The Organic Food Shopper's Guide [Paperback]

Jeff Cox (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 4, 2008

Why Should You Choose Organic Foods?

Organic food has never been more popular, and for good reason: it tastes better, it's more nutritious, and it's better for the environment. This handy guide shows you how to select the freshest, tastiest varieties and transform your organic groceries into memorable meals. You'll find guidance on what to look for when shopping, how to handle each food in the kitchen, and why, when foods are organic, they're so darn good for you. Here's everything youneed to enjoy food that you can feel great about eating:
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Profiles of more than 100 organic foods
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Complete coverage of fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs, dairy, eggs, meat, and more
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At-a-glance advice on peak seasons, nutrition, good varieties, and what to look for
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Detailed information on preparation, storage, complementary flavors, and kitchen uses
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More than 100 tasty recipes and dozens of cooking tips

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cox, a former editor at Organic Gardening magazine, has been promoting organics since long before it was fashionable. Using his 30 years of organics knowledge in this guide-cum-cookbook, he attempts to untangle, for the average consumer, the confusing mess of what to eat. Readers will find concrete advice in this basic primer: the science of organic farming is followed by a product-by-product guide to organically farmed foods that can be found in the market. Organized by food group (vegetables, fruits, protein, etc.), each food is broken down by season—how to shop for it, the reason to buy the organic version, and a simple recipe or two that showcases the strength of the main ingredient. The best answer for the health of humans and the health of the planet is to buy everything organic, and the eventual redundancy of the organic advantage paragraph on each food reveals just that; there are only so many ways to explain that the product tastes better and that the farming method doesn't destroy the soil. The best parts of the book are the informational inset boxes; Cox is knowledgeable about all the food issues facing consumers and these boxes—including information on mad cow, local agriculture, fair trade and food labeling—showcase his expertise. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Cox, a former editor at Organic Gardening magazine, has been promoting organics since long before it was fashionable. Using his 30 years of organics knowledge in this guide-cum-cookbook, he attempts to untangle, for the average consumer, the confusing mess of what to eat. Readers will find concrete advice in this basic primer: the science of organic farming is followed by a product-by-product guide to organically farmed foods that can be found in the market. Organized by food group (vegetables, fruits, protein, etc.), each food is broken down by season—how to shop for it, the reason to buy the organic version, and a simple recipe or two that showcases the strength of the main ingredient. The best answer for the health of humans and the health of the planet is to buy everything organic, and the eventual redundancy of the "organic advantage" paragraph on each food reveals just that; there are only so many ways to explain that the product tastes better and that the farming method doesn't destroy the soil. The best parts of the book are the informational inset boxes; Cox is knowledgeable about all the food issues facing consumers and these boxes—including information on mad cow, local agriculture, fair trade and food labeling—showcase his expertise. (Feb.) (Publishers Weekly, December 17, 2007)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470174870
• ISBN-13: 978-0470174876
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,343 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Organic Cooking
  • #92 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Natural Foods

More About the Author

For the first eight years of my life, I was a suburban kid in Manhasset, New York. Then we moved to the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania where I learned to hunt, fish, eat wild foods, and swim in pristine waters of spring-fed creeks. Then I lived in Manhattan. So I'm at home just about anywhere. My experiences in the country, though, were the most important, leading me through newspaper and magazine work to Organic Gardening magazine, where I developed a love of gardening and landscaping. Now I'm a wine writer for many magazines and the restaurant reviewer for Northern California's newspaper of record, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, here in the heart of the Wine Country. I'm also a contributing editor to The Wine News and Horticulture magazines. I've written 18 books on food, wine, and gardening,--many of which are available on Amazon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, April 30, 2008

By 

K. Duffy (Cincinnati, ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Organic Food Shopper's Guide (Paperback)

I love this book. I took it out of my library and am about to purchase it from Amazon. The book not only talks about the organic advantages of most foods (veggies, fruit, dairy, meat, nuts etc.) but also lists nutritional benefits, what pairs well with the food, recipes (the few I have tried have been easy to prepare, wholesom and delicious.)and a great resource list. Wonderful book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Companion to the Organic Cook's Bible, September 13, 2011

By 

Chantel M. Schoneboom - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Organic Food Shopper's Guide (Paperback)

So, I feel like I really need to review this book in conjunction with the author's other book The Organic Cooks Bible 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).

5.0 out of 5 stars so informative!, June 5, 2011

By 

Helena - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Organic Food Shopper's Guide (Paperback)

You can always take a look when in doubt about a product. It's easy and fun to learn with this book!
I use it like a dictionary!