The Farmer's Kitchen Handbook Review

The Farmer's Kitchen Handbook Review

Gifted by: Skyhorse Publishing

Reviewed by Carlie Dobkin, Editor of FaveHealthyRecipes.com

More and more cooks are turning to their own gardens or local farmers' markets to find inspiration for their meals. This farm-to-table mentality isn't just a trend for author Marie Lawrence. Ever since she was a child, she has been eating fresh, local produce. In this handbook, she shares the fruits of her labor with the world. Inside, readers will find seasonal recipes to make the most of their farm and garden's bounty. It is organized by month, so readers will have pie recipes in the fall, stews in the winter, muffins in the spring, and quiches and salads in the summer. This beautiful cookbook is jam-packed with over 200 recipes for everything imaginable - from sauces all the way to main meals. Also included are instructions for making cheese, curing meats, canning and preserving, fermenting, and making your own spices, leavens, and extracts.

The best part about The Farmer's Kitchen Handbook is how authentic it feels. You'll notice the influence of her immigrant grandparents with traditional recipes from Scotland, Sweden, and Finland. In addition, you'll see that much of her perspective is from her rural Vermont upbringing. Each recipe has a short personal story attached to it, like how Marie's mother used to serve biscuits with maple syrup for breakfast or that the meat and rice mixture inside the stuffed cabbage comes straight from her Grandma Kall's kitchen. You will also get recipes for her family's holiday classics, like Easter Egg Buns and a Yuletide trifle, plus directions on how to roast a 15-lb turkey for Thanksgiving. There are tons of old-fashioned recipes like Brunswick Stew, Oatmeal Jammies, Rustic Bread, Yorkshire Pudding, and Crab Apple Jelly. As much as you'll love the vintage recipes, you'll also appreciate the modern ones. There are recipes for Kale Soup, Easy Barbeque Pork Sandwiches, Angel Food Cake, and Beer-Battered Fish and Chips. All of these recipes are natural and wholesome. They taste really delicious, too. If you're scared to make homemade fondue, don't be. There are great tips, clear and detailed instructions, and pretty pictures to look at, too.

This cookbook really feeds into today's conscious consumers. It is for the people who try to stay away from preservatives and packaged foods. It is for the people who want to know what they are putting into their bodies. Most importantly, it is for those who find joy in making their meals from scratch.

Enter to win The Farmer's Kitchen Handbook from 11/17/14 - 11/30/14.