As my last day of farm work approaches, I’m thinking a lot about what books I’ll be reading during my two-month long hibernation before I have to start pruning fruit trees in February.
If you’re also looking for food-related books to read (and cook out of) this winter, here are some of my recommendations.
1. Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables From Your Home Garden All Year Long by Eliot Coleman: My goal is to be able to harvest winter salad greens from my garden by 2012. This book is my guide.
2. The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen by Peter Berley: I’ve been obsessed with this vegetarian cookbook for months now. The recipes are sophisticated without being overly complicated. Plenty of vegan recipes as well!
3. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver: The book that first made me realize that I wanted to grow my own food.
4. In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan: Most foodies I know have read The Omnivore’s Dilemma but haven’t read this follow-up yet. It’s well worth the read, especially if you’re interested in nutrition.
5. Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life by Jamie Oliver: An inspiring cookbook full of seasonal recipes and growing tips. Also a great chapter on cooking wild game.
6. Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter: Carpenter’s account of growing produce and raising poultry, rabbits, pigs, and bees in a vacant lot in Oakland is hilarious and inspiring.
Please share your recommendations as comments!
Image courtesy of megabeth via a Creative Commons license.
Wendy (The Local Cook)
Too many to list! I’d have to say my favorites this year have been James Beard’s American Cookery and The Dirty Life.
Becky Striepe
I know it’s a little bit corny, but I devoured the book Like Water for Chocolate as a teen.
Vines_N_Cattle
Steak, by Mark Schatzker
The Sheer Ecstasy Of Being A Lunatic Farmer & Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal by Joel Salatin
Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain