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Eating Well in Season - The Farmers' Market Cookbook
by Jessie Price and the Editors of Eating Well
The Countryman Press
ISBN 978-0-88150-856-7
Published April 2009 - Hardcover - 256 pages - $24.95

It's a known fact that you can eat well if you eat what's in season.  Each season has its own produce, and if you buy your fruit and vegetables from local farmers' markets, you're doing the right thing healthwise.  The farmers of this land, large or small farms, deserve our support - if it weren't for their labor and love of the land, we'd all be fat and unhealthy.  This gorgeous book is divided into seasons, with offerings of the best of what's availale at the time - foods taste the best when in season and just picked.  Each season features Soups; Salads; Vegetarian Main Dishes; Poultry; Meat; Fish & Seafood; Side Dishes & Sauces, and Desserts & Baked Goods.  Summer and Fall also offer Appetizers.  I loved reading all about how local markets are springing up everywhere, how more and more people are growing their own produce (no matter how small an area they have), and of the interest in eating better and being healthier.  Finally!  These recipes inspired me: Caramelized Onion & White Bean Flatbread; Apricot-Almond Clafouti; Summer Squash & White Bean Sauté; Salmon Panzanella (yum yum); Chard & Feta Tart; Pueblo Pumpkin Stew; Kohlrabi & Ham Gratin, and Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash.  If you can't have a garden patch of your own, make sure the produce at your farmers' market is pesticide-free.  It's not likely that you'll get everything at your farmers' market (how many bananas are grown in Wisconsin?), but you'll find a wide variety of in-season food.  Do yourself a huge favor and read the Guide to Fruits and Vegetables chapter.  It's chock-full of information like in which season which foods peak, what to look for when buying, storage, preparation, tips, and some recipes.  I'd never heard or seen purple potatoes!  I loved the "Eating Well by Color" feature - I wish it was a poster for every kitchen, as should the "Seasonal Produce" chart - both very useful.
Beautifully illustrated.  Nutritional guides given.
Visit the Eating Well website.
Conclusion - You won't go wrong by having this book in your kitchen, even if it's the only cookbook in your home.  Extremely valuable in so many ways, and deserving of a rare three stars!