Fresh from the Farm: A Year of Recipes and Stories

by Susie Middleton

Overview

More than a cookbook...it’s also the story of how a farm came to be.  Written by the “Queen of Fresh” Susie Middleton, Fresh from the Farm goes beyond traditional “fresh” cookbooks by sharing the engaging tale of one woman’s quest for a simpler life. In between the recipes, Susie shares the story of how she left the corporate world, started a farm on Martha’s Vineyard, and created a satisfying new life on this rural island.

121 seasonal recipes featuring homegrown produce. Fresh from the Farm is divided into three growing seasons: late spring and early summer, high summer, and what the author refers to as a bonus season, Indian summer and early fall. Here’s just a taste...

• Swiss Chard and Caramelized Onion Quesadillas with Pepper Jack Cheese
• Spicy Thai Shrimp and Baby Bok Choy Stir-Fry
• Curry Coconut Butternut Squash Soup
• “Mac ‘N Cheese” with Kale, Goat Cheese, and Sun Dried Tomatoes
• Summer Veggie-Palooza Paella
• Little Pear Crostatas with Hazelnut Crisp Topping
• and one hundred and nineteen more - all just as tempting and delicious!

Perfect for vegetarians and carnivores alike. Fresh from the Farm is for anyone looking for exciting new ways to prepare vegetable-centric dishes that range from starters to mains to desserts. While the emphasis is on recipes, this book is also a great read. As one reviewer observes:

            “...the stories that Middleton shares make the book feel like an old
            family cookbook that has been passed down from your great grandmother
            with stories of her farm, and why she made each recipe. Middleton
            embraces the family farm angle.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781600859045
Publisher:	Taunton Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	02/11/2014
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	7.60(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

SUSIE MIDDLETON is not only a cook and a writer, but a farmer, too. The former chief editor of Fine Cooking magazine, Susie also authored Fast, Fresh & Green and The Fresh & Green Table. In addition to blogging regularly at www.sixburnersue.com and occasionally on the Huffington Post, Susie writes both essays and food features for national and regional magazines. She started growing vegetables commercially in 2010 on Martha’s Vineyard.

Table of Contents

Part One

*Late Spring and Early Summer

Part Two

*High Summer

Part Three

*Indian Summer and Early Fall

Appendix: Four Designs for Garden or Farm

Metric Equivalents

Recipe Index

Index

Editorial Reviews

04/14/2014
Writer, cook, cookbook author, farmer, blogger and former editor of Fine Cooking magazine, Middleton, the "Queen of Fresh" tells of her cooking quest in search for a simpler life. Her memoir style book recounts how she quit her corporate job, bought a farm on a rural island, planted a garden, opened a farm stand, and finally found contentment. Witty, engaging prose draws the reader in and 125 simple recipes entice you to get cooking by exploring Middleton's homegrown suggestions. Throughout the book she offers "Cook's Tips" in neat inserts, such as how to properly shell fava beans and how to maintain the right simmer when making paella. Included alongside the recipes in a wide margin is the continuing narrative of raising and selling crops on the island. Part One, "Late Spring and Early Summer," highlights dishes like the ever popular Deviled Eggs—giving the recipe a twist with spinach, basil and pesto—Pan-Seared Filet Mignon with Wilted Chard and Creamy Thyme Pan Sauce, and Grill-Roasted Baby Bok Choy and Creminis with Garlic-Chile-Lime Oil and Spaghetti. Unusual flavor combinations do an excellent job of highlighting the healthy and fresh produce. Part Two, "High Summer," focuses on "tomatoes and green beans and squash-oh my!" with recipes for salsas (Grilled Corn and Roasted Tomato and Pattypan Stir-Fry with Far East Flavors. Last but not least is the section "Indian Summer and Early Fall" which expands to eclectic dishes like Roasted Carrot "Fries" Autumn Pot Roast with Roasted Root Veggie Garnish, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts made with Pomegranate Dressing, Dried Cherries & Toasted Walnuts. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

"...a beautiful cookbook, featuring 125 recipes along with reflections on what it's like to live a simpler, humbler life and the satisfaction to be had running a farmstand, selling vegetables and eggs directly to the people who will eat them." —The Oregonian

The Oregonian

"The Martha's Vineyard resident and farmstand owner combines her trademark, deeply flavored recipes with anecdotes of farm life. The book makes a fine companion for those long winter nights spent browsing through seed catalogs."

Boston Globe

"Fresh From the Farm: A Year of Recipes and Stories," which includes stories and photos of farm life and 121 recipes....You might call it a complete recipe book for the good life." —Zester Daily

Zester Daily

Ever want to quit your job, move to the country and start a farm stand? Susie Middleton, former editor of Fine Cooking magazine, did. Fresh from the Farm is partly the chronicle of an eat-local startup and partly a farm cookbook, liberally strewn with sunlit snapshots of chickens and garden beds in full production. And because Middleton is a flavor fanatic as well as a cook and farmer, her recipes are memorable even if you don't get to cook with still-warm eggs, or just-picked tomatoes blushing from the vine.

— recommended by T. Susan Chang, food writer

NPR