made almost everything in it now!). This book has singlehandedly won me the reputation of a very good cook!!! I highly recommend it to anyone.

Use "real food" to make scrumptious, healthful recipes, May 7, 2007
I have made a study of healthful foods and learned so many new things in this recipe book (besides some of the best recipes I've ever tried). I love that Myra uses not only organic veggies & fruits (which I try to do whenever I can), she incorporates using wholegrains in baked goods (often), olive oil & other healthful oils, and nothing processed. I had stopped using butter years ago and now recognize that substituting margarine was not only unhealthful, it's absolutely inferior in cooking!I just made the peach cobbler (with frozen peaches due to the season)this past weekend, best I or my company had ever tasted!The chocolate cake recipe is the only one that disappointed me. Excellent side dish recipes also--we loved the 3-cheese macaroni! It brings back good tasting food by using real food!! Weird sounding, but true!

So much more than salad, these recipes are fresh and delicious, November 6, 2006
You might think that a cookbook from Earthbound Farm would focus on salads or vegetarian recipes. While there are some great examples of both in this book, there are plenty of other recipes, too. The recipes in this book are not only delicious, but most of them are simple enough to make on a work night, too. Some of my favorite recipes are the Merlot-Braised Short Ribs with Cipollini Onions, Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad, Chicken Paprikash, Portugese Kale Soup, and the Farm Stand Carrot Cake. The photographs are beautiful (and helpful) and the information about organic food is helpful without being preachy. You'll really use this cook book.

Natural Eating, August 5, 2007
If you're looking for an organic or natural foods cookbook that's practical with easy-to-prepare meals, this is the one. For about two months now, I've switched my eating from prepackaged, boxed, processed foods to all-natural and organic foods. Adjusting hasn't been hard, but I now see the value in a great cookbook. Flipping through 12 different cookbooks to find a recipe during the middle of the week isn't practical for me. This book has everything, and most ingredients are easy to find at the local co-op.

I've tried some of the other well-known and well-loved organic, healthy, and natural foods cookbooks, but they are often either too crammed with information about pickling, canning, and growing an herb garden to find anything in a rush or they have such weird ingredients I end up spending a fortune just to make a chicken salad. So far, this cookbook fits all of my needs for everyday, practical cooking.

I love Food to Live By!, November 14, 2006
I just got Food to Live By and I love it! Beautiful pictures and the layout is gorgeous. I've skimmed through most of the book and it looks like the majority of recipes seem easy to prepare. I've even tried a few! I promise that the Ginger Snaps will make anyone who eats one you're your new best friend. The Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad with Walnuts and Feta Cheese was a amazing and the Whole Wheat Penne with Edamame, Portobellos, and Slow-Roasted Tomatoes was delicious. As a meat-eater, I was pleasantly surprised to find sections on meat and poultry as well as fish and shellfish. I plan on making the Brined Roast Turkey for the holidays.

This book is a must for anyone who wants to cook more healthfully, without sacrificing flavor and variety. It includes plenty of veggies and whole grains, but doesn't leave out dessert. Just don't expect to find a lot of canned goods or pre-packaged foods called for in these recipes - fresh and simple ingredients are key. I especially liked the helpful hints located in the side margins throughout the book about ingredients and food preparation.
... Read more

Editorial Review

Fresh, wholesome meals that give little mouths something to smile about...

In The Petit Appetit Cookbook, mother and professional cook Lisa Barnes offers a healthy all-organic alternative to commercially processed, preservative-filled foods to help create delicious menus, nurture adventurous palates, and begin a lifetime of positive eating habits for children.

Includes:

- 150+ easy, fast, child-tested recipes for ages 4 months to 4 years
- Mealtime solutions for even the most finicky eaters
- Nutritional information for each recipe
- Time-saving cooking techniques
- The right age- and stage-appropriate food choices
- How and when to introduce solids to baby's diet
- Adapting family recipes for young children
- Recognizing signs of food allergies and intolerances ... Read more

Reviews

Easy and informative, April 29, 2006
I bought this book along with Baby Blender Food, and I really like this one the best. It has practical information RE: safe food handling, the meaning behind nutritional and organic terms on product packaging, suggestions for stocking your pantry, and ideas about how to incorporate meals for the family from the recipes for the baby. It's not rocket science, but sometimes I get caught up in the baby food process and don't think about how to modify some of the ingredients for my own meal. She also has a helpful key that lists vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free recipe options. The recipes are pretty simple, and I've found that it's easy and fun to make food for my son. It also feels really good to know exactly what's going into his food. I like the layout of the book, and I appreciate the information in it. Another review mentioned that she doesn't outline food hazards like nitrates in the body of the recipes, but if you read the book from the beginning, she has pretty comprehensive explanations of what is safe to prepare and when it's safe to prepare it.

A must-have!, May 7, 2006
I borrowed this book from my local library, to test a few of the recipes. I am very impressed! Every recipe that I've tried has turned out absolutely delicious! The book begins with an informative section about the meanings behind the buzz word "organic," and the recipes are neatly organized according to age (in case one needs a guideline). The author has even included little labels that point out which recipes are vegan, vegetarian, and allergy friendly.

As a very picky mom with little patience for recipes that take too long/don't turn out, I highly recommend this book and have purchased my own copy. The recipes are not only delicious, they are easy and pretty foolproof! And nothing can top the feeling I get when watching my little boy hungrily gulp down a meal I prepared just for him....eager for each spoonfull. The recipes aren't just yummy for babies either......I made some of the recipes for my teenage sisters, and they ate every last bite! If you purchase this book, you won't be disappointed!

Raising a future "foodie", March 5, 2006
I've had a chance to make zucchini and butternut squash purees for my 6 month-old and so far so good! I like that the recipies give you an option for how to cook each recipie, for example, you can either steam or microwave zucchini. Also, you can use a blender or food processer for most dishes. The book also gives really clear instructions for saving food for later. I put the squash in ice cube trays; it is so easy to pop a "cube" into the microwave. If you have an automatic ice maker and don't have any ice cube trays on hand, I highly recommend buying silicone trays. You can even buy pink ones from Sur La Table (www.surlatable.com). Cubes come out cleanly with no fragments left in the tray. Get this cookbook if you want a little work on the weekend with the rest of the week as easy as opening a jar! The only down side I can think of is she is not as explicit about foods to avoid because of allergies or nitrates (spinach, carrots, etc.) on the recipe pages.

Wonderful book, February 24, 2006
I was looking for a comprehensive book to help me get started making my own baby food. I invested in three books and this by far was the best. It has a wealth of information from preparing your kitchen and necessary tools to definitions of organic food to very friendly recipes. The best part is that there are variations for all of the recipes including microwave directions. They are very easy to make and do not require tons of time or a master chef. I love this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good book to get started making baby food.

Overall Disappointment, July 16, 2007
I did not find this book particularly helpful. I was disappointed and surprised by the contradictions I found in this book. For example the author clearly states, "Never feed a child less than one year honey". However, in a recipe that she claims is appropriate for a 9-12 month old baby, she lists honey as one of the ingredients. The author lists several foods under "Foods To Avoid" like wheat, soy, and egg whites because they are potential allergens. However, these ingredients are used liberally in her recipes (for babies as young as 6 months) and there is no recommendation or instructions on how to introduce these potential allergens to your baby singly before you serve it to him/her in a complex recipe.
These contradictions make me question the rest of the instructions and advice in this book. The author has no medical or dietetic background (at least none listed in the "About the Author" section). There is also a lack of citations from medical professionals.

Wonderful Book and Gift!, July 23, 2007
This book is great! Not only do I cook from it for my own family, but I keep coming back to buy it for all my friends who are expecting.

Everyone has their own opinions; however I disagree with the reviewer who said the book has contradictions. I couldn't find a recipe with honey in it until the 12 - 24 month chapter. In fact it's the Graham Crackers which is one of my two year old's favorites. The author outlines cautions about allergies and explains how to introduce single food items. Also the book cautions the reader about these potential allergens and differing advice (amongst pediatricians) as to when to introduce. I find the first chapter "Using This Book" very helpful for information about baby's stage of development, instead of the age. So I can decide when my child is ready for a new food based on her actions and eating habits. There's always the suggestion of talking about diet and nutrition with your own pediatrician too.

For a cookbook I was satisfied with the medical references, including Ellyn Satter, who is a wonderful author and nutritionist (a big favorite of mine). Plus a lactation consultant even wrote the forward.

I hope other parents buy the book and give the recipes a try before judging. You and your family will be glad you did.

Practical and Creative, January 23, 2006
My plan was for my daughter to join with the family for meals once she was ready. I was a bit intimidated with making my own food though. This book made it very simple and had so many creative recipes and suggestions. I have not bought a single jar of food yet and she will soon be eating the same food as the rest of us. I intend to continue to use some of these recipes.
I don't know how successful I would have been had I not found this book. Thank you!

Highly recommended, September 29, 2005
I love this book and have recommended it to a couple of friends. The information on what to introduce at different stages is wonderful and the recipes seem easy enough. My baby is only 8 months old, so I've only tried a few. Most recipes call for a food processer, but I've had the same results using a blender.

A Great Book to End a Long Search, January 15, 2007
I did an epic search for a baby food cookbook before finding The Petit Appetit. There are an abundance of recipies in a great layout. Plenty of info on storage and preparation too. It is by far my favorite for the simple, easy, and nutritious meals!

Best Baby/Toddler Food CookBook!, March 13, 2005
This book is great! It's newly released in 2005, so the information is up to date about what are potential allergens. There's a list about what types of fish are safe to eat and what not to eat due to mercury. The nutritional data is provided with all recipes. This is especially good since we have a little one who is on the lighter side. The recipes are quick and simple. She also has a bunch of recipes that are vegan, wheat/gluten free and those with out eggs. And as the little one gets older, there are recipes that can be enjoyed by the whole family. All recipes use organic ingredients, but it's not a must. She gives a list of resources as to where to purchase the poducts. I would reccomend this book and purchase it for my friends who are ecpecting! ... Read more

Editorial Review

First published in 1977, this book—from one of America’s most famous and prolific agricultural writers—became an almost instant classic among homestead gardeners and small farmers. Now fully updated and available once more, Small-Scale Grain Raising offers an entirely new generation of readers the best introduction to a wide range of both common and lesser-known specialty grains and related field crops, from corn, wheat, and rye to buckwheat, millet, rice, spelt, flax, and even beans and sunflowers.

Reviews

After 32 Years, It's About Time, June 7, 2009
Thank goodness, we can now put our 32-year-old copy of this book out to pasture; it is falling apart at the seams. We bought a copy from a used bookseller about 5 years ago, and have used it to formulate an approach for small-scale grain raising. Our old book has become considerably more threadbare than it already was.

This book introduces grain growing to the gardener or small-acreage homesteader. It offers many options for expediently producing and using grains (for both human and animal consumption) without needing to own the big iron usually associated with grain farming. It brings out the character of each type of grain as well as how to grow, harvest, and use it. And it introduces some grains that many gardeners might not be familiar with. There are great descriptions of hand tools which are no longer in use commercially, but which can still be quite useful to the small-scale grain producer.

On top of that, the book is well written and a pleasure to read. This is one of our most treasured homesteading reference books.

Not very helpful, March 24, 2010
The title suggest that this book is written as well for gardeners. It is not. Most of the cultivation techniques he describes are based on a tractor and a lot of machinery unknown to me (an I guess to most gardeners as well). There are no hints of hand cultivating as he assumes that all gardeners own a rotary hoe.

He also assumes a lot of knowledge the reader might have, i.e. sow clover in the wheat. OK, but what do I have to do when I have a garden bed full of wheat? Do I simply throw seeds in between or do I have to cultivate the bed before? Another example is he suggests to grow wheat like the Chinese did in rows. But no description how this is done, how it looks.
Some things like how to store your corn in the field are described in a very lengthy way and it would have been a lot easier putting in some pictures to explain. Other questions are not answered at all. The book is not very methodical and it is poorly organized.

The recipes are weird. For me it just does not fit to write a book on growing your own grains and then in the recipe section asking for ingredients like "frozen corn" or "nonfat dry milk".

I find it very disturbing that there are no metric measurements and temperatures in brackets. Even American readers might have problems to know what a peck of corn is or a bushel of wheat, which is something different than a bushel of oats. For the normal backyard gardener ponds or kilos are understandable.

In short, it is a nice book to read, lot of American farming history, but nothing which really help you to grow your own grains, unless you have a lot of knowledge yet.

For the devoted, October 21, 2009

I was disappointed not in the book, it was an enjoyable read, but that growing grain requires more work and/or equipment than vegetable gardening. The information provided on how to plant, grow, harvest and store grains reveals that a "pancake" patch needs more equipment than the average home gardener would normally own, particularly for harvesting. The author frequently states that the hand tools needed for are either found used at farm actions or are antiques and not available. If you have acreage beyond a normal vegetable garden and a strong healthy back the book honestly presents the information needed to grow ones one supply of grain. I must admit, small plot grain growing is more for personal satisfaction than food production, but the book is a good reference to include in one's garden library.

not small-sccale enough for me, June 25, 2010
I didn't think this book was of much help to me as someone interested in very small grain production. The author talks a lot about big machinery and acres to be something I relate to. He also seems to assume the reader can go to a grain elevator or a feed mill. I have access to neither, being in Florida. ( Of course, I'm accustomed to having to translate everything to Florida's terms.) I am currently reading "Homegrown Whole Grains" by Sara Pitzer, and it seems to be geared more to my scale. Both books give good basic coverage of different grains, how to grow them, and recipes for their use. I did enjoy Mr. Logsdon's style of writing, and I hope to read more of his books. I just hope I will be able to put them into perspective for my own homestead's applications.

Educational and vital to anyone considering this venture, July 15, 2009
Having one's own grain garden can be a satisfying experience. "Small-Scale Grain Raising: An Organic Guide to Growing, Processing, and Using Nutritious Whole Grains for Home Gardeners and Local Farmers" is a guide for the small gardener to expand their range of crops to include their own grain and wheat. Outlining a step by step process on how to cultivate grain on a small scale, author Gene Logsdon draws upon his expertise and teachers readers well. "Small-Scale Grain Raising" is educational and vital to anyone considering this venture.

extremely educational, September 11, 2009
I gave the book to my wife for her birthday, she read it over quicly and regifted it to her dad who's birthday was the same week, he raves about the book, now I will have to buy another one to replace the original, as My wife did not have the time to read it as deeply as she wanted to.
so I is an excellent book, and it has a lot of information even for a seventy seven year old man, who has been gardening for most of his life.

Just to be clear, this is small scale farming not large scale gardening, May 12, 2010
A tractor and acreage is called for in most of the situations raised in this book. It's the classic 1977 book on small, organic grain production. It's especially useful for grain for beer and other malt beverage making operations, or as the author originally wrote, for small-scale bakery operations. A great book, but not for gardeners. If you have an acre, or a couple of acres, and want to try raising grain, then this is your book. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Good ideas but incorrect recipes, January 13, 2009
I was bought this book as a gift and have made 4 of the recipes so far. I like the ideas this book gives and the fact that it is all organic. It's also been great at letting me know what is good/bad for dogs. However, the one area that I think they've totally got it wrong is in putting the recipe instructions together. Of the 4 that I have made so far, only one of them was able to be made by following the recipe directly. The other 3 all had issues with quantities. When I mixed the recommended amounts for the dough I invariably ended up with a goopy mess! I ended up having to add far more flour than the recipe called for to get something that could be rolled out - as I was instructed to do. I'm a keen baker so I am not doubting my baking skills - I think the authors simply did not test their own recipes for accuracy. Also - some of the instructions on creating treats here would result in treats that would be large for a great dane - let along a normal sized dog. It's bewildering - I can't understand how this got to print with so many problems with the instructions! If you buy it be prepared to modify the recipes to make them work!

Great Organic Dog Treat Cookbook, February 4, 2009
I found some recipes in Bark magazine that were from The Organic Dog Biscuit Cookbook. The Organic Dog Biscuit Cookbook: Over 100 "Tail Wagging" Recipes My Boston pup, Boss, liked them so much that I ordered the book from Amazon.com. So far, I have tried 15 recipes. Boss' favorites are: Thatsa One Spicy Meatball, The Classic, Lil' Taste O' Pie, Muddy Paws, Red Hot Puppermints (breath), Apple Cinnamon Muttins, Ice Cubes Just Got A Lot Better, Because I Carob 'Bout You, Cheesecake Brownies, Jerky Turkey and Dragon Slayers (breath). Luckily I have a dog that will eat just about anything. I tried the Blueberry Muttins, but he wasn't too crazy about the blueberries. When I gave him the first one, he picked all the blueberries out and left them on the rug. Eventually he ate the whole thing. All treats are made with organic ingredients. The Red Hot Puppermints require beet powder, which at our organic grocery store cost over $35 a pound. The little bag I bought was over $6. They also include explanations of the benefits of some of the ingredients: natural food colorings, avoid the onions, broth vs. gravy, preparing the beef, substitutions - just do it, oils, fish for dogs, parsley packs a punch, liver - it's time to love it, benefits of molasses, benefits of barley flour, the goodness of garlic, lickin' their chops for chicken, rosemary for more than seasoning, nuts - the good, the bad and the ugly, flaxseeds, spinach - leaf & green, broccoli - it's hard to beat, carob, out of the patch and into the bowl (pumpkin), ginger, white chocolate in moderation, an apple a day, oats & oat bran, peanut butter, peppermint, apple cider vinegar, berry, berry yummy, yogurt? you bet!, zucchini's zogood, a taste of the tropics (coconut), carrots for breakfast, the "eyes" have it (pupeyes), flying treats (yams), herbs for life, grain-free flours, gobbling up turkey, home on the range (buffalo) and salmon. If this has piqued your interest, you might want to think about ordering the book. It's well worth the price. The organic ingredients can be a littly pricy, but I'm glad to know that my puppy is getting something that's not full of fillers, sugar or salt.

Love Your Dog? You should buy this book!!!, May 5, 2008
I LOVE this cookbook. My dog has been enjoying treats from the Bubba Rose Biscuit Company for years (www.bubbarosebiscuitco.com) and I am so excited to be able to make them at home now. The recipes are so easy to follow... some of our favorites include Cheese Fries and Rotisserie Chicken. If you love your dog and want to make healthy, organic, homemade treats, you should definitely buy this book!

Fantastic Book!, October 25, 2008
I purchased two other treat books at the time I purchased this one and haven't even bothered to crack them open. I'm spoiled already by this Bubba Rose recipe book. I have spent hours looking over recipes and choosing some to make for my dogs and as gifts for my friends' dogs. Can't wait to get back into the kitchen to try some more of their recipes. This book has really helped inspire me to be a better "dog chef."

To save purchasers time in finding ingredients used in this cookbook, King Soopers/Kroger and/or Whole Foods should get you fixed up.

The best cookbook for dog treats, September 23, 2008
This is, hands down, the best dog treat cookbook in the market and it's all, 100% organic recipes. There's nothing that compares to this book!

Title deceiving w/ more meals for dogs than biscuits, but is graphically pleasing and looks good, April 22, 2008
I flipped through this book while looking for biscuit books. Graphically it appealed to me and I thought it was great. The biscuits seemed like good recipes, but the whole book is not biscuits as the title implies. A lot of the book is actaully meals for your dog. I don't know about you, but I barely have time with a dog to make my own meals! If you're into making a Pup Pizza, Labrador Lasagnia or Arroz con Pollo for your dog, then this is the book for you (over 100 recipes!). If you are looking for basic biscuits and treats, as I was, then try the You Bake 'EM Dog Biscuits Cookbook. The sad part is that I really like this book and wanted to get it, but felt that it did not support my immediate needs for biscuits/treats only. I am curious to see what others feel about this book and if the treats that are offered are good ones. Maybe then I will take the plunge, but for now I'll pass on the Doggie meatloaf.

Garlic is not good for dogs!, December 19, 2008
The recipes in this book are fun and look like they are easy to make. However, a good number of them have garlic in them. The author makes a point to note on the dangers of onions for dogs, but barely mentions that garlic, which is in the same family as onions, can have the same effect as onions. Garlic is listed in the book as a pantry staple and is listed as an ingredient in almost every other recipe. I look forward to using the book, but will omit the garlic as an ingredient and hope that others know to do the same. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The most comprehensive, authoritative organic foods guide available



Flavorful, nutritious meals begin with flavorful, nutritious ingredients. They also begin with knowledge. If you want to learn about and enjoy the benefits of organic foods, this book is an essential resource that will make it easier to "go organic" by helping you "know organic."

Covering fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs, milk, spices, and more, The Organic Cook's Bible expertly addresses the what, where, when, how, and why of choosing and using more than 150 types of organic foods. It includes:
* Easy-to-find entries, organized alphabetically within categories
* Information on selection, storage, nutrition, uses, and preparation
* More than 150 color photos for easy identification
* A special section listing 900 top varieties of organic produce
* A useful list of organic food suppliers and organizations


"This is an amazing book! Jeff brings together the essentials of gardening and cooking with delicious, approachable recipes and a discussion of what it means to eat in an ethical, sustainable, and healthy manner--and manages not to be preachy. It's a great read for those just beginning to explore good food as well as old pros."
--John Ash, chef, food and wine educator, and author of the award-winning book John Ash Cooking One on One

"The Organic Cook's Bible is a fantastic resource to guide both home and professional cooks through a greater understanding of what to consider when using organics."
--Jesse Z. Cool, owner of jZcool Eatery and Catering Company and other restaurants and author of six cookbooks, including Your Organic Kitchen

"The Organic Cook's Bible is a great book and an important tool to spread the good news of organics and inspire us all in the kitchen."
--Ronnie Cummins, National Director, Organic Consumers Association ... Read more

Reviews

Thorough, easy to use and nearly indispensable, July 7, 2006
While this well-organized encyclopedic reference and cookbook covers meat and poultry as well as produce, it's the fruits and vegetables that get organics guru Cox's most loving attention.

Each section - vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains, herbs and spices, meats, dairy and eggs and kitchen staples (oils, flour, sweeteners) - is organized alphabetically. Each entry follows a format which includes a brief history, a nutritional profile and comparison with non-organics, various types and varieties, seasonality, what to look for (and avoid), preparation, cooking tips and recipes.

The "what to look for" comments are especially illuminating as Cox explains what weather and time do and how you can spot the signs. Recipes (250) come from a variety of sources and Cox also includes general tips about what techniques and ingredients suit each food. Sidebars throughout share personal anecdotes and gardening experiences.

In addition to providing new information about ordinary garden-variety produce, he includes those you see in the grocery but aren't sure about - like jicama or passion fruit - those you might not recognize if you did see them, like medlars or crosnes, and even those Cox himself has never tasted or seen like the mangosteen, reputedly the most delicious fruit in the world. You'll also find a list of edible flowers.

Easy to use, this is a must-have, particularly for anyone interested in getting their families to eat more vegetables - quality being the first essential.

--Portsmouth Herald

Amazing!! An absolute must have reference book, September 11, 2006
I borrowed this book on an impulse from our local library. I was pleasantly surprised at how thorough and easy to use this book is. It is an absolute must, whether you are into organic foods or not. It covers everything from fruits & vegetables, meats, dairy, grains, pasta and nuts.

How many times have you gone to the grocery store and wondered how to tell if the fruit you were looking at was good(like melons) or wondered what some fruit or vegetable tasted like and what to use it for? This book clearly explains how to pick the best produce, what the nutritional information is, with beautiful color photos.

I can't wait to get my own copy and start trying some of the recipes. This will definitely be something I use every day.

This deserves a rating of 10 stars!!!

You need this book., August 10, 2006
This book answers all of my questions about produce: the organic factor, (which tells you whether a certain product is sprayed heavily with toxins when you cannot purchase organic), nutrition details, seasonality, what to look for when buying, preparation, and uses.

There is just the right amount of detail including full colour photographs of vegetables, nuts, fruits - or whatever you are looking for. I find this very helpful when I want to buy something that I am unfamiliar with like Okra for instance.

The material is extremely accessible. Everything in this book is organized perfectly so that you intuitively know where to find what you are looking for. I love the headings, shadings, chunking of information and the gorgeous green font that suits this book.

I use this book daily for a reference. On top of being extremely useful, it would make a great coffee table book. I'm sure that people couldn't keep their hands off of it.

A 'must' for any serious culinary or home organic cook's collection., September 23, 2006
Plenty of books on the market cover organic foods and health, but THE ORGANIC COOK'S BIBLE is a resource which goes beyond recipes to offer a survey of organic ingredients and how to choose, store and prepare them. Home cooks and chefs receive a guide which covers meats, dairy, herbs, spices and more, with an A-Z arrangement for quick and easy reference, and a survey of over a hundred organic foods, from flavor and nutrition benefits to storage, what to look for, and top varieties. A 'must' for any serious culinary or home organic cook's collection.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Very Interesting!, July 22, 2006
This book has everything anyone wants or needs to know about vegtables, fruits, meats, nuts, and any other food out there. It makes for interesting reading about how foods are grown, prepped for sale, sold, and what you need to know about them. I am not an 'organic' eater or shopper all the time. I just try to eat healthy and this book is truly a Bible for finding out how to do that. Well worth the read.

Great!!!, July 27, 2006
This is the Best Organic Cook Book on the Market. Use it every day. Thanks

Organic dream, July 6, 2006
This is an incredible book with a very comprehensive and detailed research into the world of organic foods. The book also has 200+ recipes which are a treat to read and cook. I have a book in my office and my patients love it. Maybe Americans still don't know or want to ignore the impact of pesticides and other chemicals on their health and risk of cancer.

Very Informative, March 8, 2007
Over the last few years, I've slowly become more and more organic. I've made the transition and I feel great! This book was one of the key elements that allowed my transition period to go smoothly. It's very informative and also a makes a great gift to a loved one, or friend. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The world is changing, and along with it, so must our eating habits. Author and restaurateur Jesse Ziff Cool has compiled over 30 years of knowledge about organic, local, and sustainable food into one magnificent cookbook, including indespensible elements of her earlier cookbook, Your Organic Kitchen, which is now out of print. With 150 enticing recipes, Simply Organic encourages home cooks to embrace organics as a lifestyle rather than a fad. Cool organizes her chapters seasonally to ensure that the freshest, ripest ingredients enhance the flavors of dishes like Filet Mignon with mashed Potatoes and Leek Sauce in early spring to Pumpkin Raisin Bread Pudding in autumn. Inspiring profiles on farmers and producers reveal how these individuals are working to create a sustainable future every day. ... Read more

Reviews

An improved update of a book I lost a few years ago..., February 28, 2008
I'm thrilled this book is back in a much improved, gorgeously formatted version. I had the original edition from some years back, lent it to a friend that ended up moving out of the country, and I'd been meaning to order a used copy for eons until I read something about it recently. The seasonal organization makes it so easy to eat the real food that Jesse's been advocating for, and cooking with, for decades. I can't wait to make the angel food cake again!

I think it's great, March 11, 2008
I received the book in the mail the other day. The book was bigger than I expected but that's cool. I found myself reading most of the introduction which is rare. The only thing I regret about this book is that there were not enough pictures. I found the recipes to be simple and interesting enough to want to try them. I have'n read anything else by this author but I can say I like this one and am excited about trying the recipes.

This is so disapointing!!!!!!!!!!, February 23, 2008
I was really excited about receiving this book, as I had already read "Your Organic Kitchen" By Jesse Ziff Cool and was excited for the follow up.
This book is the same book as Your Organic Kitchen, just re-packaged!!!! Same recipes!!! The pictures were better in Your Organic kitchen. It's the same book marketed under a different title. I feel really riped off. She just decided to reprint the same book from 2000 because Sustainable, local and organic are now all buzz words.
I am really saddened by this misrepresentation.

Don't let the word "organic" put you off., September 10, 2008
Even though I am a huge fan of Jessie Cool's restaurant, the Flea Street Cafe, I wasn't planning on getting this cookbook--a cookbook devoted to organic foods just didn't float my boat. However, after tasting three of the recipes at dinner parties, I was hooked. I've made four of the recipes so far and each tastes as good as I anticipated it would. My only negative comment, and the reason I withheld the final star, is that everything is arranged by season--It would be so much easier to find things by recipe categories or meals. With the wealth of recipes available on the internet, I no longer buy cookbooks. I'm glad I made an exception for this one.

Very beautiful book, June 13, 2008
I received this book as a gift for my birthday and it has turned out to be a wonderful surprise. I love how the book is formatted by seasons. In general the book is beautiful. Almost too beautiful... I am afraid to have it in my kitchen while I cook! That aside, I just enjoy reading it. I agree with another review in that I wish it had more pictures.

Organic Quilted Car Seat Cover: Tan6" Knitted Fabric Dog Toy with Squeaker: Naru (monkey)Organic Earth Friendly Bumper Pet Bed (Small)Robbie Dawg Organic Dog Biscuits: Peanut Butter & CarrotRobbie Dawg Organic Dog Biscuits: Applewood Bacon & Cheddar Cheese6" Knitted Fabric Dog Toy with Squeaker: Percy (chicken)

I loved it, February 27, 2008
I got this for a gift from another site (almost double the price so THIS is a great deal). Before I wrapped it I ended up reading through most of the intro and a bunch of recipes! ITs the perfect book to walk you through the seasons and helps you understand all the terms and labels that are used out there. I learned a lot and can't wait to hit our local farms markets! Im getting one for myself now!

Organic, delicious, and simple, February 29, 2008
What a find! Jesse Cool's recipes are delicious and simple, and this cookbook is absolutely beautiful. This is a staple I will come back to again and again, and I look forward to giving this cookbook as a gift to friends!

Chock full of recipes, but not menus:(, May 18, 2010
I was looking for something to "hold my hand" while coming up with menus using local, seasonal produce, which this didn't do. We are also in different parts of the country, so while I was salivating over her spring recipes, I knew I still had to wait 4 weeks. I felt most recipes featured a single item rather than the whole gamut of companion produce. I can hardly wait to test a gluten free take on her gnocchi! And while I'm already a whole food convert, her facts weren't new to me, but I appreciated the commentary by and passion of the author on the topic.

Great cookbook!, December 7, 2009
I love this cookbook! It has a lot of interesting combinations of ingredients that I would have not thought to combine. I was enticed to buy the book after eating in a couple of Jesse's restaurants, and have not been disappointed with any of the recipes I have tried. It is a beautiful book to look at and it's organization into seasonal recipes and its emphasis on local ingredients is lovely indeed. I just bought a copy for a friend.

Sooo Cool, March 17, 2008
Chef Jesse Cool has written another beautiful cookbook. This one is an updated and improved version of her earlier Organic book. Thank you, Jesse, for sharing your organic wisdom and your oh so creative, yet simple, cooking style. This book is a must have for those of us who want to cook healthy and delicious food at home. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Parents want the best for their children, starting with what they eat. This book includes both information and recipes so readers can educate themselves about organics and prepare all-natural meals for their children. Readers will discover how to know if foods are really organic, prepare natural baby and toddler meals at home, grow their own organic produce, make delicious dishes like Apple and Carrot Mash and Potato-Crusted Vegetable Quiche, and more! This book gives readers all the tools and know-how they need to shop economically, find the best organic foods, and prepare the perfect meals for their little ones. ... Read more

Reviews

Great book for babies, toddlers and your older kids!!, February 15, 2010
This is exactly what I wanted in a baby food book. I wanted more longevity then the simple purees and I love the organic info and eating healthy. Lots of info in simple quick paragraph/pages. I don't need chapters and pages full of why you should feed/eat organics like most books do - bore you to death. I wouldn't have gotten the book if I didn't want to do organic. This one is precise, doesn't overdo the organic theories and just gives you the info you need to make the food. It gives recipes for up to ages 3 but really most of these recipes past 12 months are great for any kids 10 or younger - heck even adults. I have tried a few on my 8 year old (lentil soup, lemony rice, veggie lasagna, cherry coconut rice pudding) and she loves them. Me too! My 7 month old has had more then 10 recipes and they are great. Also, the items do not have to be organic if you can't afford them. The recipes are different but almost all of them have the items in a basic grocery store. All you need is a blender.

Chapter 1: ORGANICS 8 pages explaining what constitutes organic, what items are a must, what items are not as important, what items to get pesticide-free, when to get canned, frozen, fresh, How things will last in fridge/freezer.

Chapter 2: INTRO TO FEEDING Gives you a layout on when to start items, best times to introduce, watching for allergies, how long to wait to try new items, what items can cause constipation/diarrhea, food safety, sample kitchen equipment, etc...

Chapter 3: 4-6 months that are common sense but still needed to be written. When to mix with water or formula/breast milk. Most are one items for starting out but some are mixtures like banana pumpkin mash, pear mango puree, avocado and barley cereal.

Chapter 4: 6-9 months and WOW there are so many types of various recipes here. Coconut chicken and banana, kasha with peach and pear puree, lamb and pumpkin mash, orzo and sweet pea puree, island breakfast cereal, beef stew mash, etc...

Chapter 5: 9-12 months and the recipes keep coming. Mango honeydew sorbet, quinoa & peaches, turkey chili, happy birthday vanilla cake, carrot and zucchini muffins, lentil soup, etc...

Chapter 6: 12-18 months. Spaghetti squash and herbs, caribbean baked risotto, chicken pot pie muffins, cinnamon yogurt fruit dip, lemony rice asparagus salad, etc...

Chapter 7: 18-24 months: Broiled pineapple with frozen yogurt, zucchini yachts, cherry apple coconut rice pudding, eggy boats, veggie stir fry, pinto bean roll-up, etc...

Chapter 8: 24-36 months: veggie lasagna, white chili, breakfast pizza, beef brochettes, sunflower seed butter cookies, tofu stuffed shells, lemon rasberry ice pops, etc...

Appendix A
Shows sample weekly organic menues for all of the ages above. (I LOVE this!!!)

Appendix B
recommended websites to refer to if needed

Appendix C
Nutritional info for all the common baby foods (LOVE this too!!)

Appendix D
Glossery of basic cooking terms

Then an INDEX of all the recipes by name and also listed by ingredients.

Hope this review helps - I love the EVERYTHING books and this does not disappoint - highly recommend this book.

great book, March 23, 2009
I bought this book when my son was just getting into solid food. Lots of good ideas for food combinations that I hadn't thought of. Looks like there is enough to keep us going for a long time. The book inspired me to break away from the baby food jar and get out the food mill. Easy recipes.

All the information you need in feeding your infant, October 16, 2009
This is a great cookbook. The introduction and information it gives on lactose intolerance, allergies, etc. is exactly what my pediatrician said. The recommendations are great and the recipes are good and easy.

So Easy to Make Organic Meals!, September 30, 2009
I love this cookbook for my son. Ever since he started solid food, we have been feeding him only organic foods since it is better for you. So, when he got a little older, I had no idea as to what to make him. This cookbook solved my problem. A lot of the recipes are easy. I love too that it mentions substitutions for items such as milk because my son has a milk allergy. This really needs to be in every kids home!

Best Toddler Cookbook I've Found, March 13, 2010
I own so many baby & toddler cookbooks. I have always made my own organic baby food. Honestly, until probably 10 months you don't need a book because you can only try one new thing every few days - you've got to try them before you can combine them. This is the one book I wish I would have had when he was around 10 months. He loved organic lentils out of the jar (we used when traveling) but I had no good baby lentil recipes. This book provides a lot of vegatarian recipes that contain mostly things I already had on hand (had to buy coconut milk & flax oil). I was really happy to see several recipes using quinoa & lentils for protien sources - it's hard when my little guy only wants eggs & peanut butter for protien. I only wish they had some pictures.

Love it!, June 2, 2009
Fantastic book. So many recipes that are easy and practical. I initially got it at the library but there were so many great reciepes that I thought it would be nice to have around and nice as she grows. My favorite baby cookbook to date. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Words like "organic," "seasonal," and "local" are on everyone's mind, but how do we integrate food politics into a daily practice that is convenient, affordable, and delicious? Sustainable chef and caterer Louisa Shafia shows eco-conscious home cooks how to green their cuisine by making earth-friendly food choices, sourcing animal products ethically and responsibly, supporting local food, and reducing one's carbon footprint through urban gardening, preserving, composting, and more. Promoting simple, delicious meals and green lifestyle ideas, LUCID FOOD celebrates the pleasures of in-season cooking that is healthy, honest, pure, free of additives, and transparently made, from farm to table. ... Read more

Reviews

Elegant and approachable, December 17, 2009
What a great book! I really enjoyed the mix of recipes and eco entertaining tips. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for healthy, delicious dishes and helpful tips for having a greener kitchen (that are actually easy).
My favorite recipes include the Fall Fruit Focaccia, Fesenjan (Chicken in Pomegranate Walnut Sauce), Indian Spiced Scrambled Eggs, and Miso-Glazed Striped Bass with Shiso Cucumber Salad. The Tamarind Ketchup is a new staple condiment in my house. The gorgeous photographs bring the recipes to life and help readers to visualize the interesting combinations of ingredients suggested in the book. I have expanded my repertoire and pantry as a result. I'm looking forward to more exciting things from Lucid Food!

A worthy read, December 21, 2009
My assessment of "Lucid Food" is two-fold, both as a cookbook and as a book-book. As a cookbook it has some inspiring recipes and great suggestions, but recipes like "Persian Stuffed Dumpling Squash with Rose Petals" all but defeat any locavore tendencies, and have some far-fetched, hard to secure ingredients. I love any cookbook organized by season though, and am a sucker for beautiful photography, both of which "Lucid Food" offers. If you are willing to improvise, feel secure in the kitchen, and are interested in some imaginative recipes it is a good read.

As a traditional book I'm highly impressed with the depth of knowledge, clear manner in which is is conveyed, and most of all how concise the author was able to be when discussing sometimes complicated food issues. Within 2 pages Shafia is able to both shed light on some of the issues with 'traditional' white sugar and offer a myriad of solutions/alternatives. She is able, in only a few paragraphs, to discuss why you should seek out organic bananas, discuss their seemingly imminent demise, genetic diversity, and offer alternatives. While I used to have a very good memory for irrelevant data, like page numbers for certain information in books, I've all but lost that in distraction with 'real life'. When discussing "Lucid Food" with my husband, I was able to recall page numbers for him for information that struck me - a testament to the quality of information and intriguing presentation.

If you want good food-related info, enjoy food-porn photography, or seek a new diverse set of recipes I say check "Lucid Food".

Poised to win a spot on my shelf of beloved, dog-eared cookbooks, Lucid Food serves up nearly 100 delectable recipes., February 5, 2010
Gorgeous with scrolling artwork and vibrant images, Lucid Food arrives, a present, wrapped and ready. I am enamored. Also, I am hungry. Thumbing past photography for Chickpea Cakes with a verdant green Cilantro-Jalapeno Sauce, Fall Fruit Focaccia succulent with apple wedges, Crispy Yuba Rolls that look toasty brown and crunchy, ready to dip, I confess to some absent-minded lip licking. On the second pass, I'm stuck on the Ash-e-reshteh, or Persian New Year's Soup with Beans, Noodles and Herbs, all the colorful, herby bits crowded into a steaming bowl.

Louisa Shafia knows how to eat well, fashioning meals from quality produce and local fare. Nestled amid the recipes are the nuggets of valuable health information that expand Lucid Food from a mere (heavenly) cookbook to kitchen notebook. Shafia's voice, warm and genuine, weaves her decades of food knowledge throughout the book, sharing her notes on sustainability, locality, and old-fashioned DIY values.

I'll admit I am obsessed with the new wave of seasonal collections. Particularly, I enjoy the variety of produce that pop up in these, even if it isn't always available in rural Kansas. These are people bedeviled by produce. (My kind of people.) Shafia adds a rich reference to the home cook's stash, reimagining tired winter vegetables into savory staples.

Poised to win a spot on my shelf of beloved, dog-eared cookbooks, Lucid Food serves up nearly 100 delectable recipes, only about a dozen featuring fish or meat. (It's not frowned upon, don't worry about harsh words; it's simply not the focus here.) There aren't photos of every recipe, but the photos included showcase lush preparations of plump, perfectly-cooked veggies with occasional animal proteins tucked in.

Shafia is one of the rare chefs able to communicate her intensity about quality, seasonal ingredients in amiable terms. No lectures here, simply facts and considerable inspiration for making dinnertime shine. And extraordinary food, with a little help from Shafia, speaks for itself.

For more reviews like this one, visit [...]

A feast!, December 29, 2009
Lucid Food outlines eco-conscious living with so much life affirming insight, beauty, and easy to put into practice tips. This book is a real feast.

I also loved the recipes. I tried out many of them and found that the dishes are delicious. They also inspire more creativity in the kitchen along with a wonderful sense of connection to where the food came from in the first place.

As more people embrace eco-conscious lifestyles, Lucid Food shows how such a choice can be beautiful and festive as well as good for us and all life on earth.

Delicious, beautiful, healthy... and easy!, September 3, 2010
I love this cookbook - it's the best one I've bought in the past few years (and I have a LOT of cookbooks). Recipes are organized by season which is really helpful. In addition to savory and sweet dishes, there are also drink ideas (Rhubarb Spritzer, genius!). I made the Blueberry Cobbler with Oat Scone Topping for breakfasts this summer and got raves.

Fall is coming and I can't wait to try the Mediterranean Shepherd's Pie which features butternut squash, and the Roasted Fennel Stuffed with White Beans and Chestnuts. However this book is not just for vegetarians, there are several wonderful chicken, fish, and seafood recipes. Everything you'll make from this book will be delicious - and you'll realize that all the recipes are clearly well-tested, in home kitchens.

p.s. I just went out and bought three more copies to give as gifts to friends who are deep into fruit and vegetables like I am. Can't wait for Louisa's next book :-)

Eco-Yummy!, September 1, 2010
I was given this book as a gift - I don't think anybody has ever given me a cookbook before. Most of my cookbooks have been picked up second hand, and they are usually something I poke my nose into for occasional guidance. Not so much with this one. It's a book I've found in my hands in my living room (not the kitchen!) reading and enjoying while making occasional "ooh" and "ahh" sounds. Kind of strange. These are sounds I tend to make looking through travel guides and backpacking magazines. Which is kind of what this book reminds me of - something that gets me excited to see and do new things, and plan new adventures.

Of course, planning a dinner is a bit easier than an expedition, but it's still exciting. The recipes are fun, exotic and from what I've managed to create - Delicious. I'm pretty far from a gourmet chef. My stove top usually looks like something has exploded on it. But even a bungling bonehead like me has been able to make some glorious meals from this book.
[wow, I used the word 'glorious' and I don't feel like I'm exaggerating!]

Sometimes the ingredients listed can seem a little intimidating - especially if you aren't sure what they are. But don't worry about it, go with the flow and make substitutions for things you can't find. Part of the fun has been learning about new foods I've never cooked with before.
I took a stab at the "chicken paillars with tomato puree over arugula" (page 156) the other day. Oh man, it turned out so wonderful I'm not even sure what superlative to use here. I'll go with YOWZA! A word that describes the look on my girlfriend's face as we bit into this dish and sat there smiling at each other - simply amazed that We had created a dish so moist and succulent and tantalizing and - well you get the idea. It was damn good, and pretty to look at!

I'll stop here. I'm a fan. Buy local, eat local is a great idea. Buy local, eat local and make it delicious is an even better idea. As I lack creativity when it comes to gifts, I'm here buying another copy. I've been using this as my default gift book this year. Thanks to a good friend who gave me this book, I'm making my other friends think I've got taste and style. Whether that is true or not, doesn't matter. I've got my own copy of Lucid Food, which means I'll have something amazing for dinner tonight.

Lovin' this cookbook!, August 21, 2010
I came upon this book in an usual way: I won it at an event where I also had the opportunity to taste some of Louisa Shaffia's food in person. I expressly remember the tangy crisp of the Red Cabbage, Apple and Dulse Salad (p. 86) even though almost a year has passed. I got a chance to speak with Ms Shaffia and I really felt her authentic dedication to eco-conscious food that is at once simple and delicious. These qualities really carry over into the cookbook, with clear writing, helpful hints, and suggestions for substitutions which support local and environmentally friendly cooking - an approach that inherently demands flexibility with ingredients.

The book is beautifully laid out with warm, friendly colors, and pictures that are good enough to eat. Tips and advice are sprinkled throughout the book, both within the recipes and in sidebars that tackle specific topics ranging from composting and foraging to starting your own potluck group with friends. This book is great for someone who is new to organic/local cooking with a handy glossary of eco-kitchen basics. Cooks who are already elbow deep in sustainable cooking practices will still find useful tidbits and inspiration embedded in the recipes.

My business partner and I run a cooking website dedicated to expanding creativity in the kitchen using organic, local and sustainably raised ingredients. We have both found Lucid Food to be an invaluable resource. We have cooked from it together and individually, and we use it often to expand our boundaries in regards to using spices and layering flavors in unexpected ways. Our favorites include the Warming Asian Rutabaga Soup (p. 89) and the Stuffed Poblano Chile Peppers (pg.165). We recently made a variation of the Stuffed Poblano Peppers on our site which received rave reviews. Whether you follow Shaffia's recipes exactly or use them as a jumping off point - you invariably get delicious results!

Many thanks to Louisa for creating a delightful and inspiring cookbook!
We are looking forward to more tasty editions to come,
Sarah & Brianna
[...]

Healthful, Eco-Smart and Highly Original, June 4, 2010
While there have been a number of cookbooks extolling the merits of the seasonal and local food approach recently, few will strike you as quite as appealing and thought-provoking as this first-time tome by chef and author Shafia. If it were merely a smart collection of highly original, veg-leaning (but not entirely meat-free) recipes that suggest a kind of wholesome synthesis of Persian, Eastern European, Asian and Southwestern cuisines, that would be enough. (That seems to have been enough to warrant a nomination from the IACP...) But the author's revealing opening memoir, her urgent but never proselytizing calls to better environmental ethics, and her welcome assembly of easy eco-conscious tips, makes this a "cookbook plus"; it's likewise rare that a book that looks this visually delicious actually boasts recipes that are even more so. While Ms. Shafia's pro-Farmers Market stance may make some of these dishes a bit more labor-intensive for supermarket stalwarts, anyone with access to a good, preferably organic or fair-trade produce section and a selection of fresh herbs won't find it hard to get things like "Creamy Red Kuri Squash Soup," "Rhubarb Spritzer" and "Miso Glazed Striped Bass" up and running in their own kitchen. And if things like "Banh Mi Sandwiches" and "Matzoh Brei" aren't in your food vocabulary yet, they should be: Ms. Shafia shows you how to prepare these ethnic classics using a fresh, creative spirit and back-to-basics ingredients. (It's also refreshing to find a book that clearly comes from a vegan bent, but doesn't eschew dishes with chicken and seafood.) Devoid of culinary cliches, Lucid Food suggests a very promising future for its author, and four seasons of attractive, healthful, human-friendly food for those readers lucky enough to come across it.

More please!, March 23, 2010
I got this book exactly 10 days ago and have already made 5 of the recipes. The food is tasty, healthful and guess what? You don't feel like it would be more fun to eat a cheeseburger. Now that is a trick....

You'll impress your friends forever with the chickpea cakes, I promise!

Exciting new book!, February 22, 2010
There's something about this book that makes me giddy! It is so beautiful and the recipes are SO easy to follow. I love that Louisa incorporates unusual seasonal ingredients but the recipes are not overwhelming and I don't feel like I have to purchase a huge number of ingredients to create a dish. Her advice is very practical, thoughtful and simple to follow. Also, i feel like there are just as many ideas here as there are recipes because of the book's versatility and like any great cookbook it has become a reference as much as it is a guide. I have to say, the shepherd's pie is so delicious that every time I make it I can't stop eating it! As is the kuri squash soup.. so easy, comforting, and very, very good. I NEVER make dessert but had to try the bittersweet chocolate cake and it's a dream. Since the book just came out in November and I like to keep my cooking seasonal I'm so looking forward to the warm weather to try out the warm weather recipes.. I can't wait to try the rhubarb compote! ... Read more

Editorial Review

With simple instructions, Microgreens:A Guide to Growing Nutrient-Packed Greens by Eric Franksand JasmineRichardson, shows readers how to grow their own littlegreens of arugula, basil, purple cabbage, chard, radishes,broccoli, cilantro, and more.

Microgreensteaches the easy process of how to plant and grow, as well as howto harvest little greens, which on average is about 2 weeks aftersowing. Eaten alone, as a salad, or added to soups, entrees,sandwiches, burgers, or anything else, these tiny greens ofnutrition will enhance everyday food and life!

Only a small amount of space is needed to grow microgreens—aporch, patio, deck, or balcony, indoors or outdoors, will do.This allows anyone to easily incorporate microgreens into theirdaily meals, and the greens' nutritional potency make them amust-eat in a healthy diet, any time of the year!

Reviews

If I can do it...., May 19, 2009
I read the book after a recent trip to the west coast where I tried micro greens for the first time. They were really enjoyable and so I became curious. This was the first piece of written material I came across on the stuff, and I'm glad I did. Not only did it answer all the questions I had about the "what are they?" but then it helped me dive head first into the "now go do it yourself".

I live in New York City and am not lucky enough to have my own backyard. Turns out I have about all the space I need on my fire escape and roof to put together a very productive micro greens garden. I'm also not the greeniest of green thumbs, but found myself following the directions close enough to where my micro greens came out happy, healthy, and delicious. Very happy I did this and I can't wait to share the experience and tastes with my guests!

Well worth exploring, June 10, 2009
Spouted seeds provide excellent nutrition because the conversion of the stored nutrients released at germination provides nutrients not found in more mature plant materials. I was excited to read the new book Microgreens which covers the plant stage immediately after sprouting. In addition to an elevated nutritional level, plants at this phase in their life cycle offer a fresh, crisp culinary experience.

Upon opening this book, printed on heavy coated paper, I was immediately inclined to leaf through it from one end to the other. The photography is superb and Ms. Gibbons is to be congratulated on its excellence with good depth of field and great presentation of some rather diminutive plants.

The book follows the authors experiences as they learn the ups and down of how to grow microgreens. When they first start, they have only a small area in which to grow their crops. They discuss their search for locating sources of seeds and finding the best varieties to grow on well structured and modified soils. As their skills improve, they find a location with more space and begin to produce crops commercially.

Microgreens covers, both in word and picture, the difference between sprouts, microgreens and baby greens. There is useful information on soils, nutrition, and the value of various plant types.

The authors detail materials from soils to containers and seed sources and provide a sequential set of steps for producing a crop up to harvesting. It is evident that Frank and Richardson enjoy the freshness and nutrition of their work. I found the section detailing each type of plant with details of the botany and taxonomy particularly interesting. Also provided is germination data and the level of difficulty in growing each plant. Associated with each detail page is a photograph of the specific cultivar at the proper stage for harvest.

Towards the end of the book is a section in which several chefs provide recipes and other information on microgreens as well as a section with a select source of seeds and materials.

Quill says: We found this book well worth exploring both for those who wish to expand their horizons and especially for those who want to eat organically.

Informative and Beautiful Book, April 7, 2009
If you're interested in Microgreens, check this book out! I've only eaten microgreens in high-end restaurants. Even more, they're very expensive at the market....when you can find them. This book is an excellent tool for growing the greens myself. After reading this book, I feel that even I can do this. The "Sources" section lists organic places that I can order the seeds and soil I'll need. The paper quality in this book is surprisingly exceptional and the photos are gorgeous!

Outstanding!, June 10, 2009
This is a remarkable book. As a grower myself (Fresh Origins), I can confidently recommend it as the best information on the topic available at this time.

Truly Stunning, December 24, 2009
This book is truly stunning. It is the best written, most informative book that I have read on the topic of microgreens- growing nutrient packed greens. It is well suited for both the home grower and commercial grower. The recipes are excellent and will make your mouth water. The photography is breathtaking and captures the vitality of this living, nutrient packed food that is easily grown in a small space within a short period of time. The authors are to be congratulated on producing such a superb work that is truly as enjoyable to read as it is practical and informative.

Wonderful and Informative- worth it!!!, May 25, 2009
This book is beautifully written and illustrated, and takes you step by step through the process of growing micro greens. They are delicious and nutritious! I was very impressed with the book- highly recommend it to everyone!

Terrific guide for low-cost healthy living, May 25, 2009
I found Microgreens: A Guide To Growing Nutrient Packed Greens to be an amazing "how-to" book for growing your own vitamin-rich produce. As a mom, I want to provide the best food for my family - however, the organic food at the supermarket is just too expensive. This book has been the answer, by giving me the step by step process for how to grow my own microgreens (which are delicious) at home. You can eat them in a salad, on a sandwich, etc., and you know you are getting a healthy meal that you grew for low-cost in your own back yard. I was pleasantly surprised by how little space you need to start growing. We have our garden on our back porch and it works perfectly. Probably the best of all is that my kids love them and growing microgreens is something fun we can do together.

Gorgeous, Informative, May 20, 2009
We were really excited to see this book. First, it's gorgeous--the full page color photographs look delicious themselves, that's what initially attracted us to the book and the idea of growing our own microgreens. As a busy family on a fixed budget who also cares about eating healthy, natural foods, this book really detailed the possibilities of microgreens. The book made the process so easy, it provided our family with a simple step by step guide of how to grow beautiful, nutritious food at home. It was so easy, in fact, not only have we been sharing any surplus with friends and neighbors, we're thinking about selling them at either the Farmer's Market or to restaurants in town. And the book even tells you how to do that! We highly recommend this book to everyone, whether you want a fresh gourmet salad once a week or you want to start a microgreens business.

Comprehensive, Compelling, and Unique, May 20, 2009
Microgreens is a must have book for both the organic home gardener and the small scale farmer. The book offers engaging and informative insights into the many benefits of microgreens, including nutritional qualities, ease of cultivation, and rapid harvests. Easy for the home gardener to follow, the book is cleverly structured to cover everything from garden to table (soil building for the advanced grower, and cooking recipes for the novice wholesome foods advocate). Most importantly, it doesn't offer suggestions or instructions that require expensive equipment or a background in agriculture.

I admittedly knew very little on the topic prior to reading the book, and I have already germinated a low-cost microgreens garden on my back porch. This is cutting-edge, compact, sustainable, and easy to produce agriculture; I would suggest it to anyone interested in producing their own quick, easy, and nutritious food.

Excited!, August 28, 2009
Wonderful book, with beautiful pictures. Now I'm excited about growing microgreens, and can't wait to get started. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The organic revolution is upon us -- let these fresh, modern, and inspiring sourcebooks be your guide.

Fresh, additive-free natural foods are essential for the healthy development of all children. Now every parent can prepare tasty and nutritious meals with the Organic Baby & Toddler Cookbook. Why Choose Organic Food? Babies in the womb and young children are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of pesticides, additives, and genetically modified ingredients in food. Lizzie Vann, founder of Baby Organix in the UK, a pioneering organic babyfood company, explains how to avoid these dangerous elements, including helpful tips on deciphering food labels and identifying the most harmful additives to avoid. She also gives advice on where to shop for organic products and what organic staples to buy. Easy and quick recipes and menu plans are carefully adapted for each stage of your child's development. Each section outlines essential superfoods for each age stage and provides appetizing recipes for healthy, satisfying meals. From fruit purees for our baby to healthy snacks and independent food choices for the toddler, there is food here that the whole family will enjoy. Advice for vegetarians and children with special dietary needs is also featured. Organic Baby & Toddler Cookbook explains the benefits of organic food for you, your child, and for the environment. ... Read more

Reviews

Just, April 11, 2006
I was excited to find an organic cookbook for babies and toddlers, hoping to find some new inspiration and/or healthful recipes for my 3 kids (all under the age of 4). I did glean a few new healthy ideas from this cookbook, but was really surprised about some of the things suggested to feed a 4 to 7 month old baby. For example, I can't wait to try the hummus recipe for my 4 year old and 22 month old. The recipe isn't that original in any way, it's more that I hadn't thought about making hummus in awhile. But, one of the first recipes suggested to make in the 4 ot 7 month old category is a rice cereal with raspberries and strawberries. For a baby that young?? Yet, off to the side there is a note saying something about needing to remove all seeds from fruits because babies at this age cannot process seeds comfortably since they are so young. I don't know many moms willing to pick the seeds off of strawberries. Most of the recipes for young babies contain multiple ingredients, including olive oil, oregano or other spices and I have always read/heard that you introduce one food at a time using the 4 day wait rule in case of allergies. Much of the same is found throughout this age category of recipes.

There is quite a bit of information about organic food and the pros of feeding it to your children, which is great, however overall I don't feel like the author has a really good feel for what kids should be eating at what age. And it seemed like there were so many recipes for an oatmeal or rice breakfast, all with very little variation.

So if you're looking for a book to go by age and appropriate ingredients, try Ruth Yaron's Super Baby Food. If you are looking for a book with a few recipes for your toddler or preschooler, this is an ok choice. The one thing that is very consistent is that the measurements for each recipe tell you how to make just a tiny amount needed to feed your little one.

Inventive food to feed your toddler., March 5, 2006
I think every food book tells you something different on the subject of nutrition, and you can add this one to that list. I think it would be impossible for any author to keep current every piece of advice the 'experts' in America dish out. As a British author you can bet she didn't even consult them. Nor should she have. I find it interesting that many of the reviewers didn't even consider that fact in their reviews.

Don't expect to find recipes to make hamburgers, fries, chicken fingers, or fish sticks. Instead you'll find fish cakes, lamb, and the best meatballs I've ever tasted that incorporate chopped mushrooms into the mix. Day out cakes are great. Fruit bars are fantastic. Shreaded apple and orange breakfast is tasty. Expect to find ideas in here that are outside the box of typical American kid cusine. And why might that be? Because the author is a Brit. Yes, some of the recipes do require a little effort, but the results have been well worth it.

If you're looking for a book on how to make baby puree, you'll find a few ideas here but not a complete chapter. If you're looking for parenting advice or a breastfeeding advocate or recipes for the run-of-the-mill fare.. this isn't the book for you. And especially to those looking for a complete nutritional resourse for infants and children.. this isn't the book for you. I've never expected those things from a cookbook and neither should you.

Buy this book as a fantastic addition to the nutrition guides you already have on your shelf and ignore those pages of this book.

Great recipes, some poor advice, February 20, 2005
First off, this cookbook does contain some wonderful recipes for babies and toddlers which are easy and quick to prepare and are very nutritious. However, like other reviewers below, I too take exception to the poor advice given regarding breastfeeding and the nutritional importance of breastmilk. In the introduction the author writes, "I believe there is nothing more important than the quality of the food that we feed our children - their development, health, and happiness depend on it... always use organic ingredients... always use natural ingredients... keep sugar and processed ingredients out of your child's diet for as long as possible." One chapter is entitled, "As Nature Intended".A quote by the author on the back of the book states, "There should be no compromise in what we feed our children." But unfortunately she does not seem to apply any of these principles to what we feed them before they eat solid food. Rather than advising a mother returning to work to pump her breastmilk for her baby, she tells her to switch to formula! Now which is more "natural, organic, and unprocessed", fresh human milk or prepackaged formula? She further states in the first recipe section that "breast or formula milk is the only suitable food during the first four months. After this, your baby needs some solid food in her diet... By four to seven months of age milk alone no longer meets her body's demands for nutrition and energy as she grows." I don't know where she got this information, but it is complete nonsense. First, formula is NOT on a par with breastmilk in terms of "suitability". It is a poor substitute which should only be used by those unable to produce milk of their own. Second, a baby absolutely does not NEED other foods at four months of age, or even at seven. Some babies will want food at four months, others not for a lot longer. My daughter was not interested in solid food until she was eight months old. Breast milk is perfectly sufficient to sustain thriving babies up to a year old with no supplementation. Even at a year, most babies should still be receiving the bulk of their calories from breastmilk, and contrary to the author's advice, breastmilk should be given BEFORE solid food to ensure the infant is receiving the correct fats and cholesterol s/he needs to grow and develop properly. My daughter is now 11 months old and is still about 80% breastfed, and she is certainly not suffering for lack of nutrition -- in fact she is the same size as many 2-year-olds we see around here (22.5lb and 30in, not fat by any means but strong and sturdy).
My other issue is with her treatment of bread. For someone who is so zealous for healthy food, I am at a loss as to why she would promote white bread for young children. She includes a few bread recipes using "brown or white" flour, and states, "Toddlers sometimes prefer simple white bread. Do not get into a battle if that is your child's choice; respect your child's wishes and try something new a month or two later." This is just bad advice. Refined white flour, like refined white sugar and refined white salt, is basically a slow poison. Better advice would be to never even introduce white bread into the child's diet at all; the child can't "prefer" or "choose" what isn't there.
One last caveat: in her "Fresh and Fruity Shakes" recipe she writes, "... rice, soy, and follow-up milks may be substituted", and in the appendices on vegetarianism she also recommends tofu and soy protein. Although soy is high in protein and is a popular milk and meat substitute, recent research indicates it is NOT suitable for infants and children. It contains phytoestrogens which can negatively affect thyroid function, the endocrine system and growth/sex hormones. If a milk substitute is desired, please give your children rice or nut milk instead. If a meat substitute is wanted, it is better to use tempeh instead of tofu as the fermentation reduces the levels of harmful toxins and also increases the good things such as protein content.
Overall, besides the aforementioned exceptions, the recipes in this book are excellent, and as an added bonus there is also a handy seasonal produce chart in the back to guide you in your grocery selections.

*Update*
Regardless of the author's nationality, there is no excuse for not using current information when dishing out nutritional advice for babies. If you do not intend to check with the most authoritative, trusted sources for the most up-to-date recommendations, then you should refrain from offering breastfeeding and weaning advice and stick to recipes. The author of this book has taken it upon herself to dispense breastfeeding and weaning advice, and she therefore has a responsibility to get it right. La Leche League is recognized as the world's foremost authority on all things breastfeeding and is an international organization, not just American. There is no reason the author couldn't have used LLL as an information resource when discussing breastfeeding; yet almost everything she writes on the subject is contradicted by LLL's massive store of wisdom. The plain and obvious truth of the matter is that the author has simply regurgitated archaic, out-of-date info she probably obtained from an old M.D. who hasn't cracked a journal to read up on new developments since he finished medical school 30 years ago.
The reason people "draw the line" at breastfeeding/formula-feeding is precisely that it is NOT just another "lifestyle" or "parenting" choice, no matter how much it is presented that way by the formula companies. Choosing to feed a baby an artificial food not of its biological adaptation, just because it's more convenient, has lifelong consequences for that child, including potentially devastating health problems. This is well-documented, not mere conjecture or propaganda. Saying formula-feeding by choice is a valid option is like saying smoking heavily around your baby is a valid option, and what the heck right does anyone have to tell you otherwise. Meaning, it is about the baby's health, i.e. the future health of an adult, and that if you bring a child into this world, you ought to at least have the grace to feed it properly if you possibly can. A baby's biology expects human breastmilk; that is its birthright, in the truest sense of the word. It is a HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE. The basic right of the child to retain its optimal health overrides any consideration of mere "convenience" for the parents (and i would venture to say that anyone who isn't prepared to sacrifice a little for the sake of their child isn't ready to be a parent anyway).
If you think people blow the whole breast-feeding/formula-feeding thing out of proportion, then you don't understand the gravity of the issues involved. I recommend you do what this author didn't do, and read up on the latest information.

Beautiful cookbook but not very informative., September 1, 2003
This is a gorgeous cookbook and looks to have some yummy recipes but it doesn't have much information in it about preparing your own baby food. ORGANIC BABY would be best to supplement other baby food cookbooks or for someone planning on preparing only occassional meals for the infant/toddler.

Fair recipes, Horrible advice, July 14, 2005
The recipes are good recipes in themselves, but the advice that Lizzie Vann gives in regards to WHEN to feed certain foods (i.e. a recipe with cheddar cheese in it in the 4-7 month chapter) and her apparent attitude towards breastmilk are both HORRID.

Many of the recipes in the 4-7 month chapter are not appropriate for a child under 1 year of age!

Her recommendations on foods are contrary to much of the advice given by the AAP - i.e. she recommends cheese between 4-7 months while the APP recommends no dairy products before 9 months, she recommends strawberries between 8-10 months while the APP recommends no strawberries before 1 year.

Her advice regarding switching to formula a few weeks before going back to work is heinous. While that is certainly a valid option, the option of expressing breastmilk while at work should have also been presented in equal light.

I am so dissapointed in this book, that I am returning it.

Recipes mediocre, more work than they are worth, August 14, 2006
I liked the idea. I was drawn to it because of the title and thought it would give me good ideas for healthful food for my little one. It didn't.
I have a very picky eater (14 months) and thought this book would give me ideas for new healthy foods to give her, but I must admit, cooking that intricately for a child who tasted it and was not in the least interested is not how I wish to spend my time as a mom. Better to feed her off of my healthy plate. I'd rather cook a meal big enough for the both of us that at least one of us will eat! Maybe in a year or two the recipes for older children will be more successful.
Also, I ate a few of the dishes(since good organic food shouldn't go to waste!) and they really weren't that impressive to me either. And I am far from picky!
The discussion on organic importance was interesting and well written. However, I have already chosen to do as much organic food as I can afford, so it wasn't what I was looking for in the book.
Finally, she talks about weaning a breastfed child as you introduce solids, which is ridiculous. It outlines a weaning process, which just doesn't have a place in the book.

Great recipes!, September 8, 2002
First let me say that there are MANY great sections on nutrition and how to feed your baby/toddler well with wonderful organic foods. Also, the recipes are excellent and my son has enjoyed almost all of the dishes I have made from this book. In some cases the portion sizes and methods are a bit impractical, but she includes prep/cook times and serving suggestions.
The first recipe I decided to make for my son was a pasta dish (I bought this book when he was over a year old), and when I looked at the ingredients I realized it was for a SINGLE serving (for a 10 month old). So,I have just decided to make larger portions and freeze some of the leftovers.

Good recipes, Poor Information, February 10, 2004
This is an easy to read book with fabulous pictures of very delicious foods. This book is a good resource for nutritious meals for your children. However, Ms. Vann gives poor information on the most important first food for children- breast milk. Her information on weaning is on the page for 4 to 7 month old babies, which implies this is when they should be weaned. A question is posed to her in this book. A mother is asking if she should switch from breastmilk to formula when she returns to work. Ms. Vann says she should switch BEFORE she returns to work. For a book so concerned with optimum nutrition, one would think that she would place more importance on the necessity of breastmilk as the most important basis for health, rather than declaring organic foods to be above this. She also states that food should be given before breastmilk to set children up for healthy eating habits. Breastmilk, in fact, should be the only source of nutrition for the first 6 months, and supplemental foods should compliment this thereafter for the first year.
The author also does not seem to be well informed of the optimal length breastfeeding should continue. The World Health Organization along with UNICEF recommmends that breastfeeding continue to age two and beyond. Ms. Vann mentions some cultures breastfeed for this long only when there is inadequate food available.
This book has some useful recipes but I would not recommend it to anyone based on the poor information on breastfeeding. After all, a babies FIRST food has the biggest impact on a child's health!

Beautiful and Informative, July 31, 2001
Like most books published by Dorling & Kindersley this book is a pleasure to read because of the high quality paper and plenty of colour photographs. It is well written and clearly explains the importance of organic food for babies and toddlers. There are many recipes that are original and creative, not just the standard baby food you'd expect. The only thing that was disappointing is that the book did not contain more recipes.

Yummy and easy, July 18, 2003
I've been making all of my daughter's baby food since she began eating solids and this is one of the two cookbooks I use regularly. She has loved everything I have made out of it - the pasta dishes are her favorite. She also loves the oatmeal and fruit breakfasts which are very easy to make. Each recipe also gives storage information. My only complaint is that she doesn't suggest waiting a few days between introducing new foods (her recipe for first veggies has about 5 different vegetables). This has been a great help in feeding my daughter healthy food. We still use jars sometimes but most of the time we pull this book out. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Turn nuts, vegetable seeds, grains and beans into gourmetfood! Sprouted breads, cookies, crackers, living soups, dressings,dips, spreads, sautes, alternative non-dairy milks, ice-creams, evensprouted pizza and bagels! Chapters on making sprout bread, fooddehydrating, juicing, natural sodas, alternatives to dairy and salt,smart vegetarianism. Glossary of healthy foods. Includes Questions andAnswers and seed resources. Over 150 illustrations, photos & Charts. ... Read more

Reviews

Wonderful All-Purpose Book., December 3, 2004
"Sproutman's Kitchen Garden Cookbook" is a great all-purpose book for anyone new to sprouts and sprouting and for the sprout vetran who is looking for more recipes and ideas. The tone is chatty and humourous. The book is a great read cover to cover, but it can also be read a section at a time, in any order.
I received this book as a gift and almost immediately I had trays and bags of sprouts in my kitchen. We've stopped putting lettuce on sandwiches and use various sprouts. Sprouts on salad, in stir-fry, in soup... I've tried several of the recipes with success. The sprout bread is really popular and so are the crunchy sprouts.
One word of caution: sprout bread has neither the flavour nor the texture of bakery bread. It is better. It is sweeter and more satisfying. It is also packed with nutrition. If you are expecting something close to regular bread, you will be disappointed. If you remember that what you are eating is something else entirely, you will love it.

the best recipe book for health and taste, November 14, 2003
I'm into raw foodism and have found various recipe books for a raw foodist. This book is the best recipe book I know. It's very detailed, practical, and rich in contents. I also like the philosophy of the author: While it is good to increase the intake of raw foods, it's not necessary that every mouthful of food contains enzyme. Sometimes it's necessary to cook the food at a relatively low temperature. I've learned to make sprouted wheat bread from this book. It's very easy and the bread is wonderfully nutritious and delicious.

I recommend this book highly to every one, raw foodist or not.

Living food !, December 11, 1999
If you are interested in the health benefits of eating healthy bread without the allergens and toxins of flour and have become a fan of the "Ezekiel Bread" you will love this cookbook. It is easy, and fun to grow your own sprouts, and see fresh bread in 3 days! Variations are endless and I think Steve has done a wonderful job showing how simple the process is, and it is not intimidating in beginning your road to better health. Thanks to the Sproutman for this wealth of information - be sure to share some of your bread with friends (they won't believe it's sprouted grain!).

Sproutman's Kitchen Garden Cookbook, May 23, 2002
Finally, a recipe book that has wonderful live food recipes that are practical and simple enough to where kids can help. The ingredients are easy to obtain and with a little kitchen equipment (dehydrator and food processor), I can finally make my family something simple and delicious. This is the only book I have where I can actually use 100% of the recipes, not just a few. Not only is this book one of the best raw food "non cook" books out there, it is full of nutrition information and humor. It will keep you smiling!

This book is great!, March 4, 2003
WOW! I never knew you could do so much with sprouts! I bought this book thinking of all the great salads I was going to make. After reading through this cookbook, I now am looking forward to sprout breads, cookies, bagels, and more. There are also lots of recpies that don't use sprouts, like seed cheese and yogurt, cashew vanilla malt (delicious!), and soups and dressings.
This book is well worth the low price.

Healthy eating, yes, if you want a total lifestyle overhaul..., April 15, 2006
I guess I'm not the typical reviewer here - I am interested in healthy eating, but without the context of a major life change for myself and my family of five... I'd like to find new ways to eat well, without undermining our entire familiar (mostly vegetarian, mostly well-balanced) diet.

Let's start with what this book IS: an excellent guide to using all types of sprouts, and to which types are good for which occasions - baking, stir-frying, salads, etc. It's also a rather overt advertisement for "Sproutman's" own website and sprouting tools (sprout bag, greenhouse, seeds, etc); fair enough.

The book is full of interesting, simple recipes and ideas for using sprouts either raw or with low temp cooking to get the most nutrition out of every green, crunchy bite. He's also thrown in a bunch of related nutrition stuff - non-sprout items like vegan ice creams and helpful alternatives to salt and other seasonings.

Still, I found that most of the recipes were impractical for family cooking. If two cups of sprouted wheat make a single small loaf or several crackers or cookies, it doesn't take long to realize I'm going to need wheat berries bursting out of every corner of my tiny kitchen in order to create one meal for the five of us.

And that's just bread! To create enough sprouts for us to eat a single salad, a single stir-fry, a single helping of sprouted nuts... well, we're probably going to need to renovate other areas of the house to accomodate all the grow-bags or baskets.

Also, many of the recipes are just variants on previous recipes. Like, he'll take a page to describe how to make a cracker, and then ANOTHER page - this is just an example from memory - on how to make seasoned crackers, and it's obvious the ingredients and steps are identical, just with seasonings added.

Finally, having tasted sprouts and fermented products, I have some idea of what kinds of flavours to expect. Suggesting that his fermented "rejuvalac" beverage will taste similar to lemonade sounds way overblown. He actually hints that it may taste more "like sauerkraut" - to me, that's a BIG difference. Sorry, but I don't curl up on a summer's day with a tall, cool glass of sauerkraut.

Similarly, I realize our dependence on added sugars is overblown, but if I call something a "cookie", my kids (10 & 11) are going to know I'm lying if it's only sweetened with natural sprout maltose and a few raisins. Yes, sprouts give a nice malty sweetness to bread - but only the most idealistic parents would believe kids would accept it as a special-occasion treat.

I guess I was looking for a book that would help me incorporate sprouts into every aspect of our regular household dishes - stir fries, yes, but also to add flavour/nutrition to standard yeast breads, cakes, cookies, veg patties, etc.

Being almost totally vegan (he practically apologizes in the one section where he asks you to put a bit of butter into your rice cereal), there is too little range of dishes for our family's tastes and the dishes offered seem too monotonous for long-term enjoyment.

This book may be ideal for a single person or a couple who want to try an "extreme" veg or raw-foods or minimal-cooking lifestyle. For our family lifestyle, the overhaul required is too enormous to even begin imagining - and trust me, I have plenty of imagination!

The best cookbook you could buy, April 24, 2002
This book is fantastic. Steve Meyerowitz really knows what he's talking about. I really love the seed/nut cheeses and ofcourse, SPROUTBREAD. Steve even includes some juicing recipes and many fruit and vegetable meals. I love the history and information about foreign eating habits.I never realized all the different types of flour there are and how we, the consumer, are deceived by their fancy wording. If you are serious about changing your diet for the better, this book is a great starting point. I liked this book so much, I'm purchasing 4 others by this author.

The ultimate healthy eating recipe book!, June 18, 2003
The "Kitchen Garden" was an answer to a prayer. The wisdom contained in
there answered a lot of questions about my desire to return to Veganism and
preferably a raw food diet. The candid and reasonable approach really helped
me with my struggle. The volumes of wonderful recipes were exactly what I
was looking for and will help me tremendously in expanding my cooking or
rather food preparation skills.

Great fun book on eating well, August 22, 2001
Of all the un-cook books I have on eating a high raw diet, I find this one of the best. It has a great variety of recipes and is fun to read. Even if you only eat raw now and again, you can still get a lot of good ideas from this book. Buy this book and it will keep you in new healthy recipe ideas for years. Also check out Mr Meyerowits's book on Juice fasting, I've found it to be one of the best available.

Great book for the price, June 16, 2007
I got this book because I wanted to make sprout bread. The book is very informative. But 95% of the sprout recipes are for wheat. That is great if you want to sprout wheat, but I don't. It does repeat the same info in many parts of the book. But I would say over all I still say it is a great book. I am on a special diet so a lot of what he has in his recipes I can't use. But I did learn a few things. ... Read more

Editorial Review

There is nothing more delightful than a tomato still warm from the sun, or a strawberry so perfectly ripe that it stains your fingers.

Why not eat this way all the time? The healthiest and most delicious food comes from farmers and artisans just down the road—though it is often easy to forget when we are surrounded by food shipped to our supermarkets from around the world and by highly processed products from distant factories.

Jeff Crump learned of the pleasures of using local cuisine by working in world-famous restaurants like Alice Waters's Chez Panisse, and he set about to develop a network of farmers to keep his own restaurant's kitchen humming all year round. It was not long before he was out in the fields himself, alongside pastry chef and collaborator Bettina Schormann, planting and harvesting crops that would form the backbone of their menus, breads, and desserts.

Eating locally means eating seasonally, and Jeff and Bettina offer up the most delicious of what each season provides. It could be something as unexpected as Gnudi with Ramps and Morels picked from the woods across the road; as simple and as refreshing as Dandelion Salad; or when it is cold outside, as hearty as Bread and Butter Pudding.

Earth to Table lets nature write the menu. Tender, green things in spring. Ripe, juicy dishes in summer. The bounty of the harvest in autumn. Rich braises and tart preserves in winter. The result is a year of discovery of new ingredients and dishes, and a rediscovery of classics that suddenly taste the way they were meant to.

Bringing together stories of the passage of seasons on the farm; profiles of some of the world's most innovative chefs—like Heston Blumenthal and Thomas Keller—and the farmers they count on; how-to sections that help readers make the most of the season and what their gardens and farmers' markets have to offer; stunning photographs; and, of course, creative and delicious recipes that make anyone wonder why they ever considered eating a tomato in February, Earth to Table explores what's best about food.

Reviews

Spectacular, November 17, 2009
Oh, just another green, organic blah blah? Not so. This is the seasonal cook book for the rest of us. Refreshingly, it is not out of California with its endless supplies of the best produce, but out of Canada, where there actually is a Winter. For us in Minnesota a not unimportant detail.
It is helpful if you know your way around the kitchen a little bit. This is not a basic cookbook, but it has new recipes that are doable at home and come out delicious. Ingredients are easy to find in the store, the farmer's market or possibly in your own garden. One walks away from the table satisfied and feeling good about the food one just ate. Pizza with squash, pancetta and sage a smash hit! So are the pan roasted mushrooms, a revelation! Enjoy cooking and baking your way through the seasons.

From His Table To Yours, January 11, 2010
Chef Jeff Crump learned the art of local foods and seasonal menus at Chez Panisse in Berkeley and The Fat Duck in Brey, England. Now the chef at the Ancaster Old Mill restaurant in Ontario Canada, he was also the founder of Slow Food in Canada. His restaurant focuses on locally grown foods, served during their peak season, for full freshness and flavor. Earth To Table is a collection of recipes from Crump and his pastry chef Bettina Schormann, organized by seasons, and including chapters relevant to food collection and preparation - Spring includes a How-To on foraging and composting, Summer has Canning and Preserving.

The recipes, while not hard, are probably not for an inexperienced cook and are well worth the extra effort of finding the freshest ingredients of the season from either local farms, farmers markets, or a grocery store sourcing from local suppliers. There are profiles of other Slow Food chefs, including The French Laundry's Thomas Keller and commentary from Crump on his local sources of ingredients. ||Highly recommended, especially the Mile-High pumpkin pie recipe for Thanksgiving.

Reviewed by Ross Rojek

Couldn't put it down, June 12, 2010
I admit that I'm not one to "read" a cookbook. I'll glance and thumb, and then it goes on the shelf in the cupboard until I need it. This book? Well, I read it, I talked about it, I was encouraged to try a few recipes, and then I read it again. Right now, it is on the counter, right by my organic blueberries from my CSA. (I'm making the blueberry cake again.) Chef Crump took me where I needed to go to solidify my "elitism". I demand good, fresh, whole food, and I pay for it (sometimes dearly), and among my friends, I'm a kook. But I'd rather go without some expensive coffee to pay for better food from my CSA, and I feel great helping farmers who care about the final product. It's all about choices, as Crump so succinctly points out. This cookbook is a keeper. The recipes are seasonal, easy, and delicious. It's earned its place on the counter, not in the cupboard.

one of my favorite books, June 29, 2010
this is one of my favorite books to read and re-read, the recipes are delicious and the stories in the book are really interesting

Spectacular!!!, July 28, 2010
Childhood memories brought back to life. Wonderful pictures and great recipes are presented in this well-done with love book!

wonderful and practical book, June 25, 2010
This book is beautifully presented, and it also has recipes that are just complex enough to be challenging but not so much that you don't feel like doing it. Maybe a little daunting for a complete beginner, but maybe not if you have some patience!

Each recipe is a little bit special and has its own particular twist that you might not have considered on your own. So far I made the steak with three dipping sauces and the shrimp served with a reduced vinegar, butter and herb sauce. Both delicious. It makes good reading too--great to read the stories of various farmers and local producers of the food they use.

Great guide for eating whole foods and locally sustainable farming., February 9, 2010
This book is great to use as a step by step guide for eating in season at the local level. I also enjoyed the stories which personalize you to the author.

Gave it away, August 27, 2010
I am a cookbook junkie and I just didn't like it. The recipes were too involved and sheik for my liking. I gave it away ... Read more

Editorial Review

Anyone who’s ever devoured a yellow pear cherry tomato off the vine knows the delights a garden can produce. David Hirsch, long-time member of the Moosewood Collective a group of 18 people who own and operate Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, New York, and produce an ever-growing collection of award-winning cookbooks shares his experience and expertise in this completely revised and updated guide to compounding the pleasures of growing and cooking. In simple, straightforward text, he gives instructions for growing, harvesting, and cooking with more than 75 vegetables and herbs. A chapter of 80 recipes transforms the bounty of the garden into the pleasures of the table. Complete with mail-order and Internet source guides, bibliography, and USDA zone map, THE MOOSEWOOD RESTAURANT KITCHEN GARDEN is a comprehensive guide to culinary gardening. ... Read more

Reviews

If you love the Moosewood cookbooks, you'll love this book., April 17, 1998
This is an easy-to-use and easy to read book with helpful tips on not only selecting and growing, but cooking with your veggies, edible flowers and herbs. There is also a great list of mail-order sources with descriptions of supplies. I especially liked the design section for its simple and straightforward approach to considerations and approaches towards my garden layout.

A cookbook far beyond the norm, August 11, 2005
It's called "a gardening book for cooks and a cookbook for gardeners." David Hirsch has updated and revised this different and terrific cookbook. The subtitle ("Creative Gardening for the Adventurous Cook"), encapsulates quite nicely why this is a cookbook far beyond the norm. Written specifically to help in growing vegetables so that we can cook with them, each flower, herb or vegetable is accompanied by tips for its best use in the kitchen.

Published originally in 1992, the 2004 update includes more information, resources and recipes. The text is simple yet thorough, and is chock-full of tips, ideas, illustrations and charming anecdotes. In simple, straightforward text, Hirsch gives instructions for growing, harvesting, and cooking with over 75 vegetables and herbs.

The cookbook is accessible for beginners, while being complex and satisfying enough for more experienced gardeners. Chapters are devoted to gardening techniques, crop rotation, seed starting, and natural ways to defend against insects. Another chapter covers various kinds of gardens, from hillside, to walled patio, to container gardening, while the 70+ recipes will showcase the fruits of your labor and help transform them to the the pleasures of the table.

The recipes are delicious and comprehensive, from soups, dips and salads to appetizers and main dishes. Hirsch also includes information on cooking times and techniques, as well as the effective use of herbs (with advice for planting, compatibility and cooking). It is hard to pick favorites, but the Vegetable "Pasta", Summer Rolls, and Portuguese Kale Soup are among my favorites so far.

The recipes are not all vegan (although of course they are vegetarian), but vegan options can be substituted (soy cheese for non-soy, etc). A must have cookbook for gardeners and cooks alike.--By Lisa Steele

another great Moosewood cookbook, June 27, 2009
I got this for my daughter who is gardening for the first time. It's a great book.

Moosewood Kitchen Garden, January 8, 2009
I bought this as a gift for a friend who loves the Moosewood cookbooks. This was a big hit. Very helpful while planning her garden. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook won the 2007 Gourmand Best in the World Award in the category of Best Health and Nutrition Cookbook

The only whole food cookbook for peoplewith diabetes—featuring 150 recipes

Eating with diabetes means eating healthy. But manycookbooks for people with diabetes substituteartificial sweeteners and processed foods at theexpense of great flavor. Now if you want tomake healthier choices, you don’t have to give up goodfood!

The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook features 150 recipesthat focus on whole foods and unprocessedingredients. YOu can enjoy: Blanco HuevosRancheros, Creole-Style Red Beans and Rice, RoastedWild Salmon Fillet with Orange-Miso Sauce,Horseradish Pork Tenderloin on Naan with Arugula,and much,much more!YOu can do away with artificial ingredients that leaveyou feeling unfulfilled! Forget those “fat-free” productsthat are really just flavorless! Healthy eating is not onlygood, it’s also great tasting! ... Read more

Reviews

A 'must' for diabetics wanting gourmet quality cuisine, December 2, 2007
Compiled by nutrition expert Jackie Newgent (a regular contributor to 'Weight Watchers Magazine', a chef instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education, and former American Dietetic Association National media spokesperson), "The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook: The Whole food Approach To Great Tastes And Healthy Eating" features more than 150 dishes, the recipes for which avoid any artificial elements or ingredients. This impressive and thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' compendium of recipes are specifically designed for people with diabetes and ranges from Homemade Granola-Raspberry Parfaits; Scallion Yogurt Cheese; Mesclun Salad with Bosc pears, Pecans, and Blue Cheese; and Sweet Potato Burrito Spirals with Bell Pepper-Avocado 'Creme' Sauce; to Lemony Stuffed Grape Leaves; Creole-Style Red Beans and Rice; Honey Hot Cocoa Au Lait; and Mini Vanilli Cupcakes with Cherries on Top. Enhanced with facts, tips, and ideas to give good food a great flair, "The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook" is a 'must' for diabetics wanting gourmet quality cuisine that they can prepare and consume with safety and gusto.

Diabetes Goes Natural!, January 13, 2008
This cookbook provides helpful tips on how to chose organic and natural foods. Recipes are delicious and the book includes many menus ideas. The information on portion sizes, the diabetes exchange guidelines and other nutrition facts gives consumers what they need to make healthy food choices. It includes a lot of vegetarian recipes which can be easily incorporated in a person's weekly food choices. The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook can be a staple on the book shelf as a healthy guideline to eating more organic and natural foods in the diet. As a registered dietitian, I will recommend this book to my clients.

Fantastic!, November 12, 2007
Jackie's book is a fabulous combination of sound and accurate nutrition advice packed with creative and delicious recipes. Tips and fun facts educate and entertain the reader and the recipes contain natural and flavorful ingredients. I recommend this book to clients and friends regularly; it is definitely a must have for anyone's cookbook collection!

Easy and delicious!, January 3, 2008
I love this cookbook. Great recipes, without a ton of ingredients. The focus on clean eating is a refreshing change from all the books that call for artificial ingredients.

Finally, a cookbook that I actually will use alot!, September 19, 2007
I am so happy that I found this cookbook. All the recipes I've tried are really tasty. It is not filled with any fake stuff. I never thought I would find a cookbook that I could feed to everyone and that they would all like! THank you!

Finally, an Appealing Diabetis Cookbook, December 23, 2007
Every question I could think of is answered in the first 25 pages. And then the flavorful recipes begin, laid out in friendly-fashion with the added bonus of exchanges, Fresh Facts and Food Flair tips for each recipe. Nice size book, large type, and I like the emphasize on "fresh is best."

Refreshing!, June 19, 2008
I appreciate the author writing an all-natural cookbook for diabetics. It is so refreshing to see a cookbook for people with diabetes that does not use or recommend artificial sweeteners and other artificial low-fat ingredients. My husband has diabetes and it is possible to eat well with diabetes without resorting to "artificial foods". I love the tips and her wholesome approach to meal planning.

Lisa Drayer, MA, RD, November 1, 2007
Jackie Newgent has finally come out with a book that showcases her tremendous talent as a culinary nutritionist. While the cookbook is geared to diabetics, it offers a delicious mix of recipes incorporating whole foods and all-natural ingredients that all health conscious consumers will savor. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to prepare healthy food that tastes absolutely delicious!

Carb-heavy recipes not appropriate for modern diabetes care, July 20, 2009
Despite the positive reviews already posted, I cannot whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone with diabetes. While it does follow the current guidelines of the ADA, I would challenge any diabetics to see how their blood glucose responds to a Mango Lassi (p.272, 27g carbs) or to a serving of Roasted Garlic Mashed Baby Creamer Potatoes (p. 254, 20g carbs). At least Ms. Newgent includes a "Fresh Fact" on the page to say that "Potatoes can raise your blood glucose level quickly, so keep an eye on your serving size." Good luck with that...

There are some worthwhile recipes in the book (e.g. Party Peanut Chicken Satay, p. 88, 5g carbs), and at least she lists the carb content so that the carb-aware diabetic can make his/her own decisions about what to eat. Fortunately, there are a great number of cookbooks for the carb-conscious diabetic; I would start with Richard Bernstein's "The Diabetes Diet: Dr. Bernstein's Low-Carbohydrate Solution.

Outstanding!, July 18, 2008
I've never had to cook for a diabetic until my husband was diagnosed little over a month ago. I was skeptical about the recipes whether they would be great or bland. I'm a firm believer that this book will make anyone (even those who don't need to cook for a diabetic) salivate for the recipes. They were excellent!!! All were easy to prepare and I can find most of the ingredients at my local Walmart. I highly recommend this book! ... Read more

Editorial Review

The Sproutman's guide to indoor organic gardening showsyou step by step, how to grow these delicious baby greens andmini-vegetables in just one week from seed to salad. This guide canmake anyone a self sufficient gardener of sprouts that are burstingwith concentrated nutrition. Includes comprehensive nutrition charts,Questions and Answers, seed resources, illustrations, photo's &Charts. ... Read more

Reviews

Not a complete guide; Somewhat confusing; Mostly good info., January 20, 2005
Steve Meyerowitz, a.k.a. Sproutman has been sprouting since the 1970s, and owns a company selling sprouting equipment and seeds. I've read several of his books and chatted with him in person about sprouting. Sproutman knows his stuff, and IMO, anything he writes about sprouting is worth reading. I have grown magnificent sunflower sprouts by using a Sproutman Sprouthouse (a bamboo basket in a plastic house) and following Sproutman's instructions. If you have good sprouting seeds and follow the instructions in this book, I suspect you too will grow awesome sprouts.

Unfortunately, the book is not that well organized and the instructions for sprouting, a fairly simple process, are unnecessarily confusing. There are many methods of growing sprouts, such as baskets, sprouting bags, glass jars, open-ended glass tubes with screens on both ends, trays, etc. This book gives instructions for only 3 methods: baskets, bags, and trays. Sproutman doesn't explain that upfront, however. If you want to use one of those 3 methods, the instructions are knowledgeable and detailed. BUT: I suggest that when you choose one of these methods, you read through the entire chapter first, because if you try to follow along step-by-step, it's easy to mess up.

For example, in the chapter titled, "The Technique", Sproutman launches into instructions for using a sprouting basket, without first explaining that this technique just ONE of many sprouting methods. For this technique he says to soak 5 rounded tablespoons of seeds. He doesn't explain until 7 pages later that you use 5 tablespoons of seed for an 8 inch basket, 6 to 7 tablespoons of seed for a 9 inch basket, and 2 to 3 tablespoons of seed for a 6 inch basket. A beginning basket sprouter who tries to follow his instructions without reading the entire chapter first, could easily make the mistake of using the wrong amount of seeds for the basket size.

In the next chapter, Sproutman gives instructions for how to use a sprout bag, a different technique. The first thing I would want to know about this is, what are the best seeds for growing in a sprout bag? That information is there, along with days 'til maturity-in the middle of the chapter.

Another thing that's important to a good sprout book is information about seeds. What are the varities, the days until harvest, the uses and tastes, etc? There's chart near the end of the book which gives this information, but the seed varities are not in alphabetical order. I can't figure out any logic to the way the chart is sorted, so if you want to look up a seed variety, you have to read down the entire list. Also, there are some types of fairly popular sprouting seeds missing from the chart, for example, broccoli sprouts.

Although I think most of Sproutman's information is excellent, albeit a bit disorganized, one thing I take issue with are his frequent sermons about why sprouting jars should not be used. I first used a sprouting jar in 1984, and my jar sprouts have always turned out just fine, without all those immature yellow sprouts Sproutman warns of. If you are careful not to use too many seeds and to shake your sprouts back and forth so they drain well and lay the jar on its side, your jar-sprouted sprouts will turn out just fine. Also Sproutman says a jar requires cheesecloth, screens and rubberbands. Back in 1984, a decade prior to the book's publication, I used a lid which was a plastic screen and have never had to hassle with cheesecloth, screens and rubberbands. In addition, he says automatic sprouters sell in the range of $450 to $1000. It's somewhat possible that information was accurate in the 1990s, but in the 2000s, one can find new automatic sprouters for a lot less than $450.

Some of the book's strengths include the chapter discussing which type of water to use on sprouts, the nutritional information scattered throughout the books, and the presence of an index. I personally think the book's dumb puns are a strength, but I'm sure the majority of readers will not. :-)

Despite my qualms with this book, Sproutman is outstanding in his field, and I still recommend it to anyone who wants to sprout via vertical sprouter (basket), bag, or tray, or learn about sprouting in general. If you're using either a vertical sprouter or a bag, I suggest first reading the succinct review of instructions on page 173 for the vertical sprouter and p. 175 for the sproutbag.

Very comprehensive and helpful, April 20, 2002
Yes, as one person noted, the humor is sort of out of place. Bad puns throughout. I'm still giving it a 5 because it's the most helpful sprout book I've seen.

Friends of mine recommended it to me - they have an attractive set-up of baskets of sprouts growing in little seed-germinator covered plastic trays. They are thrilled with the book, and we are excited about starting to sprout. We did sprouts years ago in jars, but this system is better.

Though the book could be more condensed, it's still an easy read in a few hours. And where else is this vital information available in such thorough detail? If you are considering sprouting, you will find the information valuable.

Truly a Wonderful and Complete Book on Sprouting, September 18, 2002
This is a great book for a person who is interested in sprouting; it is very detailed and is truly full of very interesting and useful information. The book also helps to nullify a lot of the myth about toxins and hidden dangers in sprouts. The real dangers, in actuality, exist in cooked, processed, adulterated, toyed-with, sprayed, chemicalized, distorted foods (which our grocery shelves are full of). I am now 50 years old. Back in my youthful college days, I used to sprout a great deal, eating living foods exclusively. Though I stayed being a vegetarian, I got back into the cooked food craze... eating food like it was a drug for "taste" only. I work with the multiply handicapped and even though I am a teacher I have to do a lot of lifting (of adults who are not at all feather-weight). My arthritis (which runs in the family) was killing me, despite taking all kinds of natural and man made supplements. Getting back to live food was the answer I needed. Steve's book was inspirational and very helpful. I should have never deviated from what was truly the most nutritious way to eat!
There are many ways of sprouting. I happen to like the sproutpeople.com sprouters best of all. Steve's book is a priceless tool for anyone interested in sprouting... it has all kinds of neat tips and suggestions.
Also, one suggests doing a web search on Dr. Budwig's Diet... as most people are seriously deficient in essential fatty acids of the proper type. I take my oil with a little bit of live yogurt.
Anyway... I would not want Steve's book, including his Kitchen Garden book... missing from my shelves!
As Hippocrates said: "Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food."

Sprouting 101 thru 110, January 7, 2010
Basic sprouting here, its many benefits are told as they should be!! Buy this ,and get some seed, you are ready to go!! What ever kind of seed that You would want to possibly sprout is in here.The exact instructions on how to grow them too. Have fun ,and get healthier too, eat your sprouts, they are good for you! What a wonderful idea.A food that you can grow anywhere, does not even need light, dirt, only add some water, a little time, and You have fresh, organic food right where ever You are.

Sprouts, December 25, 2009
If you want to know about growing sprouts, buy this book. Steve "Sproutman" Meyerowitz really knows his sprouts.

Great Little Sprout Book!, February 17, 2000
I thought this book was terrific! It opened up a whole new world to me. Sprouting makes me feel like I can take part in growing my own food and can control the quality of the food I eat.

3.5 stars for my own personal preference, May 30, 2010
My Amazon Wishlist has over 500 items, many of them books. I don't get to indulge myself as often as I would like, so when I make a purchase, it's pretty calculated and I only get to pick ONE item. That said, the book of choice has to be pretty special to be selected out of the very many that I am chomping at the bit to have.

My books are cherished items. I like to have a good collection and my books are probably my only possessions that I won't part with. I don't care how worn and curled they get because I want to use them - ALOT.

I am so on the fence about what to say about this book. It has been on my Wishlist for YEARS. Finally, I added it to the cart with great excitement, and that's where my excitement ended.
When I began to read it, I actually found myself so disappointed and almost angry! This was not at all what I was hoping it would be! And, I'm not even sure I want it in my collection. I felt that if it was possible to 'return' a book, this one would be it. I thought, here's one for the yard sale..

In all fairness, I can at least appreciate what he has done and the info that he has compiled in his book, regardless of the fact that it was not really where I was wanting to go with it; not what I had hoped.
In fact, I got so overwhelmed and confused that I shelved sprouting at all and will think about it next week..

For me, personally, I just want to grow some sprouts..a little at a time. I don't want baskets all over the place or racks or some indoor farm. When I have gone on [...] and/or checked out their videos on YouTube, it has served me perfectly for my needs and what I'm looking for right now.

This is one occasion where I can say..I don't know folks..you might feel differently. Can't say I do or do not recommend.

PS. Slightly off topic..but only because I wanted to voice a pet peeve..
IF (in particular) you are a 'somebody', a person who has made a name for yourself, PLEASE, please, please have a website that is actually worth a darn. [...] website is so poorly functional; it times out, takes forever to load or has messed up my computer all too much. It's a terrible website.
If you care enough to be in business, by all means, your website is key.

Oftentimes, I can order something from a company but because their website is lacking, I will order from Amazon instead (hopefully from the same company!).
I purchase most everything from/through Amazon (for many reasons!), but if Amazon's website frustrated me in the least, that reason alone would not get my business.

The confusing guide to sprouting, October 23, 1999
Full of confusing ideas, all scattered information, guides to nowhere. The auther tries to be witty and funny, but his jokes are nothing but disgusting. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Awesome!, March 22, 2007
This book answered all the questions I had about buying or not buying organic foods. I realized that I wasn't even sure what "organic" meant, and I certainly didn't know anything about the politics of organic farming. Ms Burke really knows her stuff and presents the facts clearly and well. (Of course, I would expect this from her, as I read a book that she co-authored entitled The Trans Fat Solution, which cleared up that whole transfat thing for me.)

Particularly valuable is the chapter entitled "The Dirty Dozen" - the 12 foods to eat only if they're organic. Strawberries topped that list, and potatoes, especially russets, also showed up. This is balanced by "The Clean Fifteen," fruits and vegetables that consistently test negative for pesticide residue. Happily, avocados and blueberries show up on that list. Then there's The Shopping Guide - priceless!

This book is a treasure trove of information, and a MUST READ for everyone who cares about making healthy food choices while keeping sustainable farming in mind. As I said - awesome!

Easily Disgestible and A Quick, Great Read, March 16, 2007
When I received this as a gift, I did not expect to read the entire book (ok, I admit - any of it) about organic foods in one sitting. However, Burke has written an extremely interesting and helpful guide on exactly what to buy organic (the dirty dozen), what not to buy (the clean fifteen), and why. She also enlightens us on the erosion of the "Organic" standards caused by government lobbying by powerful supermarket/food corporations (think, Nestle and Coca-Cola).

Read this if you want to know whether its worth it (or even safe) to buy organics at your local supermarket, and if not, where to get them.

The Best Source!, June 13, 2007
What a GREAT book! I learned so much from the author. She really did her homework and knows her stuff. This book inspired me to take the complete jump into organic living w/o fretting the grocery bill cost. She makes sense when she discusses this bill versus the health of your family and health costs. I don't even care anymore about the grocery bill because I know I'm making the most informed and healthy choices for my family. She has also inspired me to be more "green" and not just buy organic, but think about buying sustainable foods and at local farmer's markets. Never really grasped that concept and reasoning until now. Thanks so much!

Putting the Icing on the Organic Gardening Cake, December 20, 2008
Being a 15-year organic gardening veteran and seeing more and more organic products in the grocery store had me curious -- where did it come from and is it truly organic. Is it worth it to pay more for organic than non-organic. This book is for every individual who wanted those same questions answered. As an example, garlic is often used as a companion plant (for me it was with roses) to deter aphids. So obviously garlic isn't going to have pests on it, thus, little pesticide use, thus no need to spend the money on organic garlic. The author lists many, many foods that you should or should not buy organic, provides interesting stories from organic farmers, and also goes into exactly what is organic. The part that really sold me is how organic certification has become yet another piece of bureaucratic red-tape and even the big boys are jumping on the band wagon -- at a price to the smaller, local farmers (undercutting their prices). But the USDA organic standards are stretched by agribusiness - so beware when purchasing "organic" from a large company. Not to mention the costs to the environment by agribusiness. Excellent book and highly recommended for the experienced organic grower.

Easy to Read!, April 18, 2008
This is an awesome book and answered just what I wanted answered. I was wanting to buy organic not just for my health, but also for the environment. But I know organic doesn't always equal environmentally friendly. And when do I buy local? If local foods aren't organic, should I get imported organic? This book talks about the environmental as well as health interplay in a really easy to read way. Its a quick read and has a very useful shopper's guide in the back. By far the best "organic buying" guide I've seen so far. Love it!

answers the question being asked..., April 13, 2008
Because I haven't been able to grow a garden of late, I'm forced to shop for most of my groceries. What I wanted to know is what I should buy or not buy. The author answers this perfectly and efficiently with a list in the latter part of the book, stating the produce in question, buy organic or not, and the reasons why.

What surprised me was that she also talks about how FAR food frequently travels and the carbon cost as a result. Is it worth buying organic if it's traveled across the ocean? While I understood this before, her book has made scrutinize this aspect of my food purchases even harder than before.

The book was an easy read but I admit to glossing over some of the talk about why you should eat organic or buy locally. What I wanted was precise information to help make my shopping more effective. I got exactly that.

excellent book, July 27, 2007
I love this book, it is easy to read with lots of great information...everybody should buy this book and if you are looking to be healthy and free of chemicals in your body you should definately read it!!!!Good job to the writer

To Buy or Not To Buy Organic, March 21, 2007
I have only read a couple of chapters, and I have already learned a great deal. I have started taking the shopping guide with me to the grocery store and have found it very helpful. I pay more attention thanks to Burke-- Burke just might be able to switch me over to organics

To buy or not to buy organic, March 8, 2009
This is a great book. It covers information about all the different herbisides, fungisides pestisides & more. It's mindblowing what toxins & poisons are in our food. It covers the effect on adults & the scary but real effect on children & babies. It also touches on government involvement along with FDA, EPA & USDA cross employment. It's not in our best interest for an EPA employee who wants to pass laws for "just a little pesticde" to be sprayed in organic farms to then be employeed by the FDA. The FDA decides what & how much pesticides & such are allowed in our food. The USDA can then turn a blind eye say if he may have been an employee with the EPA or FDA. It's a nasty cycle of I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine with the big boys in D.C. Sad but true this is a very interesting and eye opening read.

Great for the organics beginner!, June 5, 2008
I bought this book because I was trying to learn more about organics. This was very informative. It was written by a mother, so it was very helpful in my search about the benefits of organic eating for my children. It was easy to read and packed with great tips and useful information. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Everything you didn't know you wanted to know about organic farming, November 4, 2009
If you're a typical city/suburban resident like myself who has purchased "organic" vegetables at the standard grocery store only to find they were a total waste of money, this book explains why. Terra enlightens the non-farmer with incredible detail, yet in a manner that makes the reading pure pleasure. The Brockmans are clearly a highly intellectual family who fore go the city life for the simple life. A life of hard work, but more rewards than most of us can imagine. It's such a pleasure to read, the fact that you are learning about farming is truly secondary to the story.

Vivid, beautiful, and eye-opening, October 18, 2009
After spending most of my summer buying Henry's produce and Teresa's fruits and herbs, I was thrilled to be able to attend their annual Potluck and Tour in early October. While I was there, I picked up a copy of this book, and have not put it down since. I'm on my third reading, and it's become my way to soothe my mind before heading off to slumber.

The quality of Henry's produce is nearly unmatched - and certainly anything I've had in the past pales in comparison. Seeing the farm offered one perspective; reading about it brought an entirely new one. Terra is a remarkably gifted writer, bringing the farm and all that comes with it to life. Even though I only saw a small portion of the farm, I have such a vivid mental image of nearly everything she writes of, from the fields to the truck to the dogs who guard the crops.

Reading through the book gives such newfound appreciation for the Brockman family, Matt, and all the apprentices. To see their work and passion brought to life was truly an inspiration, and nearly enough to make me want to spend a summer on a farm.

Thorougly enjoyable!, September 23, 2009
Not only is the subject matter incredibly relevant - sustainable living and local produce - but Terra Brockman manages to write in a very engaging way. Were this not a book with such a personal angle for her, I feel that her writing skills would still make for an interesting read.

It's an informative book which also has the occasional humorous anecdote - I'm thinking specifically of the geese that had reached sexual maturity and how the farm had to deal with it!

A standout, June 9, 2010
There are always farming and vegetable gardening books on my headboard. I inhale them. While I rarely abandon one unfinished, there are definite stand outs in the dozens of histories, personal or family stories and farming politics that i have read. This book shot right to the top, with its evocative prose bringing the rhythms and hard work of the farming life into a clear and beautiful picture. I admit to favoring it partly because the authors ethics are right in line with mine. I loved the historical and literary references and found a wealth of information, ideas and inspiration to add to my 30 years of food growing.

A beautiful, edifying, thoughtful, funny book ..., January 7, 2010
I'm so intrigued by how the entire book was woven around a skeleton formed by several dimensions of time: seasons, crops, generations, and human mortality. The element of time was suggested by everything about the book -- the photos, Hiroko's beautiful pen-and-ink drawings, the nature of the recipes, the inclusion of bits from the various generations. I was always aware of time, which gave the book -- or at least this reader -- a sense of urgency, an awareness of the passage of time, assuaged by a comforting reminder of the circle of immortality, the timelessness of the Earth. This book made me want to DO.

I loved the interspersing of different styles. A description of planting garlic leads naturally to the recipe for "Pockets full of garlic soup", and thence to musings about the importance of timing, overlayered with rueful complaints about aching, aging knees in contrast to those of Kazami, "a compact, curly-headed, 13-year-old package of fearless life force hurtling down the hillside on a blur of bicycle". Later, scholarly discussions of the enduring dangers of chemical fertilizers (the author's father is an environmental geneticist) are woven into an attempt to capture the meaning of wabi-sabi, a Japanese Zen concept that the author relates to rural community life, thanking the hens for their eggs, and macabre stories told to grandchildren to make them behave.

This is a particularly good book to give as a gift. It is wonderful to use for morning meditations (especially since it's laid out chronologically over a year). It's very funny, and thoughtful, and loving. I've given this book to many, and treasure my own.

A Passion for Taste and Terroir, September 8, 2009
Three generations of the Brockman family, through the eyes of a gifted writer/daughter, take you on a journey through a year and a lifetime of passion for The Land. Incredible hard work, masterful planning, the whims of nature, the intricacies of multi-generational families, the history that is etched into the landscape, all are masterfully woven together by Terra Brockman in a book that cannot be put down once the first page is opened. One will never visit a farm market again without a keen appreciation for the amazing people who toil to bring customers food imbued with a commitment to sustain the Earth and its peoples.

Lucious!, September 1, 2009
The Brockman's are to agriculture and gastronomy what the Kennedy's are to governing and politics. I have enjoyed their first class vegetables and fruits for years and now comes this book with both recipes and behind the scenes stories. Dig in for a good read. After purchasing the book I was leafing through the pages just to get a sense of it and I was soon hooked--seated and devouring it whole. It is entertaining, educational as well as heart-warming with the biographical family stories. I plan to re-read it too! Teresa Brockman's writing style is delightful and informative.

the music of the farm, June 5, 2010
Terra Brockman's book sings like a beautiful musical instrument. And with each re-reading, the depth of the music, becomes more apparent. Pour a glass of wine, turn your iPod off and savor this beautiful book. Now on my third time through, I am reading a paragraph at a time, pausing, reflecting, sometimes laughing and sometimes wiping a tear away. In an age when our heroes fall from grace, we find a new hero in Henry and in his farm and in the cast of characters that work with him. Henry makes me want to work hard, be productive, bring value to others. For anyone seriously interested in farming or organic gardening this is a text book. I have pages of notes about different herbs, fruits and vegetables and can hardly wait until the seed catalogs arrive in the winter, little did I ever imagine until I read this book that they could be erotic. That alone should entice you to read Terra's book! Occasionally, I run across a book that is meaningful, funny, informative and profound. I hope I can inspire just one person who might be reading reviews to give this book a try. Enjoy the music! And thanks Terra, you have touched a heart.

Vicariously work at Henry's Farm with this book, March 17, 2010
Although I live in SC and have never visited the farm, this book enabled me to vicariously work at Henry's Farm. I love the specific, day-to-day format, and the end of this book came much too soon. I hope there's a sequel!

Serene Reverence, February 15, 2010
I was so sad to finish 'week 52' and come to the last page of Terra's book! The Brockman Family has such deep reverence for the earth that they protect through their methods which honor all of nature and its rhythms. I have met Henry on visits to Evanston and have been struck by his 'presence' which emits a deep serenity and joy. I was disappointed that there was not a good picture of Henry to share this essence with the readers. Someone should also take a picture of his hands......they tell a story of their own! I found it to serve as an evening meditation which sent me to slumber with a deep sense of peace and awareness of what it is all about and grateful for farmers like the Brockman's who are dedicated to growing the best to feed the world. Thank you Terra for sharing yourself and your family with us and spreading the joy that you plant with every seed! ... Read more