Review: Eating Local

Summary: In the visually stunning yet practical cookbook Eating Local, author Janet Fletcher and the kitchen experts at Sur La Table not only show you how to use more fresh ingredients in your everyday cooking, they also bring you closer to the family farms where the ingredients are grown and to the idealistic people who grow them.With 150 recipes featuring a wide range of fresh ingredients, Eating Local also highlights 10 community supported agriculture projects around the country. These progressive farms provide inspiration for all who want to cook more wholesome meals using ingredients from their own foodshed. -- Andrew McMeel

I have been on such a cookbook kick lately. I've always enjoyed looking through cookbooks, but recently, I've started trying new recipes too! The latest cookbook that has really caught my eye is EATING LOCAL: THE COOKBOOK INSPIRED BY AMERICA'S FARMERS by Sur la Table and Janet Letcher. I can't decide if it's more like a coffee table book or a cookbook!

That's not entirely true -- it really is a wonderful cookbook. At first glance, EATING LOCAL looks almost like a coffee table book though. It's a big book that's rather heavy, and it is just plain gorgeous. As you can see the cover is beautiful, but I promise you that all of the 150+ photographs in this book are amazing. It features wonderful pictures of different types of produce that are just so bright and colorful. I have to warn you that this cookbook will make you want to visit your local farmer's market!

As lovely as the pictures are, EAT LOCAL also is filled with so many delicious recipes. I barely even know where to start. There are sections for Vegetables, Fruits and Poulty, Meat and Eggs, but that doesn't even begin to describe the depth of this book. There are also ten of America's best small farmers featured in this book. In addition, the book's mission is "to encourage you to celebrate the food grown in your community" so there is lots of information about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA.)

I received this cookbook at the perfect time. Just last week, I received a big bag of rhubarb that my grandfather grew in his garden -- it doesn't get any more fresh and local than that. While I love the rhubarb/strawberry jelly that my grandparents make, I had never cooked anything with rhubarb. (Plus, I knew I could get jars of jelly from them so why bother to make that recipe.) So I decided to see what EAT LOCAL had to offer as far as rhubarb recipes go. I turned to the index of EAT LOCAL and found a few recipes, but the one that really appealed to me was for Peach and Rhubarb Crisp.

This recipe was extremely easy and one of the best desserts that I have ever made. I had only tasted rhubarb with strawberries or cherries before, but I think the peaches were the perfect complement to the rhubarb's tartness. And, the brown sugar and oatmeal crumb topping was to die for! I will definitely be making this recipe again and again.

I even remembered to take a picture (although it's not a good one) of the finished product. I don't know if you can tell, but the crisp turned out perfectly beautiful!

My favorite part of the cookbook was the section on Fruits because the desserts all sounded amazing, but the other sections had a lot of good recipes as well. Believe me, there is no lack of recipes that I want to try out this summer on my family. After reading this cookbook, I've also been encouraged to head to our local farmer's market to get the freshest produce possible!

EAT LOCAL is really a very special cookbook and one that I highly recommend. I can't imagine anyone who loves to eat fresh not being extremely impressed with this book!

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this cookbook.

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