Simple Recipes for Cooking Through the Seasons
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About the Book
Publisher: Harper Wave | March 14, 2017
Format: Hardcover | 304 pages
Rating: 5 of 5
Andrea Bemis, the creator of the popular farm-to-table blog Dishing Up the Dirt, builds on her success with this beautiful, simple, seasonally driven cookbook, featuring more than 100 inventive and delicious whole-foods recipes and dozens of color photographs.
For Andrea Bemis, who owns and runs a six-acre organic farm with her husband outside of Portland, Oregon, dinners are inspired by what is grown in the soil and picked by hand. In Dishing Up the Dirt, Andrea offers 100 authentic farm-to-table recipes, arranged by season, including:
Spring: Honey Roasted Strawberry Muffins, Lamb Lettuce Wraps with Mint Yogurt Sauce, Spring Harvest Pizza with Mint & Pea Pesto, Kohlrabi and Chickpea Salad
Summer: Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Biscuits, Roasted Ratatouille Toast, Kohlrabi Fritters with Garlic Herb Cashew Cream Sauce, Farmers Market Burgers with Mustard Greens Pesto
Fall: Farm Girl Veggie Bowls, Butternut Molasses Muffins, Early Autumn Moroccan Stew, Collard Green Slaw with Bacon Gremolata
Winter: Rutabaga Home Fries with Smokey Cashew Sauce, Hoisin Glazed Brussels Sprouts, Country Girl Old Fashioned Cocktails, Tumbleweed Farm Winter Panzanella
Andrea’s recipes focus on using whole, locally-sourced foods—incorporating the philosophy of eating as close to the land as possible. While many recipes are naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, or vegetarian, many others include elemental ingredients like bread, cheese, eggs, meat, and sweeteners, which are incorporated in new and inventive ways.
In short essays throughout the book, Andrea also presents an honest glimpse of life on Tumbleweed Farm—the real life of a farmer, not the shabby-chic fantasy often portrayed—offering fascinating and frequently entertaining details about where the food on our dinner tables comes from. With stunning food photography as well as intimate portraits of farm life, Dishing Up the Dirt allows anyone to be a seasonal foodie and an armchair farmer.
My Thoughts
This is much more than just another cookbook of healthy recipes. It’s a tribute to life on a small farm and the passion that the author has for the life that she and her husband have created in their small community in Oregon.
The introductory essay to each season is as much a part of the book as the recipes and provides an enlightening look at farm life. Recipes are divided into section by season rather than food types, emphasizing the fresh, local, whole foods one would find in season at a farmer’s market or your own garden. Most of the recipes are simple one dish meals or breads, soups, vegetables, pizza, and desserts. There are a few meat dishes but many are vegetarian.
Each recipe begins with its own introduction such as why it’s a favorite or its origin, and sometimes a few helpful tips. Almost every recipe has a photo of the finished dish, something I find very helpful. I enjoy a good presentation and I like to be able to duplicate it.
Spiced Zucchini Honey Walnut Bread
[Every year I have a surplus of zucchini and can always use another recipe.]
Even though these are simple recipes, the author does not skimp on the instructions. Both ingredient lists and directions are detailed making this an excellent book for both new and experienced cooks.
Regular visitors here know I have a passion for gardening and, in addition to my wildflower garden, also have an organic herb and vegetable garden. And while I don’t have the space to add all the veggies used in these recipes, the book has inspired me to change the garden around a bit and add a few new ones.
About the Author
Andrea is the writer, recipe developer, and photographer behind the food blog DishingUp TheDirt.com. Her recipes and Tumbleweed Farm have been featured in publications such as the New York Times, Well and Good NYC, and Eating Well Magazine. She lives on her farm in Oregon with her husband and dog.
Connect with Andrea on Instagram and Facebook.
Add to Goodreads.
Purchase Links:
HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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Source: Review copy from the publisher through TLC Book Tours.
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