Reviewed by Andrew Mefferd

To a brand new CSA or farmers market customer, the variety of produce can be overwhelming. Many people are not used to cooking with the range of seasonal ingredients that are available. Which is why I love The Farmers Market Cookbook. It reads like a user’s manual for a CSA or farmers market.

The book is filled with simple and delicious seasonally appropriate recipes using ingredients that are probably already grouped on your farm stand or CSA box. With sections on eating seasonally, storing produce and produce descriptions, it tells customers what they need to know to get the most out of your produce.

Below are The Farmers Market Cookbook, and my old copy of the previous version, slightly spattered with post-its marking my favorites.

Farmers Market Cookbook

The other reason I love this book is because I love to cook. A good part of my enjoyment of the produce we grow is in the cooking and eating of it. And the recipes here are excellent, showcasing fresh vegetables and herbs at their finest. You can tell that authors Julia Shanks and Brett Grohsgal, both chefs, have spent a lot of time in the kitchen as well as the field.

The Farmers Market Cookbook is an update on a previous book the authors produced called The Farmer’s Kitchen, which I have had and enjoyed for years. I was excited to hear that there was a new version that has been updated and expanded. It’s also why this book seems so familiar even though it’s brand new.

I’ve always been amazed at how well it works to give recipes away at a farmers market. Whenever we have a glut of something, we make up recipe cards featuring whatever is in excess and reliably sell more of the item than we would without recipes. Recipes are in the public domain once printed, so the authors encourage you to use and share their recipes “most freely.” All they ask is that you credit the source when they are copied. Test drive the recipes in The Farmers Market Cookbook in your own kitchen this winter, then put your favorites on your stand in 2017.

The Farmers Market Cookbook is available for $29.95 from growingformarket.com. Subscribers get a 20% discount. Or phone 800-307-8949.