Lettuce Patch Gardens

Sustainably grown artisan vegetables

Colorado Springs, Colorado

See a list of our Favorite Cookbooks

Arugula

Asian Greens

Basil

Beets

Chinese Cabbage

Cutting Celery

Parsley

Radishes

Rosemary

Salad Greens

Spinach

Scallions

Summer Squash

Swiss Chard

Tomatoes

 

Top Ten reasons to Think Local - Buy Local - Be Local...

We have compiled a list of our favorite cookbooks. The following cookbooks either celebrate seasonal cooking and have wonderful recipes for using fresh produce.

Cook's Illustrated provides readers with recipes, cooking techniques, and product and food recommendations exhaustively developed in our extensive Test Kitchen facility - the same kitchen featured on their PBS cooking show, America's Test Kitchen. Included are best ways to prepare favorite American dishes -- from pot roast and chocolate chip cookies to grilled salmon and fruit cobbler. Best (and worst) cooking equipment -- from chef's knives to cookie sheets. Best brands -- from canned tomatoes to baking chocolate. Best cooking techniques - from brining shrimp to baking ham. And all of this is provided without a single page of advertising - just 100% cooking information.

Cooks Illustrated is like no other cooking magazine we have ever read. It's a sort of Consumers Reports for cooking, aimed at the beginning gourmand. The magazine includes recipes, tips sent in by readers, standard methods for important cooking procedures, reviews of gadgets or food items, and reviews of cookbooks. All of these are accompanied by beautiful black-and-white illustrations and photos of the foods and techniques used (which explains the "Illustrated" part of the magazine title).

Our favorite articles are those that delve into the development of the recipe featured. These articles all provide a standard format of describing the "perfect" representation of the items and then the authors explain their process for creating their final recipes and the method by which to read and make the recipes. While this sounds scientific (and indeed, it is), the writing is delightful and down-to-earth, not dry or esoteric as other gourmet magazines. In addition, sidebar articles explore choosing particular ingredients or comparisons of different brands or gadgets relating to the recipe shown and give clear direction where the more elusive ingredients and gadgets can be purchased. Buy It Now
 

The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles by the Editor's of Cook's Illustrated Magazine

The Cook's Illustrated Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles offers a comprehensive introduction to the world's pasta, from spaghetti, couscous, and spaetzle to ramen, udon, rice sticks, and more. Compiled from the pages of Cook's Illustrated, the magazine of culinary investigation, the book is a trove of illustrated step-by-step instructions (on rolling pasta dough, for example), hundreds of pasta and related recipes, tips on buying and storage, and other useful data. In chapters such as "Dried Semolina Pasta and Chinese Wheat Noodles," the book explores a particular pasta type and then provides useful supplementary information. Included, for example, are pasta-tasting results, a "gallery" of pasta shapes, and material on matching pasta shapes to sauces. Offered also are comprehensive saucing chapters that cover such pasta accompaniments as olive oil, butter, cheese, bread crumbs, canned and fresh tomatoes, and seafood, among many others. The recipes themselves are exhaustive and, as one might expect, models of accuracy and good taste. Included are the likes of Macaroni with Spinach and Gorgonzola, Lasagna with Shrimps and Scallops, Potato Gnocchi with Butter, Sage, and Parmesan Cheese, and Cellophane Noodle Salad with Charred Beef and Snow Peas. With master recipes for many of the basic pasta types and more than 300 illustrations, the book should enlighten pasta lovers while whetting their appetite for its many satisfactions. Buy It Now

Taste Pure and Simple: Irresistible Recipes for Good Food and Good Health by Michel Nischan
(2004 James Beard Award Winner for Healthy Focus & Vegetarian)
 

Acclaimed chef Michel Nischan knows that eating well is all about balance, and his beautiful cookbook proves that robust meals can be both healthy and flavorful. Avoiding the high-fat dairy products prevalent in so many cookbooks, he uses vegetable juices and olive oil to achieve the same luscious flavors. Who knew that sweet potatoes make a rich sauce that's fabulous drizzled over coriander-seasoned duck? Or that creamy white bean dip spread on crusty bread could make you forget about butter? And after eating a healthful dinner, it's okay to indulge in a dessert like Flourless Hazelnut Cake. A chapter on basics provides a solid foundation of stocks and sauces, while the glossary describes how to find and use unusual ingredients. For the good home cook who craves something new and delicious and particularly those who want to eat well while maintaining a heart-healthy diet, it's simply a matter of Taste Pure and Simple. Buy It Now

The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market Cookbook by Peggy Knickerbocker

Internationally known as one of the most magnificent farmers' markets in the world, the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market has inspired this gorgeous illustrated market companion. The perfect guide and cookbook -- no matter where you live -- each page celebrates the abundant seasonal produce grown by local organic and specialty-crop farmers along with more than 100 fresh, remarkably easy-to-assemble recipes. Organized by season, the book details the availability of products at the market and offers advice on choosing, storing, preparing, and freezing items. A foreword by Alice Waters, the history of the market, and vivid color photos throughout bring this farm fresh market guide to life. Buy It Now

 Learning to Cook with Marion Cunningham  by Marion Cunningham

In Learning to Cook, 150 recipes and 100 color photos are woven through 11 chapters with tempting titles like "Soup for Supper," "Easy Fish," "Meals Without Meat," and "Thank Goodness for Chicken." Cunningham's recipes are clearly written--free from hard-to-decipher cooking terms and elaborate preparations. Directions for preparing items such as vegetables are included in the recipes, so readers can prepare them as they cook, without perpetually referring to the ingredients list. Many of the recipes are meal-in-one suppers. Buy It Now

Celebrity Chef and author Barbara Pool Fenzl reveals secrets and insights gained from her impressive culinary career and 36 years of Southwest living. In this beautiful compilation, she presents more than 150 original recipes that burst with the colors, textures, and flavors of the region—truly a masterpiece that pays homage to her Southwest Home. As a bonus, Fenzl offers complete seasonal menus to give entertainers ideas for serving sensational meals to groups of two to twenty. Share these elegantly simple meals with friends and family and enjoy all of the Southwest’s seasons. Buy It Now
 

Recipes From An Ecological Kitchen by Lorna J. Sass

The author's "ecological kitchen" serves low-fat, high-fiber vegetarian food, made without dairy products or eggs, with an emphasis on organic seasonal produce, fuel-efficient cooking, and minimal waste. Her approach to such a diet is more accessible than most, and her recipes are more appealing than the standard collections of vegan dishes. A useful glossary of ingredients is appended. This should appeal to fans of the Moosewood cookbooks as well as to the growing numbers of newer converts to a plant-based diet. Buy It Now
 

For vegetarians and food enthusiasts weary of soggy carrots, smelly cabbage or lumpy mashed potatoes, the editors of Cook's Illustrated present a tome devoted to vegetable perfection from artichokes to zucchini. Carefully researched and thoroughly tested, each section (organized alphabetically by vegetable) includes an informative history and interesting food facts; tips on how to select the freshest vegetable at the market; and detailed approaches to cooking and serving. The volume answers oft-asked questions about preparing and storing foods, and includes both basic recipes ("master recipes") and tastier dishes (Green Beans with Sautéed Shallots and Vermouth, Mashed Potatoes with Brie and Tarragon and Glazed Carrots with Currants and Almonds) for each veggie. Step-by-step illustrations on preparation help the home cook master technique: detailed lessons, for example, are provided for preparing artichokes for braising and corn for grilling, dicing an avocado and segmenting an orange. There's a section on why chopping onions can make you cry, as well as suggestions to stop the flow of tears. (Light a candle or wear swimming goggles.) "Best of" segments are peppered throughout the book, offering the reader results of taste and equipment tests from the Cook's Illustrated staff.  Buy It Now
 

The Best Recipe: Grilling and Barbecue by Editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine

Grilling and barbecuing have become a distinctly American passion as more and more grills and smokers appear in our backyards. Too often however, that juicy ribeye or succulent tenderloin roast becomes something more fit to use as footgear than to appear on the dinner table. Once again, the authors at Cook's Illustrated have scored a huge success with their latest book on the subject of grilling and barbecuing. You will learn what to look for in equipment, the basic principles of both grilling and barbecuing and a thorough examination of preparing burgers, steaks, poultry, kebabs, fish and shellfish, veggies, pork and of course, ribs. Rubs, sauces and salsa recipes are also provided. But the main reason to purchase this book is for the techniques and recipes. Each and every technique and recipe is the culmination of exhaustive testing by the authors. You will be hailed as a grilling guru or pitmaster every time your family or guests experience the pleasure of tasting your fare. You will use this book often and one word of caution: Don't let anyone borrow it or it will be the last time you see it! Buy It Now
 

"This is a cookbook for vegetable lovers--and vegetable haters," says Andrea Chesman in The Roasted Vegetable. Her argument is that roasting veggies brings out their "hidden sweet, nutty flavors," making them irresistible to carrot-hating kids and vegan adults alike. She supports this theory with 150 tantalizing recipes, starting with a sizeable serving of side dishes, then broadening to include salsas, soups, salads, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, tofu, granola, and more. Beyond obvious inclusions like roasted peppers, French fries, and chestnuts, there's Garlic Puree ("like a basic black dress, it goes with almost anything") and Roasted Kohlrabi, which "looks like a spaceship that has sprouted leaves." Another standout is the Roasted Tomato Sauce, for which tomatoes are roasted up to one and a half hours until they've broken down to form a thick sauce; the recipe also has variations for pasta, enchiladas, and Middle Eastern dishes. In addition, the book covers basic techniques and equipment and has a handy roasting chart--all aimed to help your roasted vegetables come out perfectly "tender-crisp." Buy It Now

We know that there is life beyond broccoli and iceberg lettuce, but what is one to do with the odd-looking green things with exotic names that increasingly line the produce shelves? Albi (who recently died) and Walthers (formerly food editor for Natural Health) take a careful look at greens from arugula and dandelion to kale and mesclun and other salad greens. The authors explain their subjects' virtues and shortcomings (steamed broccoli rabe served solo can be unpleasant); how to choose them; how and how long to keep them; how to clean them; and, in more than 140 recipes, how to cook them. Greens need a little help, they say, and many of the recipes lean on a smattering of olive oil, garlic or raisins to bring out the flavor: Kale with Raisins and Toasted Pine Nuts; Chinese Bok Choy, Shitake and Tofu; Garlic Escarole Soup with Rice. Carrots or red peppers can add color as well as flavor Broccoli Rabe Vegetable Pasta with yellow summer squash and freshly grated Parmesan or Romano is an exceptionally pretty and tasty dish. Interspersed are informational chapters on nutrition (most greens are high in vitamins, minerals and beta-carotene), the best cooking methods, and home gardening tips. Buy It Now

By now just about everybody whose interest in eating runs deeper than fast food knows about Alice Waters. The creator of Chez Panisse, the legendary restaurant in Berkeley, California, that helped create a modern American cuisine based on fresh ingredients, she is also equally well-known as a teacher and cookbook author. Chez Panisse Vegetables is one of the best new cookbooks of the season; it's as useful for its information about vegetables and how to use and handle them as it is for its irresistible recipes, which lead to complex and interesting dishes built from simple ingredients and simple techniques. But It Now

A Celebration of Herbs is a cookbook that pairs herbs with the right foods in the most tantalizing ways. Compiled by long-time herb enthusiast Shirley Kerins from recipes submitted by the staff of the world-famous Huntington Gardens, this high-quality book enriches our souls as well as our palates by offering us interesting and pertinent information on the herbs we are cooking with. Especially helpful for beginning herb users is the chapter on "Learning to Use Herbs in Cooking." In this chapter, Ms. Kerins has outlined her "Eight-Step Program for Learning to Cook With Herbs" that is sure to make cooking with herbs a snap! Buy It Now
 

The Vegetarian Grill: 200 Recipes for Inspired Flame-Kissed Meals by by Andrea Chesman

Forget about the word vegetarian in the title, and don't think inspired is just hype. The Vegetarian Grill features a host of unexpected dishes that should interest almost everyone. Have you ever thought, for example, of grilling quesadillas or falafel; of making lasagna laced with grilled, chopped vegetables; or of using grilled vegetables to infuse a meatless split-pea soup with deep flavor? Although she lives in Vermont, she grills even in the dead of winter, and she offers lots of recipes for Fire-Up Flatbreads and Pizzas, Kabobs and other compelling combinations, Grilled Desserts, and more. Chesman has an engaging style, and she offers lots of handy tips with her appealing recipes. Buy It Now
 

Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini by Elizabeth Schneider

Elizabeth Schneider creates a compelling guide to 350 common and exotic vegetables. This seed-to-table exploration does more, however. In addition to its usefulness as a reference work (vegetables are, for example, listed by their market, botanical, and common names), the book offers 500 up-to-the-minute recipes--such as Shredded Yellow Squash with Garlic Chives and Baked Sweet Potato-Apple Puree with Horseradish--valuable advice on seasonality and selection, multiple-method cooking instructions, and color photos of all the entries that make market identification a breeze. Buy It Now

My Italian Garden: More than 125 Seasonal Recipes from a Garden Inspired by Italy  by Viana La Place

All the recipes in this book reflect the themes of seasonality, simplicity, and freshness. This is garden-style cooking, and it makes being in the kitchen a joy rather than a chore. Time spent preparing dishes is minimal and the rewards are great. Even home cooks who are unable to keep the hardiest of plants alive or who live in tiny, dark apartments will be enchanted by La Place's description of her bountiful garden. La Place's insistence on relying on her garden's bounty alone to supply dishes for each course and every season spurs her to great creativity, as exemplified by the "Caprese" salad that morphs through the year from the summer classic to a winter version with radicchio, orange zest and hazelnuts. Though cooks without a garden will not have quite the experience that La Place describes, just the idea of concentrating on a few fresh ingredients will remind them of just how extraordinary vegetables can be. Buy It Now

Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets by Deborah Madison

The book offers chapters deftly arranged by fruit and vegetable families as they appear in the markets, such as "The Vegetable Fruits of Summer: Eggplants, Tomatoes, and Peppers" and "A Cool Weather Miscellany," which includes recipes such as Sautéed Artichokes with Potatoes and Garlic Chives and a marvelous "essence-of" soup, Elixir of Fresh Peas. Madison also treats unfamiliar fruits and vegetables, presenting the likes of lamb quarters in a soup made with Sonoma Teleme cheese, and sugar loaf chicory simply grilled and dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Recipes for delightful salads like Melon Salad with Thai Basil also appear, as do a selection of pastas and risotto, such as Winter Squash Risotto with Seared Radicchio, and sweets like White Peaches in Lemon Verbena Syrup and Date, Dried Cherry, and Chocolate Nut Torte. With sidebars like Atlanta's All-Organic Market: Late October and color photos throughout of vendors, produce, and many of the dishes, the book offers the perfect match of Madison and the markets. Buy It Now
 

From the Cook's Garden by Ellen Ecker Odgen

Spring's approach brings the promise of planting and another season of garden produce. Ellen Ecker Ogden has written From the Cook's Garden as a guide for those seeking some new ways to use up their garden bounty. Ogden's own immense Vermont garden provides the basis for these recipes, and they reflect thoughtful and tasty ways to produce appealing dishes from the freshest ingredients. Although most recipes offer ease of preparation, Ogden's cold creamy red beet soup with pistachio mousse calls for a base of cider, wine, and cinnamon and tops each bowlful with dollops of whipped ricotta, pistachios, and green herbs. Many of the book's recipes are vegetarian, but a few have fish or meat as prominent flavors. Because gardens often produce more than can be consumed during the harvest months, Ogden closes her book with a section on preserving, both in cans and in the freezer. Buy It Now

Simply In Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert

Not so long ago most fresh food on North American tables came from home gardens and local farmers markets. Today, the average item of food travels more than a thousand miles before it lands on our tables. It’s a remarkable technological accomplishment, but has not proven to be healthy for our communities, our land or us. Through stories and simple "whole foods" recipes, Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert explore how the food we put on our tables impacts our local and global neighbors. They show the importance of eating local, seasonal food—and fairly traded food—and invite readers to make choices that offer security and health for our communities, for the land, for body and spirit. Buy It Now
 

On Top of Spaghetti-Macaroni, Linguine, Penne, and Pasta of Every Kind by Johanne Killeen and George Germon

The noodle reigns supreme in this fun but singularly focused collection of recipes. Drawing from decades of experience, the James Beard Award–winning owners of Al Forno in Providence, R.I., and coauthors of Cucina Simpatica explore their favorite recipes at home and in the restaurant, including their favorite after-work treat, Midnight Spaghetti. The chapter Pasta Tips offers useful tidbits of information such as how to heat serving bowls and when and how to add grated cheese. The remainder of the book consists of the recipes, which are split up into sections by type, such as with vegetables, tomato sauce or seafood; there are also sections on fresh and various baked pasta dishes. The majority are quick and simple and feature the usual saucy suspects like capers, red pepper flakes and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Yet the authors cover a wide expanse of Italian culinary traditions, and there are some intriguing surprises, like George's Spaghetti with Raw Cucumber and Basil, and Pappardelle and Saffron-Scented Milk-Braised Chicken. Throughout, the directions are straightforward and consistent. Each dish is followed by suggestions for rounding out the meal and using leftovers—though most of these creations are unlikely to leave any behind. Buy It Now

Organic Cookbook by Eric Treuille

Natural, nutritious, and flavorsome food for all the seasons of the year. Reawaken your tastebuds with the flavors and textures of the natural and nutritious ingredients used in the Organic Cookbook's delicious, satisfying recipes. Delicious, nutrient-packed meals result from the use of natural ingredients at their absolute seasonal best. To guide you through seasonal shopping, Organic Cookbook's comprehensive, at-a-glance fruit and vegetable calendar shows you the best time of the year to buy food at its freshest and most nutritious. In addition to this advice on what to look for in fresh produce and how to buy what is best on the day, Renee Elliot and Eric Treuille offer invaluable advice on effective storing methods to seal in the natural goodness inherent in organic produce. With simple meals that require minimal effort and are easy to prepare, the recipes in this collection ensure that every ingredient counts -- the aim is always to enhance, not disguise. Each recipe combines fresh ingredients to bring out the essential aromas, flavors, and nutrients to produce fresh-tasting, delicious meals every time. Buy It Now

Conscious Cusine by Cary Neff

"Conscious cuisine" is what Neff calls the food he cooks at Miraval Spa near Tucson, AZ, among the top spa resorts in the country. Here he presents dozens of recipes for the sophisticated but healthful food he serves-one of the major reasons for the spa's popularity. Those who love good foods can keep "Conscious Cuisine" on the shelf for a long-time to come. There is lots of variety, and most of the savoring dishes and sauce recipes are low in sodium, carbohydrates, and sugar. Worth noting, is that this is not for the quick throw-together at-home food enthusiasts. It's a step up into a little more planning and stocking. But the results will give you 5-star dishes such as Saffron-chive sauce, Carrot Mousse, Layered Spinach, Wild Mushroom, are a few of the many high-end cuisine you can create in your own kitchen. Buy It Now

In The Best International Recipe, the test kitchen travels father afield to bring you the best and most exciting cooking from around the world. The more than 300 recipes have been tested dozens of times to ensure success in the kitchen.

Throughout The Best International Recipe, you'll find features that make this collection especially home cook friendly: Pantry spotlights offer clear explanations of ingredients and what to look for, and in some cases, what you can substitute without compromising flavor. Specialty equipment (and substitutions) are highlighted as well, so you won't waste money on equipment you don't really need (hint: You don't need a paella pan to make paella). Core techniques highlighted throughout the book explain essential methods that you can apply to all of your cooking, such as getting the most from spices and a method for making buttery tart dough that won't leave you feeling frustrated.

Whether you want to make spicy pork tacos to rival those found on the tables of Mexico or learn how to make chicken as juicy as the French, The Best International Recipe is your essential guide to the best cooking from around the world. Buy It Now

I have no other wish than a close fusion with Nature and I desire no other fate than to have worked and lived in harmony with her laws.

~ Claude Monet
 

Lettuce Patch Gardens, Inc.

Sustainably grown artisan vegetables

Cheryl Spencer, Owner & Market Gardener
Colorado Springs, Colorado

^© 2004-2008