Customer Reviews

From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Praise: Great veggie cookbook. I call it a REVERSE cookbook - where you look up the ingredient you have (veggie) and there are recipes to make with it - rather than trying to find the stuff to make the recipe. Tasty recipes too. A must for every vegetarian's shelf.

Caution: There is a pamphlete version out there that can be mistaken for a "book". It is much smaller in dimension, and pages - does not have all the recipes. Be sure you are getting the full size version - 8.5" X 11", 228 pages. (I learned this the hard way.)

Every recipe that I have made from this book has been outstanding, and a bit addictive! Any time I have shared some of this yummy food with friends, they always ask for the recipe and information on this book. There is a great variety of recipes, something to satisfy every type of chef and picky eater. This collection is a great way to get back to the healthy "slow foods" that we should enjoy more often. YUMMY!!!

Not only is this a recipe book, it also offers general background information, cooking tips, storage tips, suggested substitutions, kids' recipes, basic food preservation information and a resource section. From the common to the more obscure, there are dozens of great recipes to help you make the most of fresh produce. I finally have some recipes for gobo and Jerusalem artichoke. Some recipes even list preferred varieties of a particular produce for their specific attributes. A must have for those looking to utilize local, seasonal produce.

This is one great fresh-veggie cookbook! It was free to advance-subscribers to a local Farm Coop (each family in our PA county pays a certain seasonal fee to a farm coop, and then picks up a weekly cardboard box stuffed with that week's fresh-picked organic produce.
I just purchased a copy of the same cookbook from Amazon.

We use Asparagus to Zucchini all the time--and in winter, we substitute frozen or canned veggies for fresh. EASY, DELICIOUS recipes, classic old time and new -- soups, stews, casseroles, salads, main dishes. I have millions of cookbooks--this one, I actually use--a lot.

We recently began receiving produce from our CSA in Amherst, Massachusetts, and we would be lost without this book. It has helped us to identify and distinguish between the assortment of greens we receive, and has instructions for optimal storage, preparation and cooking techniques for an array of produce. Highly recommended!

This book is available directly from the Madison Area CSA coalition for less than $20, shipping included. Be kind to your wallet!

Generally a handy cookbook to have available, especially for new CSA members or people looking to branch out to some locally grown produce. It's best used in the "I have this vegetable and have to make something out of it" way. Some recipes are unusual (this can be both good and bad)and I would estimate about 85% of the recipes are vegetarian. I'm glad I bought it, and it usually gets my first look, but I do go sometimes go elsewhere for recipes.

First, anyone expecting a glossy, foodie tome will be VERY disappointed. This reminds me a little of some of the "hippie" cookbooks that were hand drawn in the late seventies and early eighties and self published. Or the early Moosewood offerings. However, this is the only cookbook I know of written by CSAs for use by their subscribers. Great recipes (but NO pictures of the food). Great references. And the ingredient based approach you need to have when contemplating the CSA box containing four vegetables you have never eaten before, let alone cooked with. Great for farmer's markets, but really explicitly designed for CSAs.
If you want glossy, get "Local Flavors" by Deborah Madison. But realize, this has more recipes and more utility, especially in the Midwest. (And I love Deborah's book). Worth every penny, even without pictures.

I recently purchased a share in a local CSA and have been receiving a variety of vegetables that I haven't had a lot of experience preparing or storing. This book has been so easy to use! All produce is arranged alphabetically with a few pages of recipes for that particular vegetable. What I really like is that each produce listing has a page dedicated to information on short and long term storage options, as well as simple ideas for adding the vegetable to your own recipes. This book has been an invaluable resource! I highly recommend it.

I love this cook book! I'm always in the lookout for cook books. This is a real good one if you're trying to incorporate more fresh produce in your diet. It literally has all the veggies from A to Z and tons on awesome recipes for each one. It has information on each vegetable and tips on preparing and storing it. This is a great book for using more varieties of vegetables and it gets creative with them too! Great format too.