Earth to Table: Seasonal Recipes from an Organic Farm [Hardcover]

Jeff Crump (Author), Bettina Schormann (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 22, 2009

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This engrossing collection of essays and recipes by chefs Crump and Schormann works on two levels: not only does it educate readers regarding the concept of Slow Food and the importance of supporting local farmers, it gives them a wealth of recipes to make the most of their bounty. A Canadian pioneer of Slow Food with sterling credentials (having worked at Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck and Alice Water's Chez Panisse), Crump and slow food pastry chef Schormann are refreshingly off-the-cuff when it comes to the principles of Slow Food, acknowledging that the seemingly simple concept of eating locally is a complex undertaking, best illustrated in profiles and interviews with chefs like Thomas Keller, Dan Barber, and Blumenthal. Recipes are grouped by season, highlighting ingredients at their peak in concoctions like the bracing summertime Watermelon Agua Fresca, autumn's Pumpkin Seed Brittle, comforting cold-weather Apple Cider Muffins and Rabbit Stew with Herbed Dumplings, and a simple, spring lunch of Dandelion Salad with Poached Eggs. Peppered with tips on planning an herb garden, composting and getting the most out of a visit to the local farmers market, this is a true stand-out among a growing crowd of books for novice locavores.

Review

“You will not find a clearer or more compelling expression of the values of slow food than Earth to Table’s four-season testament to the importance — not to mention delight — of food that has been grown with care and cooked with conviction.”
— Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food and The Omnivore’s Dilemma

“Here are chefs who seem to understand the farm as well as the kitchen. You can tell by the recipes that Earth to Table reflects the best possible world of garden and kitchen.”
— Deborah Madison, author of Local Flavors --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Ecco (September 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061825948
• ISBN-13: 978-0061825941
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #332,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #72 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Organic Cooking

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular, November 17, 2009

By 

Katie "Katie" (Minneapolis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Earth to Table: Seasonal Recipes from an Organic Farm (Hardcover)

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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down, June 12, 2010

By 

T. Stewart (North End of the Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Earth to Table: Seasonal Recipes from an Organic Farm (Hardcover)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Be wary, January 22, 2011

By 

Kelly - See all my reviews

This review is from: Earth to Table: Seasonal Recipes from an Organic Farm (Hardcover)

Beautiful photos and recipes, but be wary of all the baked recipes. The Milk and Honey bread recipe, as you will see in the discussion thread below, has some errors. The oatmeal bread could also use a few tweaks. This book is not good for beginners.