Fresh from the Garden: Cooking and Gardening Throughout the Seasons with 250 Recipes [Hardcover]

Perla Meyers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 21, 1996

Inducted into the Cookbook Hall of Fame in 1992, seasonal cooking pioneer Perla Meyers now offers an all-inclusive guide to planting, growing, and cooking seasonal bounty. Step-by-step, Meyers presents 250 simple recipes for seasonal foods that are abundant in flavor, texture, and nutrients.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Meyers, whose The Seasonal Kitchen (1973) moved a new generation to cook with each season's bounty, extends her reach to the kitchen garden. Drawing on her experience in American and European gardens, she offers pointers on planting, growing, harvesting, storing and preparing more than 25 fresh "jewels of nature." Organized by season, chapters on individual vegetables begin with a discussion of the vegetable's best uses and preparation tips, recommended varieties, advice on storage, optimal gardening results and harvesting; recipes follow. In Summer's "Carrots," for instance, readers who garden in heavy soil are advised to grow "shorter, stubbier varieties"; we learn that winter squash should be cured in the sun or a warm place for 10 days, then moved to cool, dark storage. Recipes range from such variations on classics as "Spicy Catalan Gazpacho" and "Pan-Seared Salmon with French Sorrel and Lemon Mayonnaise" to updated standbys such as "Corn-Studded Polenta with Parmesan," "Provencal Ragout of Eggplant, Fall Vegetables and Sausage" and "Carrot and Pineapple Muffins." Meyers blends authority, conviviality and expertise in 250 recipes, suggesting, for instance, that adding stale rye bread to the blanching water will remove the bitterness of Belgian endives. Informative headers recommend variations and simple meal planning to round out another solid Meyers contribution to the kitchen- and beyond.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Meyers's most recent cookbooks are Spur of the Moment Cook (Morrow, 1994) and The Art of Seasonal Cooking (LJ 9/15/91), but she is probably best known for The Seasonal Kitchen (LJ 8/73), a book that was ahead of its time and has become a classic. Now she's combined a gardening guide and a recipe book to offer another seasonal work, from "New Beginnings" to "The Last Hurrah." Each section is organized by ingredient, with information on selection, storage, and preparation in addition to gardening/harvesting advice; most of this information will be useful to any cook, even those who find their produce in the supermarket. The recipes, 250 in all, are fresh and bright: Ginger Pickled Asparagus; Spicy Corn, Shrimp, and Red Pepper Salad; Grilled Onions in Mint Butter. Recommended for most collections.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 372 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter; 1 edition (May 21, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517593572
• ISBN-13: 978-0517593578
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #686,572 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars tasty, easy and fresh, September 24, 2000

By 

John Carini (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fresh from the Garden: Cooking and Gardening Throughout the Seasons with 250 Recipes (Hardcover)

I recently picked up this cookbook when I had a bumper crop of green beans and tomatoes. The recipes are easy to prepare, deceptively simple, and very tasty. My favorite recipe is the Snap Bean, Basil and Pastina soup ala Milanese. It is a very flavorful, easy, simple soup that lets the green beans take center stage. It also freezes wonderfully! We plan to have this soup as an appetizer for Christmas dinner! This is a great book to have on hand as your favorite vegetables come "into season" in your garden or at the farmer's market.