How to pick a peach : the search for flavor from farm to table

Format:

Book

Title:

How to pick a peach : the search for flavor from farm to table

Author:

Parsons, Russ.

ISBN:

9780618463480

9780547053806

Publication Information:

Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 2007.

Physical Description:

xvi, 412 pages ; 24 cm

General Note:

Includes index.

Contents:

The vegetables and fruits alphabetically -- The recipes by category -- The plant designers: factors in the field -- Artichokes -- Asparagus -- Onions, leeks and garlic -- Peas and fava beans -- Salad greens -- Strawberries -- Big farmers, small farmers: the cost of compromise -- Corn -- Cucumbers -- Eggplants -- Green beans -- Summer squash -- Tomatoes -- Cherries -- Grapes -- Melons -- Peaches and nectarines -- Plums -- Growers and global competition: reinventing the tomato -- Broccoli and cauliflower -- Mushrooms -- Peppers -- Winter squash -- Apples -- Pears, Asian pears and quinces -- Parsimmons and figs -- Market corrections: the return of the small farmer -- Cabbages and brussels sprouts -- Cooking greens -- Potatoes -- Root vegetables -- Lemons and limes -- Mandarins (tangerines), grapefruits and pummelos -- Oranges.

Summary:

A look at the world of produce includes individual profiles of different vegetables and fruits, with facts and lore about each, as well as detailed instructions on how to select, store, and prepare them.

Subject(s):

Genre:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Monmouth Public Library	641.35 Parsons, R. 2007	Searching... Unknown
Searching... McMinnville Public Library	641.35 Parsons	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Critics greeted Russ Parsons' first book, How to Read a French Fry, with raves. The New York Times praised it for its "affable voice and intellectual clarity"; Julia Child lauded it for its "deep factual information."

Now in How to Pick a Peach, Parsons takes on one of the hottest food topics today. Good cooking starts with the right ingredients, and nowhere is that more true than with produce. Should we refrigerate that peach? How do we cook that artichoke? And what are those different varieties of pears? Most of us aren't sure. Parsons helps the cook sort through the produce in the market by illuminating the issues surrounding it, revealing intriguing facts about vegetables and fruits in individual profiles about them, and providing instructions on how to choose, store, and prepare these items. Whether explaining why basil, citrus, tomatoes, and potatoes should never be refrigerated, describing how Dutch farmers revolutionized the tomato business in America, exploring organic farming and its effect on flavor, or giving tips on how to recognize a ripe melon, How to Pick a Peach is Parsons at his peak.

Author Notes

Russ Parsons is food editor of the "Los Angeles Times", the nation's largest metropolitan daily. He has won many awards for his journalism, including the Bert Greene Award & two James Beard Awards.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Equal parts cookbook, agricultural history, chemistry lesson and produce buying guide, this densely packed book is a food-lover's delight. California food writer Parsons (How to Read a French Fry) begins with a fascinating tale of agribusiness trumping our taste buds en route to supplying year-round on-demand produce, and how farmer's markets are bringing back both appreciation of, and access to, local and seasonal foods. He then takes readers on a delectable season-by-season produce tour, from springtime Artichokes Stuffed with Ham and Pine Nuts to midwinter Candied Citrus Peel, and provides readers with the lowdown on where each fruit or vegetable is grown and how to choose, store and prepare it. Along the way, he detours into low-stress jam making, the chemistry of tomato flavor, a portrait of two peach-growing stars of the Santa Monica farmer's market and why cucumbers make some people burp. For readers who have always wondered where their food comes from, why it tastes the way it does and how to pick a peach, a melon or a green bean, this book will be an invaluable resource. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

The Vegetables and Fruits Alphabetically	p. xi
The Recipes by Category	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
The Plant Designers: Factories in the Field 21
Spring Artichokes	p. 35
Asparagus	p. 47
Onions, Leeks and Garlic	p. 59
Peas and Fava Beans	p. 74
Salad Greens	p. 86
Strawberries	p. 101
Big Farmers, Small Farmers: The Cost of Compromise	p. 113
Summer Corn	p. 129
Cucumbers	p. 140
Eggplants	p. 146
Green Beans	p. 154
Summer Squash	p. 160
Tomatoes	p. 169
Cherries	p. 181
Grapes	p. 190
Melons	p. 198
Peaches and Nectarines	p. 209
Plums	p. 218
Growers and Global Competition: Reinventing the Tomato	p. 223
Fall Broccoli and Cauliflower	p. 235
Mushrooms	p. 248
Peppers	p. 256
Winter Squash	p. 267
Apples	p. 279
Pears, Asian Pears and Quinces	p. 288
Persimmons and Figs	p. 304
Market Corrections: The Return of the Small Farmer	p. 311
Winter Cabbages and Brussels Sprouts	p. 321
Cooking Greens	p. 330
Potatoes	p. 339
Root Vegetables	p. 349
Lemons and Limes	p. 364
Mandarins (Tangerines), Grapefruits and Pummelos	p. 376
Oranges	p. 384
Index	p. 394

Available:*

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Table of Contents