Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful cookbook focusing on FRESH ingredients
Review: Deborah Madison's "Local Flavors" hews to her longtime trajectory along the path of encouraging her readers to make use of what's fresh. Of course what's fresh is always better than what's been shipped in, and Madison focuses on this edict with this cookbook chock-full of recipes making use of fresh, fresh, fresh produce from the farmer's market.

The cookbook is handsomely done, with easy recipes and numbered directions (so helpful when you look away and then need to find your place again). While readers on the coasts or in big cities will have no problem finding the ingredients they need, those in smaller or rural areas will have some difficulty. Ingredients that are regularly called for here include palm sugar, blood oranges, lemon verbena, pineapple sage, chantarelles, orange flower water, and more. Still, the recipes are imaginative, the photography sumptuous, and Madison's enthusiasm for her subject positively contagious.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful cookbook focusing on FRESH ingredients
Review: Deborah Madison's "Local Flavors" hews to her longtime trajectory along the path of encouraging her readers to make use of what's fresh. Of course what's fresh is always better than what's been shipped in, and Madison focuses on this edict with this cookbook chock-full of recipes making use of fresh, fresh, fresh produce from the farmer's market.

The cookbook is handsomely done, with easy recipes and numbered directions (so helpful when you look away and then need to find your place again). While readers on the coasts or in big cities will have no problem finding the ingredients they need, those in smaller or rural areas will have some difficulty. Ingredients that are regularly called for here include palm sugar, blood oranges, lemon verbena, pineapple sage, chantarelles, orange flower water, and more. Still, the recipes are imaginative, the photography sumptuous, and Madison's enthusiasm for her subject positively contagious.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful cookbook focusing on FRESH ingredients
Review: Deborah Madison's "Local Flavors" hews to her longtime trajectory along the path of encouraging her readers to make use of what's fresh. Of course what's fresh is always better than what's been shipped in, and Madison focuses on this edict with this cookbook chock-full of recipes making use of fresh, fresh, fresh produce from the farmer's market.

The cookbook is handsomely done, with easy recipes and numbered directions (so helpful when you look away and then need to find your place again). While readers on the coasts or in big cities will have no problem finding the ingredients they need, those in smaller or rural areas will have some difficulty. Ingredients that are regularly called for here include palm sugar, blood oranges, lemon verbena, pineapple sage, chantarelles, orange flower water, and more. Still, the recipes are imaginative, the photography sumptuous, and Madison's enthusiasm for her subject positively contagious.

Rating:
Summary: Flawless must have cookbook if you shop at a farmers market
Review: I bring out this cookbook every week after shopping at the farmers market, and it encouraged us to try unfamiliar looking greens and vegetables. Living in California, none of the ingredients are out of reach, and we find most if not all of the ingredients at our local market and grocery stores.

Unlike some other cookbooks, Crescent Dragonwagon for one, there are no faulty techniques, if you follow her instructions you get flawless results. And after a couple of tries, you can substitute and experiment. Her recipes do tend to be classic french with plenty of butter and other dairy, so as folks who watch their cholesterol, I have substituted olive oil for the butter and tofu for the eggs in some recipes with no ill effects. I would suggest that if you are a serious cook you would have an extensive herb garden of your own anyway, so that finding ingredients like marjoram, sage, lemon thyme and sorrel do not mean a trip to a specialty grocer.

Unlike the Chez Panisse cookbook, this one is suitable for vegetarians to use too, since while it does include recipes for market meats and fish, most veg recipes do not include meat stocks, bacon etc type of flavor enhancers like you find in the Chez Panisse cookbook. As a vegetarian myself, I always hesitate to adapt those wondering whether the results will be bland and missing the oomph when you are rushing to get a meal on the table.

Rating:
Summary: Great Cookbook for Everyone!
Review: I have to admit that Deborah Madison is my favorite cook (Alice Waters comes in second). I have all of her cookbooks and give them to family members as gifts. In her last two major cookbooks, Deborah seems to have gotten to the heart of cooking. Her recipes are straight forward, the combinations of flavors well planned and the results fantastic. I've tried many of the recipes in this cookbook and would repeat every one. The ease of these recipes lends itself to experimenting with what's in season and what's growing in my garden. This is a book for someone who loves food from the earth. Most, but not all, of the recipes are vegetarian. This is one of my top 5 cookbooks!

Rating:
Summary: Great Cookbook for Everyone!
Review: I have to admit that Deborah Madison is my favorite cook (Alice Waters comes in second). I have all of her cookbooks and give them to family members as gifts. In her last two major cookbooks, Deborah seems to have gotten to the heart of cooking. Her recipes are straight forward, the combinations of flavors well planned and the results fantastic. I've tried many of the recipes in this cookbook and would repeat every one. The ease of these recipes lends itself to experimenting with what's in season and what's growing in my garden. This is a book for someone who loves food from the earth. Most, but not all, of the recipes are vegetarian. This is one of my top 5 cookbooks!

Rating:
Summary: Deborah hits a home run again!
Review: I just purchased this new cookbook by Deborah and I am not disappointed. Deborah Madison comes across as a teasured friend in all of her cookbooks. You can't help but trust all of her tips and recipes because she is so passionate about fresh, healthy food. In Local Flavors, she packs the book with so much information about shopping and enjoying farmers markets. Buying and using fruits & vegetables in season is not only practical, but ensures you are getting the most delicious produce. This book is for all who believe in "eating by the seasons" and for those who support locally grown foods!

Rating:
Summary: Deborah hits a home run again!
Review: I just purchased this new cookbook by Deborah and I am not disappointed. Deborah Madison comes across as a teasured friend in all of her cookbooks. You can't help but trust all of her tips and recipes because she is so passionate about fresh, healthy food. In Local Flavors, she packs the book with so much information about shopping and enjoying farmers markets. Buying and using fruits & vegetables in season is not only practical, but ensures you are getting the most delicious produce. This book is for all who believe in "eating by the seasons" and for those who support locally grown foods!

Rating:
Summary: Deborah has a perfect palate
Review: Over the years I have come to rely on Deborah Madison's cookbooks as those where I can make any recipe in the book and the result will be perfect. Purchased when we joined a "Community Supported Agriculture" and began getting a weekly box of more and more unusual vegetables, this book is perfect for understanding certain vegetables: when they are at their best, and how to prepare them. After "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone," no Madison cookbook will ever again seem encyclopedic enough!!

Rating:
Summary: Well written and engaging
Review: Unlike a lot of cookbooks, this was a delight to read. I find Deborah Madison to be a good observer, and the subject matter benefits from her keen eye--and ear. She certainly finds creative ways to exploit the typical farmer's market fare. The only significant flaw with this book is that Ms. Madison simply tries to cover too much ground--literally and figuratively. Many of the ingredients are obviously regional in nature and availability, and are therefore beyond the reach of many readers. Still, this is a finely crafted volume and the author should be commended for elevating the subject matter to a very high level. Well done!