Return of a Revolution

Hi all. I know it's been a long time since I've posted--teaching and learning really takes a lot out of you! But now that class is slowing down--I'm entering the home stretch now--I want to tell y'all about a cookbook that is really changing the way I think about food, shopping, and reading.

With the critical acclaim of food (subject) writers such as Alice Waters (The Art of Simple Food), Barbara Kingsolver (Prodigal Summer; Animal, Vegetable, Miracle), and Michael Pollan (The Botany of Desire; The Omnivore's Dilemma), Deborah Madison's 2002 cookbook, Local Flavors, has come to the forefront of a global "local food" movement promoted by groups such as Slow Food International. Subtitled "Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets," it is as much a travel narrative and seasonal memoir as it is a cookbook. Scattered among the recipes are short interludes describing what to expect at a farmer's market during a particular season, with a special emphasis on those unusual vegetables (or parts of vegetables) one rarely sees at the supermarket, such as pea shoots or green garlic. Each recipe is introduced by Madison's personal recommendations on ingredients, variations based on availability, or recollections of recipe development. Even the photography is as often of the foods on the market tables as of the finished dishes themselves, emphasizing the process of production over the expected final product. In short, Madison's book asks us to reconsider how we relate to our food by asking us to reevaluate how we view production, from recipe to plate. Like the writers who praise this book, Madison urges us to revise our worldviews by giving us a cooking text that is so much more than a collection of recipes. As she details her travels through America's farmers' markets, Madison illustrates the life of America's food culture, what we all have in common as well as the individuality of the way each locale experiences growing seasons and food traditions. She interprets farmers' markets--from the people to the signs to the food itself--for her eager readers, ready to change the world through dinner.

If you want to see this book in action, check out Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, another amazing, life-changing (but enjoyable!) read. Kingsolver and her family use Madison's book as a guide to their year of eating locally. When was the last time you thought about what foods were in season? We know what foods we tend to eat in particular seasons--peaches and watermelon in the summer, root vegetables in late fall and winter--but why do we link those foods with these seasons? Because somewhere in the recesses of our minds, we know how to eat seasonally. We need to trust ourselves, trust our food, and rebuild that relationship we've lost through years of "convenience."

Madison's book (paperback edition) costs about $26.00, and is worth every penny. Find a farmer's market near you--I bet there is one--and get out there and explore! Buy what looks beautiful, smells enticing, or seems just plain bizarre! I promise Madison will have an idea of what to do with it!

Let me know what you find!