A visual feast of the Midwest's homegrown bounty
In this splendidly illustrated book, food writer and self-described farm groupie Janine MacLachlan embarks on a tour of seasonal markets and farmstands throughout the Midwest, sampling local flavors from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. She conducts delicious research as she meets farmers, tastes their food, and explores how their businesses thrive in the face of an industrial food supply. She tells the stories of a pair of farmers growing specialty crops on a few acres of northern Michigan for just a few months out of the year, an Ohio cattle farm that has raised heritage beef since 1820, and a Minnesota farmer who tirelessly champions the Jimmy Nardello sweet Italian frying pepper. Along the way, she savors vibrant red carrots, slurpy peaches, vast quantities of specialty cheeses, and some of the tastiest pie to cross anyone's lips.
Informed by debates about eating local, seasonal crops, organic farming, sanitation, and biodiversity, Farmers' Markets of the Heartland tantalizes with special recipes from farm-friendly chefs and dozens of luscious color photographs that will inspire you to harvest the homegrown flavors in your own neighborhood.
| Cover Title page Copyright Contents Introduction CHICAGO MICHIGAN OHIO INDIANA ILLINOIS MISSOURI IOWA MINNESOTA WISCONSIN What Is Next? Index Back Cover |"Fans of Midwestern farms and farmers markets are in for a literary treat. . . . Filled with tempting photographs and select recipes, the book focuses on folks as much as food."—Chicago Tribune"What shines through in the book is the vibrancy of the people involved in the local food movement and the real importance of what they do. . . . To read the stories of these farmers, managers, bakers, cheese makers, and others it to get a glimpse of our best possible food future."—Examiner.com
"[MacLachlan's] enthusiastic tone begs us to take a road trip, and discover the rural, simple beauty and culinary treasures of the areas about which she writes. . . . [An] honorable, just, and heartfelt homage to the hard work and determination of people who continue (or are new to) the Heartland's centuries-old farming traditions."—The Local Beet: Chicago
| Janine MacLachlan, of Chicago and Fennville, Michigan, is a food writer, blogger (www.rustickitchen.com), and the founder of The Rustic Kitchen cooking school. Her writing has been featured in Cooking Light, Relish, Rural Life, and Conscious Choice.