Seasonal Reads

Raw: Recipes For a Modern Vegetarian Lifestyle
By Solla Eiriksdottir

This beautiful new cookbook (from the pros at Beautiful Cookbooks, Inc— Phaidon Press) celebrates all things vegetable with a fresh new artfulness. Yes, many of the breakfasts, snacks, main dishes and sweets are raw, and after every chapter there are little articles about living a healthy lifestyle on a wider scale, like dying cloth with turmeric, foraging for wild berries, making successful container gardens and handmade holiday gifts. We like cookbooks that make us think about where our food comes from, and how we can be conscientious about that in different ways.

The Ethical Meat Handbook: Complete Home Butchery, Charcuterie and Cooking for the Conscious Omnivore
By Meredith Leigh

At the center of this book about responsible meat-eating is the idea that we can all get along, plant eaters and meat eaters and everyone in between. When we take responsibility for where our meat comes from, when we use the whole animal, when we integrate animals into our gardens, our understanding of balance reaches all the way to our plates. This hands-on, practical guide offers an education on basic whole animal butchery, knife skills and food safety, charcuterie ratios and technique, as well as tips for sourcing, raising and preparing. Leigh has been a farmer, a chef, a butcher and a teacher; there’s no one better to learn from.

Handmade Gatherings: Recipes & Crafts for Seasonal Celebrations & Potluck Parties
By Ashley English

Sometimes we wish we could be Ashley English when we grow up. The author of the spectacular series of Homemade Living books (Canning and Preserving, Keeping Chickens, Keeping Bees and Home Dairy), this book offers blueprints for 16 seasonal parties, from the décor to the recipes to the little crafty touches that make such things truly special. A touch of Martha Stewart, with true respect for taste and a whole lot of soul, this book will put you in a festive state of mind.

Epic Tomatoes: How to Select & Grow the Best Varieties of All Time
By Craig LeHoullier

There is nothing we love like a fat, lumpish, juicy homegrown tomato, and the time to start thinking about what you’re going to grow this summer is now. NC TomatoMan Craig LeHoullier has written the definitive guide to heirlooms. In his life as a gardener, he’s tested over 1200 different varieties and introduced 100 new seeds to the market. Plus this book is beautifully illustrated. It’s never too soon to start.

The Silver Spoon for Children
By the Editors of Phaidon Press

When the first international edition of The Silver Spoon cookbook was published in 2005, we were overjoyed. This updated, translated bible of Italian cuisine boasts over 2000 recipes from home cooks and professionals alike across the region, everything from simple authentic pasta dishes to 101 uses for squid. What better guide to start your kids off in the Mediterranean kitchen than this pint-sized version, made just for them? 40 quick, wholesome, authentic recipes with tips for kitchen safety and equipment, and step-by-step attention to detail.