Customer Reviews

The Organic Cook's Bible

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

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!!!

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.

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

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.

I bought this for my kids and flipped through it when I was at their house. It has a wealth of information in it and I was very pleased - so were they. I love cookbooks that are encyclopedias and information-magnets as well as recipe files - and this is one of those. Fantastic and highly recommended.

So, I feel like I really need to review this book in conjunction with the author's other book The Organic Food Shopper's Guide because I bought them both together, and they are so much alike. The Bible is that...its over 500 pages and has tons of detail and most every fruit, veggie and herb has at least one if not multiple recipes to accompany it. The Shoppers guide, which has a 2 year newer copyright is really a regurgitation/contracted version of the bible, but I will try not to hold that against it since they do compliment each other so well. The shoppers guide has less listings, skipping over fruits, veggies, and spices that I was surprised to see left out. Additionally, there are only 3 recipes in the shopper that are not already in the bible, none of which are crucial. The advantage of the shoppers guide however is its small (6x8 inches) which means it will fit nicely in most purses and can therefore be taken to the store with you. They are both organized in a similar fashion with veggies grouped, fruits grouped, etc. and then alphabetized by category.

I was specifically shopping for cookbooks with more vegetable ideas overall when I chose these. They were even more than what I thought I wanted since not only are there recipes but the volumes of information to help choose was exactly what I was looking for. I grew up in a meat and potato family and married the same. I did get more into veggies, organics and juicing in college but really have veered back to the mainstream diet due to hubbies likes. Honestly I did alot of juicing because I was convinced most of what went in would taste bad if I had to actually taste it. I have been desperately searching for ways to diversify the family diet so that I can incorporate more nutritious foods that taste good.

The bible is a perfect kitchen companion. There are full color pages with pictures of the produce for those of us that don't always know what their food should look like and are trying to learn. The focus is on organically produced ingredients all the way around. There are details about how the produce should look, when it is in season, different varieties available and how to choose. Again, this info is in the shoppers guide as well, but in less depth (and none of the photos). There are easily 4x more recipes in the bible.

Personally I subscribe to the reduce-reuse-recycle plan as often as posssible so buying used was the way to go. As such they were affordable enough that I was not displeased with how much was exactly the same. I am very confident that they will get a ton of use. The expertise of the author inspires confidence that the information is accurate. I am really looking forward to working my way through the recipes.

In addition to these I got the earthbound farms cookbook and Colorado Fit Kitchen (which i really love and would also recommend).

This is the Best Organic Cook Book on the Market. Use it every day. Thanks

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.

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.