Devra Gartenstein

I'm not a vegan and have no intention of becoming one, but this is one awesome cookbook. We grow a large vegetable garden with a wide variety of plants. For some of the less common plants, recipes are hard to find when you get to the point you don't want to make your favourite yet another time. Devra Gartenstein has recipes here for Sorrel (with Spring Onions), Roasted Leek and Carrot soup, Garlic Scapes (with white beans), Fennel and Arugula pesto, and even Purslane (with fennel). It's not really intended for the gardener/forager, she buys food at market and tells you chanterelles are dangerous to gather so don't do this at home folks, but I'll find it very useful nonetheless.

PS it needs photos. The photos are tiny, washed-out monochrome, and represent the produce not the product. If you were trying to buy the produce, they wouldn't help even with that -- the Sorrel and Spring Onion recipe is represented by a one-inch greyish photo of spring onions.

Also, cooks should be aware that the author shops, cooks, and writes in the Pacific Northwest, where seasons are different from the icy Midwest! Maybe leeks really are a spring vegetable for her.… (mehr)

I received my copy through Goodreads.

Aside from presenting a history of human eating habits, Gartenstein opens the reader's eyes to the substandard conditions that surround all aspects of what we eat today and compares it to the simple, organic foods our ancestors enjoyed. She also provides knowledge and information the reader may find useful in altering their own diet to benefit themselves, the people working hard to produce their food, and the environment. While it doesn't seem to be a deliberate jab at today's food industries, the author doesn't spare any feelings and admirably lays out all of the cold, hard facts for anyone willing to listen- whether it's what we want to hear or not.

I was impressed by the author's expansive history of not only the common, dominant civilizations of each era, but also of lesser known groups, such as the Akkadians and Harrappans. Not much about these cultures is common knowledge, but Gartenstein did not overlook the effects even these people had on the cuisine of their time. She also references lesser-known documents and laws that shaped the landscape of human appetites.

The author left no topic unexplored. From hunting to farming, food processing, advertising, and legislation. The author weaves a wonderfully intricate web that shows the steady flow of how mankind went from starving hunter-gatherers to comfortably overfed and taking food for granted.

The only flaws I could find in this book were typographical. Every topic is well-researched and connections from one age to another show the natural progression of human diets all over the world. I highly recommend it to anyone at least a little interested in knowing exactly what we eat today and how it compares to the foods of times long past. I give this book five stars.… (mehr)

The Short of It:

A wonderful collection of vegan recipes that capture the essence of the season.

The Rest of It:

Local Bounty is a tasty collection of recipes. Its main focus is using locally grown produce to produce vegan meals that are both simple and tasty. I’m not a vegan but I am considering a vegan diet as some of my recent health issues seem to respond positively to a plant-based diet. The other plus is that a vegan diet is environmentally sustainable. Buying local mean less fossil fuel is needed to transport produce and the practice of buying local keeps our local farmers in business.

The cookbook itself is divided up by season. Each section begins with a listing of all the seasonal fruits and veggies for that season. Since we are in Fall, I decided to try the recipe for Caribbean Pumpkin-Coconut soup. The soup was deceptively simple. I actually doubted how good it would taste when I prepared it as it seemed almost too simple for it to be good. The end product was a smooth, creamy soup with a hint of spice. I can’t really explain it but the soup had a pure, clean flavor. That’s what is so special about these recipes. There aren’t a lot of ingredients because the produce takes center stage and because of this, you can really taste each ingredient. This soup was so good that I plan to make it as a first course for Thanksgiving.… (mehr)