Never have I ever been so excited for spring! Each sliver of sun has me beaming as blooms burst forth from their winter burrows. And with spring sprung, all I can think about is our delicious PNW food.
Now, let’s be clear: I don’t actually enjoy cooking… My husband is the chef in our house. I do the dishes, so it’s perfect. But I just can’t stop drooling over our abundant CSAs and citywide farmers markets, our butcher shops and charcuterie masters, and all of the upcoming amazing food events. Most recently, I’ve been tempted to eat out even more at women-owned, POC-owned, and immigrant-supporting restaurants. Every time I turn around, there’s a delectable new way to taste the beauty of our region.
Invariably, my passion for food and our region’s dedicated food system engineers (think farmers, harvesters, makers, bakers, sellers, chefs, and savvy shoppers) percolates into my work life. Yay! Books! I begin combing our new arrivals for cookbooks to bring the bounty to life. I’m not looking for the latest food trends (just say no to “1970s-inspired food”), but I am looking for inventive ways to indulge in all our region has to offer.
Enjoy your eating at a whole new level with this Get Your Cook On! list. From fermentation to foraging, and harvest to homesteading, there’s something new here to tantalize all you sweet and savory scholars.
Treat yourself to all the things!
Get Your Cook On!
- The Forager’s Kitchen: Over 100 Field-to-table Recipes, by Fiona Bird
- Naturally Nourished: Healthy, Delicious Meals Made With Everyday Ingredients, by Sarah Britton
- The Harvest Baker, by Ken Haedrich
- Pure & Beautiful Vegan Cooking, by Kathleen Henry
- Portland Farmers Market Cookbook, by Ellen Jackson
- Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-culture Foods, by Sandor Ellix Katz
- Homestead Kitchen, by Eve Kilcher
- Crab: 50 Recipes with the Fresh Taste of the Sea, by Cynthia C. Nims
- PNW Veg: 100 Vegetable Recipes Inspired by the Local Bounty of the Pacific Northwest, by Kim O’Donnel
- Savor: Rustic Recipes Inspired by Forest, Field, and Farm, by Ilona Oppenheim
- The Occidental Arts & Ecology Center Cookbook, by Olivia Rathbone
- The Farmers Market Cookbook, by Julia Shanks
- Lark: Cooking Wild in the Northwest, by Johnathan Sundstrom
- A Year Right Here, by Jess Thomson
- The Virtuous Tart: Sinful but Saintly Recipes for Sweets, Treats, and Snacks, by Susan Jane White
– posted by Meadow P.
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