Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi folks...
This is my first year of growing food properly and I'm determined to make it a BIG step towards seasonal eating (if possible I'd like to do the whole year on seasonal food, but we'll see about that).

The thing is, I've never even attempted to do such a thing before. All the recipes I have gathered together are geared towards "fresh" food, but "seasonal", not so much. Not at all actually.

Can any of you suggest a good recipe book for seasonal cooking?
Oh, I'll be canning (or otherwise preserving) any surpluses I manage to build up as the harvests come in so I don't object to out-of-season things in that respect... I'd assume a decent seasonal cookbook would account for such things, but thought it might be worth a mention.


Also - I'm planning on doing some cooking down on the allotment this summer and autumn. I don't mind bringing oil, seasoning and maybe things like bread, pasta or rice down with me - but otherwise it'd be nice to get everything off the plants and into the pan in a matter of moments.
Obviously the only ingredients available will be things all in season together, be they "baby" versions or fully mature, which I imagine would restrict the options to some degree.
Any good recipes, or indeed recipe books geared towards that kind of cooking would also be appreciated.


If I can get some recipes/books together in the next week or so, I'll be able to use them to help me plan what things to grow just for eating on the plot, if needed. I'd be happy to grow one or two of something I otherwise wouldn't have grown, just to have a go at a particularly appealing dish when it ripens.


Just typing this post is getting me excited about the season ahead. It's driving me MAD that I'm sat in my office with glorious blue skies overhead and can't go to the plot and get on with my jobs!

I got this for Xmas

Sarah Raven's Garden Cookbook: Amazon.co.uk: Sarah Raven, Jonathan Buckley: Books

I haven't tried many of the recipes in there yet, but I like the idea of using this as a month by month reference guide as to what will be in season and how to cook it in interesting recipes

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Mark

Vegetable Kingdom blog

My most favourite cook book is the Abel and Cole one, it's written in a really good way around what you might get in your veg box (which would be similar to what you're growing too) and gives subsitutes as well.

The Abel and Cole Cookbook: Easy, Seasonal, Organic: Amazon.co.uk: Keith Abel: Books

Ignore the person who gave it one star, they were just complaining that it wasn't a vegetarian book, which it never claims to be!

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Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

I have the Sarah Raven book too. She actually aggravates the hell out of me on the telly but I love the recipes in the book.

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Whoever plants a garden believes in the future.

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated July 25th - A Village Wedding

www.henheaven.blogspot.com - June 29th - Foraging

Thanks for all the replies folks.
It looks like a sound recommendation for the Sarah Raven book, especially after reading what Hugh F.W. had to say about it. High praise indeed.

The Abel&Cole one looks promising too. Thinking about it, I'm sure my neighbours get food delivered by A&C. I might see if they've got the book so I can take a peek before deciding whether to buy it or not.

Also, some of the other suggested books that come up on the A&C page on Amazon look like they could be good reading on the "seasonal" front too.

Any suggestions on the allotment cooking front? I know it's alright to take simple recipes from a normal book, but it'd be nice to have something oriented towards cooking outdoors with fresh picked veg.

I can't recommend Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries high enough for waht you're after - seasonal stuff both from the allotment, and local produce in store.

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Hazel

Hazel at the Hill blog
update -
Mon 19/07/2010
Days of Plenty!

I;ve got Marguerite Patens book on jams, chutneys and preserves if your seasonal book doesnt cover that.The Basic Basics Jams, Preserves and Chutneys: Amazon.co.uk: Marguerite Patten: Books

Ive heard that the river cottage books are good and cover quite a few topics

Oh why did I post this thread!?
It's starting to get expensive!
I should have known better! Haha.

Keep 'em coming folks!

Elsie - I don't have anything about preserves yet, I don't know if there'll be anything in a seasonal book about it, but if not I'll be sure to get that.


Hazel - I really like Nigel Slater's stuff - while I do find him a bit gushing about food - I do like his simple approach... especially the "simple suppers" series which pretty much came down to "just make it up". I might have to get that one too.


I wonder if my local library has any of these books in. I'm going to have to take a look I think.

Dear Organic

If you want a cheap alternative, then have you tried Allrecipes.com - an excellent website which, if you register, sends you recipes every day for free, thus you get all sorts of ideas which obviously you can tweak to your own taste - just a thought, but a pretty good cheap alternative I think, and I have used loads of recipes off there and some are really good.

Dianne

Thanks for that Dianne. I've used some recipes from allrecipes.com before, though never signed up to the mailing list.
I'm a huge fan of online recipes and have made some cracking food from them in the past. I'd quite like to stay off the computer though. I work on it, I research on it, and I stay in touch with some faraway friends on it... it's always a bit of a relief to actually look something in a book!

Fork to fork - Monty Don is a lovely read, not packed full of recipes but a really up lifting book for those winter days of "why am I doing this"
Sarah Raven - very good
Nigel Slater - Tender - fab, fab, fab though it is by plant not month!
Happy hunting, please let us know what you go for and why?

Will do!
I'll be popping into my local Waterstons to take a look at the Sarah Raven one (and probably the Nigel Slater one too, I imagine they'll have that in stock). Monty Don's a big enough name to have in stock too.

I'll also try to remember to post a review (or more likely... some reviews) when I've got something and have eaten my way through it.

I imagine you might already have River Cottage Year (I am offering it free on the seed swap part of this site, incase anyone wants me to put their names in a hat?) Thats all seasonal produce too, and I also have the Allotment Cookbook, which has simple but useful recipes in it.

Actually no, I don't have River Cottage Year. Nor do I have the Allotment Cookbook.

Feel free to stick my name in the hat.

Is the Allotment Cookbook geared more towards cooking on the plot or towards taking the stuff home and cooking it there?

Organic, your name is in hat
The allotment cookbook is more aimed at bringing stuff home and cooking it:

The Complete Allotment Cookbook: Over 200 Great Recipes from Plot to Plate Cookery: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Its actually a very good price on Amazon

I'd go the website way too. No book has everything you want. I'd see what was ready to harvest, then if I didn't know what to do with it, google the ingredient. I love the BBC good food website.
BBC Good Food - Recipes and cooking tips
Spend your money on food and wine rather than books LOL

This is what Valentine Warner is all about in his "what to eat now" programme. I personally didn't get on with his presentation style but the idea was good and there are a couple of books that accompany the programme.

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pjh75

We sow the seed, nature grows the seed, we eat the seed. (Neil, The Young Ones)

http://producebypaula.blogspot.com/

What about Jamie Oliver at Home series - there must be a book that came with it. He went round his 'allotment' seasonally, putting stuff together to make some lovely dishes- what I like is the Italian influence in his recipes. And his outdoor pizza oven was to die for.

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Binley knows Best
"Fan Of DarkCrow's Manipulation Of Words Society"
Courtier to the Queen of Baking

Nigel Slater, Tender. The baked tomato with cocconut and coriander sounds scary, but it's SOOOOO GOOD. Also makes excellent soup.

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mmmmMMMmmm. Tea. http://www.charteas.com

Agree, got that one too, it's VERY good

__________________

Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Which one are you and is it how you want to be?