Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables - Softcover

Peterson, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1423600142 ISBN 13: 9781423600145

Publisher: Gibbs Smith, 2006

Synopsis

Join the real food revolution with a true pioneer in the Community Supported Agriculture movement―Farmer John Peterson and his farm, Angelic Organics. Angelic Organics is a leader in community supported gardening and biodynamics, helping to connect people with their food, their farmers, and healthful living.
With exciting recipes grouped by season and by vegetable, The Real Dirt Cookbook provides cooking tips, serving suggestions, and evocative descriptions of each dish, and teaches readers new ways to use a surplus of basil, cabbage, tomatoes, or whatever veggie is plentiful. Find new ways to use a huge variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs.
Also included in the book is an Illustrated Vegetable Identification Guide and tips on long-term vegetable and herb storage and preservation methods (such as freezing, drying, canning, and lactic acid fermentation). Whether you grow your own veggies, spend lingering mornings at the farmer’s market, or pluck your produce from shelves at the local supermarket, The Real Dirt Cookbook is an invaluable resource on growing, cooking, and storing real food.
Watch for the DVD release of The Real Dirt on Farmer John, the award-winning feature documentary film by Taggart Siegel, about the dramatic failure of Farmer John’s conventional farming operation and its resurrection into a thriving, organic CSA farm! Coming Spring 2006. Visit www.AngelicOrganics.com for more information.
“[Farmer John is] part of a movement that connects to the same movement that Alice Waters has helped lead and facilitate, coming from another part of the system.”
―Al Gore, in his introduction of The Real Dirt on Farmer John, San Francisco’s Castro Theatre, June 2005
Lifelong farmer John Peterson runs Angelic Organics, one of the largest Community Supported Agriculture farms in the United States. John brings the discipline of farming in the Midwest to his winters of writing in Mexico. John’s essays have been featured in books and articles, including in The Sun, Growing for Market, Biodynamic Magazine, Lilipoh, and Community Farm News. John makes public presentations about farming to groups and conferences worldwide. He lives in Illinois.

About this title

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

Baked Zucchini Halves Stuffed with Wild Rice and Quinoa
Friend of the Farm
In this hearty recipe the classic combination of onion, celery, and cheese give plenty of robust flavor to the mixed grains, while zucchini provides the perfect juicy-firm base. Both wild rice and quinoa have a firm outer layer that splits during cooking to expose a soft kernel inside. In the case of quinoa, this layer twists and rolls so that each tiny, tender nugget ends up surrounded by a delicately crispy ring. Remember to rinse your quinoa thoroughly before you cook it, as rinsing will remove all traces of a naturally occurring coating that can make it taste bitter. This satisfying dish is an excellent accompaniment to roasted chicken or grilled fish. This recipe serves four to six as a side dish, and two to three as a main course.
1 large zucchini, halved lengthwise
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 cup cooked wild rice
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3/4 ounce)
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
1 rib celery, chopped
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
butter (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Cut out the center from each half of the zucchini with a paring knife, being careful not to puncture the bottom or the sides; reserve the centers. Transfer the hollow halves, cut-side up, to a baking dish.
3. Coarsely chop the zucchini centers and put them in a large bowl. Add the quinoa, wild rice, and Parmesan. Stir until well combined.
4. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery; cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the bread crumbs and salt. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the bread crumbs are well mixed in and heated through, about 1 minute.
5. Add the bread crumb mixture to the quinoa/rice mixture and combine well.
6. Stuff hollow zucchini halves with the quinoa/rice mixture. Cover with aluminum foil; bake for 40 minutes.
7. Remove the foil. If you wish, dot each half with a pat of butter. Continue baking until zucchini is very tender and the filling is golden brown, 10-20 minutes. Serve warm.
Serves 4 to 6

Review:

...there is much more than recipes in the cookbook's 360 pages, including comments from the cooks, letters from CSA members, excerpts from Farmer John's weekly newsletter, essays by nutrition experts and even a few poems. These tidbits spice up the basic fare and offer readers the flavor of an unusual and admirable farm. -- Lynn Byczynski, Mother Earth News

A charming companion cookbook to a popular documentary. Goes straight to the heart of Peterson's indomitable spirit: fresh, home-grown, organic produce...Just as with the farm, this isn't Peterson's project alone--shareholders contribute recipes, tips and testimonials throughout the text, giving it a communal feel. A warm, earthy celebration of agriculture and the journey from field to your table. -- Kirkus Reviews

As a chef, I know that without superb, seasonal, pristine product, I really cannot get too far. I have used the extraordinary produce from Angelic Organics, and I can attest it has made a substantial difference at Charlie Trotter's. The stories and recipes in this glorious book thoroughly connect the farmer to the kitchen. Congratulations, John, you've delivered a real winner. -- Chef Charlie Trotter

Farmer John, with boa and pitchfork, is provocative and passionate about cultivating not only delicious vegetables but also a vibrant community of farmers and consumers dedicated to the values of sustainability. -- Alice Waters, Chez Panisse

His life generated a movie, and the movie spawned a cookbook without peer--not only a big, brightly illustrated bag of recipes that will send you flying to your local farmers market, but also a physical and spiritual examination of the secret life of veggies and a re-chronicling of the struggles and triumphs of Farmer John. Every recipe sounds savory and lip-smacking, or sweet and tender. Farmer John's Cookbook is, like the man, unconventional, spiced with delectable sidebars such as...this overheard remark: "If I ever get married, I want a nice frying pan." Farmer John's Cookbook will quickly find a place on your kitchen shelf, your reading list, and your veggie-loving heart." -- CurledUp.com

About this edition

• Publisher: Gibbs Smith
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1423600142
• ISBN 13: 9781423600145
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 360