How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Russ Parsons (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2008

"Eat locally, eat seasonally.” A simple slogan that is backed up by science and by taste. The farther away from the market something is grown, the longer it must spend getting to us, and what eventually arrives will be less than satisfying. Although we can enjoy a bounty of produce year-round -- apples in June, tomatoes in December, peaches in January -- most of it is lacking in flavor. In order to select wisely, we need to know more. Where and how was the head of lettuce grown? When was it picked and how was it stored? How do you tell if a melon is really ripe? Which corn is sweeter, white or yellow?

Russ Parsons provides the answers to these questions and many others in this indispensable guide to common fruits and vegetables, from asparagus to zucchini. He offers valuable tips on selecting, storing, and preparing produce, along with one hundred delicious recipes. Parsons delivers an entertaining and informative reading experience that is guaranteed to help put better food on the table.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Equal parts cookbook, agricultural history, chemistry lesson and produce buying guide, this densely packed book is a food-lover's delight. California food writer Parsons (How to Read a French Fry) begins with a fascinating tale of agribusiness trumping our taste buds en route to supplying year-round on-demand produce, and how farmer's markets are bringing back both appreciation of, and access to, local and seasonal foods. He then takes readers on a delectable season-by-season produce tour, from springtime Artichokes Stuffed with Ham and Pine Nuts to midwinter Candied Citrus Peel, and provides readers with the lowdown on where each fruit or vegetable is grown and how to choose, store and prepare it. Along the way, he detours into low-stress jam making, the chemistry of tomato flavor, a portrait of two peach-growing stars of the Santa Monica farmer's market and why cucumbers make some people burp. For readers who have always wondered where their food comes from, why it tastes the way it does and how to pick a peach, a melon or a green bean, this book will be an invaluable resource. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"The lust for local flavor finds an eloquent spokesman in Russ Parsons..."How to Pick a Peach" is his answer to the somber reality of the supermarket produce section." (New York TImes )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; Reprint edition (May 1, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0547053800
• ASIN: B002CMLR9M
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #887,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

RUSS PARSONS is the food and wine columnist of the Los Angeles Times. He is the author of the best-selling How to Read a French Fry, a winner of multiple James Beard Awards for his journalism, and the recipient of the IACP/Bert Greene Award for distinguished writing. He lives in California, which produces more than half of the fruits and vegetables grown in this country. He has been writing about food and agriculture for more than twenty years.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a reference tool for picking produce! June 18, 2007

By KLS

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book serves both as an encyclopedic reference work, and as an informative, engaging read. The author admits that not ALL fruits and veggies are included, however it seems that all of the important ones are, particularly those that we need help with selecting. There is an unbelievable amount of basic information about picking fruits and vegetables, previously unavailable in collected form! Add in the historical research on farming, the updated perspective on farming trends and issues, and you have the ultimate shopper's guide, best kept in the glove compartment (after reading, of course) so that it's always there with you when you're going to market. "How to pick a Peach" should be required reading for every cook in America.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars With Juice Running Down Your Arms and Mouth Watering Taste August 22, 2007

By J. Hagg

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've heard that the juice of a really good peach will run down your arms all the way to your elbows. One actually did make it almost to my elbows the other day. Not the kind of peaches you most often find in a supermarket, with only one peach in many having any juice or flavor.

The question is, "How do you select and store fresh fruits and veggies to insure the maximum excellence in taste and texture?" The answers are found in Russ Parsons' well written book, "How To Pick a Peach." He classifies each fruit and vegetable by season and not only tells you how to pick the best ones, but also how to store and prepare them. Russ also gives you several simple recipes for using each fruit and vegetable.

Some fragile veggies such as peas, corn and green beans should be eaten right after they are purchased. Some veggies, such as potatoes, onions, tomatoes and winter squash should never be refrigerated. When refrigerated the starch in potatoes turns to sugar and they lose flavor. This was new to me.

He gives an interesting short history of each fruit and veggie. He also gives a history of industrial farming and the cost of compromise when big farmers take over the production of our produce, which I really enjoyed. Now that I have read "How To Pick a Peach" it will make a valuable reference tool.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource for taking advantage of fresh produce October 27, 2007

By Christina Phillips

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

As others have mentioned, this book is a nice reference and fun to read. I have tried only a few recipes, but they have all been WONDERFUL. To me, they give the ideal kinds of insights for simple ways to prepare food more effectively which can be extrapolated beyond the exact recipe. After trying the beet/cuc/feta salad, and not having much experience with beets, I continued to make a cold beet salad for my 3yearold all summer, at her request! Also, after preparing eggplant in ways I was accustomed and accepting that my daughter didn't like it, I tried his recipe for steamed eggplant (go figure!) and again my 3yearold loved it! (So did I. It's now my favorite eggplant preparation as well.)