Book review: Simply in Season

From time to time, I plan to review some of my favorite agrarian books. The first of these is Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert. This cookbook is put out by Herald Press and is the third in a series of World Community Cookbooks.

I love all three of these books, and will probably review the other 2 eventually. But Simply in Season, besides being the newest, is probably closest to the way I feel called to eat. It focuses on local, seasonal foods with simple but delicious recipes for using whatever is in season. Simply in Season's recipes do not rely on expensive convenience foods but rather on fresh, wholesome ingredients. Included are several "mixes" that you can make yourself, rather than purchasing them. I particularly like the cream soup mix and haven't had to buy cream-of-anything soup since I found it.

In addition to the great recipes, Simply in Season is packed with tidbits of information about food and agriculture. In our family, we have started a new tradition of reading these tidbits aloud at the dinner table whenever we prepare something from the cookbook. They are excellent discussion-starters and opportunities for educating our children about the ethics of eating.

One of the co-authors has a blog about the cookbook and related topics. You can try out the recipe of the week here or download a group study guide in pdf form here.