Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods

When DH and I were married four years ago, we spent our honeymoon at Black Star Farms just north of Traverse City in Suttons Bay. We spent a week touring the wineries of Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas. One of our most interesting encounters was at Boskydel Vineyards.So imagine my surprise when I discovered that Mr. Rink was featured in one of the essays in Edible Communities! Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods is full of such characters. The first two thirds of the book is divided into regions: northeast, southeast, southwest, California and the west, Pacific northwest, and Midwest. Each region is represented by essays that pay tribute to farmers, chefs, and organizations that are dedicated to producing local foods and making them accessible to their communities. The last third of the book is recipes, which are intriguing (examples include Brew-Braised Lamb Shanks with Apple Butter and Sauerkraut; Creamy Pumpkin Grits with Brown Butter; Grilled Apricots with Blue Cheese and Hazelnuts; and Herb-Roasted Duck Breast with Carrot-Potato Mash and Chive Butter). However, the real gems are in the essays. Each is very well written, as they are culled from Edible magazines from across the country. There are sixty-five according to their website. This book was very enjoyable to read, and the photos and essays helped me get a better picture of the local food communities across the United States. If you are at all interested in the people behind our food, I highly recommend this book. Oh, and if the Edible Publications people are reading this, PLEASE think about making one for West Michigan.

The collaborative project of Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian (co-founders of Edible communities Inc., a network of regional food magazines in the United States and Canada celebrating place-based foods, recipes, and personal stories of the farmers, fishermen, chefs, local food/environmental activists and issues), "Edible: A Celebration Of Local Foods" is a profusely illustrated, 336-page compendium showcasing six of North America's culinary regions; profiles of local community food-and-environment sustainable agricultural activists; inspirational stories; and eighty very special recipes. The first section dedicated to 'Edible Stories' is organized into Northeast; Southeast; Southwest; California and the West; Pacific Northwest; and Midwest. The second section showcasing the recipes is organized seasonally: Spring, Summer; Fall; and Winter. Enhanced with a listing of the featured recipes by region; a list of Edible Communities publications, and a comprehensive index, "Edible" is especially recommended for personal, academic, and community library collections.

"edible": A Celebration of Local Foods is a wonderful volume. It is for persons interested in fresh local food and a good starter for those who are just learning about the movement toward healthy eating. The book is filled with information for everyone and its presentations are excellent.For the sum of $ 19.95 it is a bargain. Buy it and enjoy the photos, recipes and food articles. Deborah Bezahler NYC

Beautiful enough for a special place on the coffee table, "Edible" is also a book to savor. The photos, most by Edible's Carole Topalian, are of course gorgeous and the stories are engaging and warmly told - Tracey Ryder's personal essays are like little lessons in fine writing. The big surprise was recipes - I didn't even realize there would be any but wow -- if these were the only reason you bought the book, you'd be well rewarded. This is real, cookable, delicious sounding food -I can't wait for late summer to try "Stir-fried Bok Choy with Caramelized Corn." And I can make glazed lamb chops tonight. All the recipes have the wonderful local slant that Edible Communities is (are?) all about without being dogmatic (Locally grown collard tops with Parmigiano anyone?). I love this book. And I love Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian.

I have been an Edible SF subscriber for a couple of years and wait impatiently for my next issue after reading EVERY PAGE of the magazine. This book is a wonderful compilation of inspirational stories of the mavericks of the agricultural social movement we desperately need. It is also a useful tool for locating local foods and filled with beautiful images celebrating the local foods and folks that produce them for us to enjoy. I like that the focus is on the "celebration of local foods" and not your typical cookbook. There are recipes (and wonderful ones at that), but the focus remains on the food itself. My only regret is that I will devour it too quickly and have to wait in hope that there will be an Edible II published soon.