Farm-fresh and Fast

Book excerpt: Bursting with strategies, techniques, and more than 300 original recipes, Farm-Fresh and Fast is a new cookbook for both seasoned and beginning CSA members and farmers' market shoppers. Produced by FairShare CSA Coalition in Madison, Wisconsin, Farm-Fresh blends culinary know-how with practical recipes and resourceful techniques to teach local food lovers of all skill levels how to make the most of fresh, seasonal produce. Farm-Fresh follows the coalition's first cookbook, From Asparagus to Zucchini, now in its third edition and a national bestseller. Each chapter of Farm-Fresh is organized by plant anatomy (such as leafy greens, root vegetables, etc.) to highlight similarities in cooking and preparation among ingredients. Master recipes help home cooks adapt recipes to fit the ingredients they have on hand, and come with four seasonal variations so the recipes can be "changed up" as the season progresses and the harvest unfolds. Recipes are flexible and encourage innovation. Don't have spinach? Try chard. No basil for your pesto? Try garlic scapes or cilantro for a tasty variation that makes a great sandwich spread. In addition, home cooks will find themed, seasonal menu suggestions, from Mother's Day Brunch and Starry Spring Night Dinner Party to Winter Solstice Celebration, and photographs and descriptions of seventy-eight fruits and vegetables that can be found at farmers' markets and in CSA boxes from Wisconsin to Florida. Farm-Fresh is graphic-rich, with unique illustrations throughout.