East Bay Bookshelf

Reviews by Kristina Sepetys Food52, the award-winning online crowd-sourced food community and recipe hub, has branched out from the ether into hard-copy cookbook publishing. After their two highly successful Food52 Cookbooks comes a newly established series titled Food52 Works. Beginning this year with Genius Recipes, and continuing with Vegan and Baking, the team plans to…

Book reviews by Kristina Sepetys Harvest marks the end of the growing season for many crops. It’s a time to gather the bounty, preserve it, and store it for the colder, leaner months ahead when you can truly enjoy the products of your labor. These three new books will help you to make the most…

Review by Kristina Sepetys Finding Yourself in the Kitchen: Kitchen Meditations and Inspired Recipes from a Mindful Cook by Dana Velden (Rodale, 2015) There are 146,680 cookbooks listed for sale on Amazon. If you broaden your search to books about “food,” you get 295,406. And these numbers probably don’t include the scores of historical books…

Guittard Chocolate Cookbook: Decadent Recipes from San Francisco’s Premium Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Company by Amy Guittard (Chronicle Books, 2015) Review by Kristina Sepetys If you love chocolate, and it’s the rare person who doesn’t, and you also love to cook, it’s going to be hard to pass up a cookbook with cakes, bars, cookies, ice creams, and…

Reviews by Kristina Sepetys The Best Homemade Kids’ Lunches on the Planet: Make Lunches Your Kids Will Love with More than 200 Deliciously Nutritious Meal Ideas  by Laura Fuentes (Fair Winds Press, 2014) With seven chapters, recipes to suit every age, and sections to record likes and dislikes, Fuentes presents nearly a full school year’s…

Reviews by Kristina Sepetys Long, warm summer days are a great time to load up your picnic basket and head out to the seashore, mountaintop, or woodland glade to celebrate with friends or enjoy a quiet meal alone in the beautiful outdoors. These three new titles will help you to plan and pack a sumptuous…

review by Kristina Sepetys The Occidental Arts and Ecology Center Cookbook: Fresh-from-the-Garden Recipes for Gatherings by the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center and Olivia Rathbone (Chelsea Green, 2015) Out along the Bohemian Highway, on twisting, bucolic Coleman Valley Road in West Sonoma County you’ll find the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center. Established in 1994, the…

Twelve Recipes Berkeley resident and longtime Chez Panisse chef Cal Peternell’s book Twelve Recipes (William Morrow Cookbooks, 2014), is a New York Times best seller and the recipient of the 2015 IACP Award in the General Cookbook category. It’s earned these accolades because it’s a thoroughly charming, personal book and a very useful and accessible…

Reviews by Kristina Sepetys We’re all well aware of the drought conditions plaguing California by now, but learning more about how to use water in a sustainable way, minimizing waste, is a higher priority than ever before in many of our lives. Here are two books that provide ideas and instruction for using the valuable…

Reviews by Kristina Sepetys Shopping around the East Bay, you may be noticing more whole-grain choices like quinoa, Kamut (a long-cultivated Iranian wheat, Khorasan, that’s been trademarked), teff (a highly nutritious Ethiopian/Eritrean gluten-free grain), three farro wheats (einkorn, emmer, and spelt), freekeh, millet, and a host of others. Many are called “ancient grains” because they’ve…

Reviews by Kristina Sepetys The choice to follow a vegan or vegetarian diet might be for health reasons, such as to control weight, blood pressure, or cholesterol. For some, it might be to honor personal commitments to living sustainably. Many people who follow plant-intense diets are interested in choosing varied and balanced ingredients to ensure…

Reviews by Kristina Sepetys We’re enjoying an exceptionally lovely springtime, especially for a drought year. Tender new shoots and colorful flowers are pushing themselves up through the ground on area hillsides, pathways, and even between cracks in the sidewalk cement. You might be surprised to discover how much of what you’re seeing is edible. There’s…

How does your garden grow? Reviewed by Kristina Sepetys   The Mix & Match Guide to Companion Planting: An Easy, Organic Way to Deter Pests, Prevent Disease, Improve Flavor, and Increase Yields in Your Vegetable Garden by Josie Jeffery (Ten Speed Press, 2014) Companion planting places two or more plants in close proximity to use…

Review by Kristina Sepetys As springs bursts out all over, thoughts turn to gardens, new baby chicks, the delights of young spring produce, and hand-crafting specialty foods. Some may wonder how to dig more deeply into these pursuits to honor the seasons, and to live and eat closer to the earth and in community. A…

Reviews by Kristina Sepetys Deliciously Ella: 100+ Easy, Healthy, and Delicious Plant-Based, Gluten-Free Recipes by Ella Woodward (Scribner, 2015) London-based Ella Woodward writes the food blog Deliciously Ella. At 19, Woodward was diagnosed with Postural Tachycardia Syndrome, a breakdown of the autonomic nervous system, a condition she attributes to a poor diet. Bedridden, in chronic…

by Kimber Simpkins I wrote my memoir out of a desperate desire to stop feeling empty all the time. I knew I had no good reason to be hungry, but that didn’t stop my belly from wanting more. I’d finish every bite of steamed greens, rice, and roasted vegetables—and even a bowl of hearty miso…

By Kristina Sepetys People have been drying and fermenting foods for flavor, storage, and good health since time immemorial. Food preservation techniques offer inexpensive, easily managed ways to avoid letting food go to waste. Find yourself with more greens or fruits than you can use this week? Put ’em up! Sandor Ellix Katz’s The Art of…

  Reviews by Kristina Sepetys Drink the Harvest by Nan K. Chase and DeNeice C. Guest (Storey Publishing, 2014) Many fruits, vegetables, and herbs can be concocted into delicious beverages that are healthier and more economical than their store-bought counterparts. Drink the Harvest shows you how to create juices, ciders, wines, meads, teas, and syrups…

By Kristina Sepetys These new cookbooks are full of comforting, seasonal treats. For breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between, you’ll find sweet, savory, and creative ideas to inspire your meal-making!   Brown Sugar Kitchen: New-Style, Down-Home Recipes from Sweet West Oakland by Tanya Holland with Jan Newberry (Chronicle Books, 2014) If you don’t already…

Reviews by Kristina Sepetys Raise your hand: Who out there loves cooking, but preparing and packing school lunches…not so much? Maybe I’m in the minority, but the day-in, day-out effort of finding something nourishing that can be quickly prepared in the busy morning hours to entice a child’s palate can be a challenge. Leftovers are…

  Review by Kristina Sepetys Yummy Supper: 100 Fresh, Luscious, & Honest Recipes from a [Gluten-Free] Omnivore by Erin Scott (Rodale, 2014) Following from Scott’s award-winning blog of the same name, her new cookbook has the same clean, visual aesthetic and family-friendly recipes that emphasize naturally gluten-free ingredients to create easy, tasty meals. Scott likes…

  Reviews by Kristina Sepetys   People have been cooking with fire for thousands of years. Wood fires suggest comfort, fellowship, and celebration, and many chefs think they’re the best way to coax flavor out of foods. Whether you’re planning to grill up some goodness at a campsite, in your fireplace, over the grill on…

  Reviews by Kristina Sepetys   Three new books use different lenses to examine climate change in the food and farming world. A fourth on summer grilling provides a recipe from a chef-author who lives the sustainability principles, working to restore our relationship with the ocean, the land, and community.   Local: The New Face…

  Review by Kristina Sepetys   Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Desserts by Jeni Britton Bauer (Artisan, 2014) I’ve just returned from Nashville, and one of the many wonderful things I enjoyed was ice cream from Jeni’s Splendid. Author and proprietress Jeni Britton Bauer spins flavors like Askinosie Dark Milk Chocolate, Goat Cheese with Red Cherries,…

Reviews by Kristina Sepetys   Butchering Beef: The Comprehensive Photographic Guide to Humane Slaughtering and Butchering by Adam Danforth with foreward by Temple Grandin Butchering Poultry, Rabbit, Lamb, Goat, and Pork: The Comprehensive Photographic Guide to Humane Slaughtering and Butchering by Adam Danforth with foreward by Joel Salatin (Storey, 2014, paperback) In these two instructive…

  Reviews by Kristina Sepetys   According to Technorati, an Internet search engine for blogs, as of 2012 there were nearly 17,000 food blogs. One can only imagine how many more have debuted in the two years since. If they’re all publishing a recipe a day, that’s nearly seven million recipes per year! Some of…

  By Kristina Sepetys   As the weather warms and we spend more time outside and in our gardens, a chat over the garden fence becomes an impromptu bring-what-you-have dinner around the barbecue. Or a bounty of tender new produce discovered in the garden becomes an excuse to assemble a bowl of fresh-clipped greens and…

Reviews by Kristina Sepetys   The Donut: History, Recipes, and Lore from Boston to Berlin by Michael Krondl (Chicago Press Review, 2014, paperback) One of the most recognized and beloved pastry treats, the doughnut dates back over 2000 years and can be found in a variety of jelly-covered, frosting-dipped, and sweetened forms throughout the world.…

Good reading to go with your wine and cheese! By Kristina Sepetys   The New California Wine: A Guide to the Producers and Wines Behind a Revolution in Taste by Jon Bonné (Ten Speed Press, 2013). On many favorites lists for 2013, this book by Bonné, the much-respected wine editor at the San Francisco Chronicle,…

Root to Stalk Cooking: The Art of Using the Whole Vegetable by Tara Duggan (Ten Speed Press, 2013) Produce from the farmers’ market, a CSA, or your garden is usually so much more lush and bountiful than what you find at big supermarkets. Freshly cut or dug with full, robust greens, firm stalks, and long,…

Real Food Fermentation: Preserving Whole Fresh Food with Live Cultures in Your Home Kitchen by Alex Lewin (Quarry Books, 2012) Real Food Fermentation is a helpful primer for beginners, offering practical skills for making cultured foods. Through step-by-step photographs, Lewin explains everything you need to know about the fermenting process, including how to choose the right tools…

Put ‘em Up! (Storey Publishing, 2010) and Put ‘em Up! Fruit (Storey Publishing, 2013) By Sherri Brooks Vinton Farmers and home gardeners are currently resting their hoes for a moment as they come up with strategies for putting up all the delicious late-season fruits and vegetables to hold on to those summer delights as long as possible.…

Southern Italian Desserts by Rosetta Costantino (Ten Speed Press, 2013) Review by Kristina Sepetys If you like your olive oil baked into delicious sweets of the Italian variety, grab a copy of the beautiful new cookbook, Southern Italian Desserts, by Rosetta Costantino. The 76 recipes from Costantino’s homeland in the very southern region of Italy…

The Art of Fermentation: An In-Depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes from Around the World by Sandor Ellix Katz (Chelsea Green, 2012) In his latest publishing effort, Katz outdoes the huge scope of his previous book by bringing us nearly 500 pages covering the history, concepts, and processes related to fermentation. You’ll find more narrative than…

Preserving Wild Foods: A Modern Forager’s Recipes for Curing, Canning, Smoking, and Pickling by Matthew Weingarten and Raquel Pelzel (Storey Publishing, 2012) Matthew Weingarten and Raquel Pelzel’s captivating book is focused on preserving wild ingredients foraged from the sea, fields, forests, fresh water, and even urban landscapes, so it covers more than just fermentation techniques. Inspired…

Mastering Fermentation: Recipes for Making and Cooking with Fermented Foods by Mary Karlin (Ten Speed Press, 2013) This beautifully photographed guide offers more than 70 recipes covering a wide variety of lacto-fermented foods. You’ll be enticed by such concoctions as Plum-Raisin Mustard, Wild and Creamy Muenster Cheese, Worcestershire Sauce, Pickled Sardines with Fennel, and Ginger Mint Shrub.…

Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods by Sandor Ellix Katz (Chelsea Green, 2003) When “fermentation revivalist” Sandor Katz’s Wild Fermentationwas published in 2003, it was described as “the only comprehensive recipe book of fermented and live-culture cuisine” on the market. While no longer alone on the shelf, this book, with its easy-to-follow instructions,…

Quinoa Revolution: Over 150 Healthy, Great-Tasting Recipes Under 500 Calories by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming (Pintail, 2012). Quinoa is a complete protein, gluten-free, mineral-rich, cholesterol-free, and rich in antioxidants. Following bestselling Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood, this new volume offers over 150 recipes, from breakfast to dessert, well-illustrated with extensive photographs. And as a bonus,…

City Goats: the Goat Justice League’s Guide to Backyard Goat Keeping by Jennie Palches Grant,  founder of the Goat Justice League. (Skipstone, 2012) A primer chock full of guidance, resources, photos, (and recipes) to tell you everything you need to know about keeping urban dairy goats.