Rooted Kitchen: Seasonal Recipes, Stories, and Ways to Connect with the Natural World

by Ashley Rodriguez

Deepen your relationship with the natural world through more than 80 delightfully inventive recipes featuring seasonal ingredients, plus thoughtful essays, tips, and basic techniques for foraging, preserving, and cooking over an open fire.

At a time when we urgently need to connect with the earth, Rooted Kitchen offers a fresh way to appreciate nature and the treasures it provides. Organized seasonally, you’ll find recipes to make the most of your farmers market or neighborhood foraging haul, such as a comforting Nettle Orecchiette with Sausage and Mint in spring (and how to use nettle leaves to make a nutritious, soothing cup of tea on chilly mornings); Nectarine Salad with Cucumber, Fennel, Feta and Herbs in summer; and Fire-Roasted Pumpkin Fondue with Chanterelles in fall.

You’ll also find tips for harvesting ingredients, from mushrooms to nettles to edible flowers, along with preserving, fermenting, beginner foraging techniques, and mindfulness activities. Seasonal ingredients are spotlighted so you can make the most of nearby nature. It can be as simple as pairing salmon with the distinct flavor of spruce tips snipped from a tree or plucking lilac blossoms and making Rhubarb-Lilac Jam to dollop on a pavlova. From small urban backyards to nearby parks to forests and beyond, when we become more connected to the outdoors through our food, it sparks a deeper connection to ourselves.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction

266 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 5, 2024

Reviews

[Lastblossom]

tl;dr
A variety of recipes and beautiful photos great for a beginning forager looking for what to do with their harvest.

Thoughts
With more and more people foraging, it's natural to also want to know what to do with the foods one forages. Most foraging guides offer brief suggestions and guidelines, but Rooted Kitchen takes it a step further by providing actual recipes, along with a handful of tips on best harvesting practices. It's also got some genuinely gorgeous photos. The book is divided by season, making it easy to find the ingredient you want to showcase. Recipes range in difficulty, with something in here for every skill level. Most dishes are pescatarian, but include notes on vegetarian and vegan alternatives. If you or a friend has jumped into foraging and want to know what to do with everything you've harvested, this is a great place to start.

Thanks to NetGalley and Clarkson Potter for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

[Miss✧Pickypants ᓚᘏᗢ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A contemplative, meditative kind of cookbook. The author comes across as an earthy, close to nature type who is into foraging and cooking over fire. Some recipes include foraged ingredients and there are sections on how to find the mushrooms, nettles and ramps used.

A few nature-focused essays are peppered throughout and make for pleasant reads. Recipes are well written but can be a bit fussy at times. There are pictures of most but not all the finished dishes. The book design was muted earthy tones, which did a bit of a disservice to the photos and left me wishing they were as vivid as the one on the cover. Have seen this trend come up more lately and can't help but wonder if this might be a cost saving choice or if it is in fact intentional.

Cooks who like to get their hands dirty in the garden and fans of Erin French are likely to enjoy this cookbook most. I rated it 3.5 stars but rounded down since half stars aren't an option on GRs.

[Racheal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this beautiful book! The book is organized by seasons, with lots of recipes along with brief essays on nature, gardening, foraging, cooking over open fire, etc. The book is full of gorgeous photography (of all of the recipes and nature).

The recipes are plant focused, interesting, and nutritious. It’s not a vegetarian cookbook, but many recipes in the book are vegetarian/vegan.

I tried a few recipes and have many more I plan to make. The Brussels sprouts and leeks with pistachio tahini was a unique and interesting dish! The beef and mushrooms in red wine sauce was delicious! I loved the kale raab and chickpea stew with coconut and dill was so easy and tasty- it will be going on regular lunch rotation!

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys gardening, foraging, and cooking!

Thank you to Clarkson Potter Publishers and NetGalley for the advance read e-copy! The book comes out March 5th, and I will be adding a hard copy to my shelves soon!

[Amy]

beautiful photos!

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Rooted Kitchen is a tutorial guide to foraging and reconnecting with nature including recipes developed and curated by Ashley Rodriguez. Released 5th March 2024 by Penguin Random House on their 10 Speed Press imprint, it's 272 pages and available in paperback format.

The author writes passionately and engagingly about foraging, love of environment, and the importance of stewardship of our precious vulnerable planet. The book is written clearly in layman's language and is easily accessible for the average reader. It's arranged logically with recipes collected in seasonal chapter. The author also cautions against over-harvesting, a vitally necessary reminder everyone needs to hear.

The recipes showcase forage-able ingredients. They're arranged by season: Spring - Summer - Fall - Winter. Recipe ingredients are in bullet lists with imperial (American) units, followed by step by step preparation and presentation instructions. Many of these recipes are *fancy* and would be right at home at a trendy local-sourced foodie restaurant. They're gorgeously styled and presented; some of them are breathtaking (pea and nettle butter toast with pickled shallots and mint is beautiful and appetizing). There are many meatless and vegan friendly dishes included, but not all are.

This is definitely one for dedicated foodies. It's a lovely book and would make a superlative choice for public library acquisition, gift giving, and home reference. Some of the ingredients take a while (days) to prepare, so this is definitely not a "have dinner on the table in 30 minutes" type book. Slow, meditative food, well prepared.

Four and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[The Sassy Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review: Rooted Kitchen by Ashley Rodriguez

Rating: 4 stars

Rooted Kitchen by Ashley Rodriguez is a delightful cookbook that not only offers over 80 inventive recipes but also serves as a guide to deepen your relationship with the natural world. The book is organized seasonally, making it easy to find recipes that make the most of fresh, local ingredients. From comforting Nettle Orecchiette with Sausage and Mint in spring to Fire-Roasted Pumpkin Fondue with Chanterelles in fall, the recipes are both inventive and delicious.

One of the standout features of Rooted Kitchen is its focus on foraging, preserving, and cooking over an open fire. The book provides tips for harvesting ingredients like mushrooms and edible flowers, along with beginner foraging techniques. The mindfulness activities sprinkled throughout the book encourage readers to connect with nature through their food.

The layout of the cookbook is well thought out, with beautiful and plentiful photos that make flipping through the book a visually pleasing experience. The recipes are easy to follow, and the seasonal organization helps readers make the most of nearby nature's offerings. The "Seedy Rye Flatbread" recipe is a must-try and a testament to the deliciousness found within the pages.

As a reader, I particularly enjoyed the sections on foraging, which added an extra layer of depth to the culinary experience. Overall, Rooted Kitchen would be a perfect addition to any foodie's cookbook library, offering not only delicious recipes but also a fresh perspective on connecting with the earth through food. And let's not forget to mention that the cover of this cookbook is simply perfection in every way.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an opulent seasonal cookbook for gourmet recipes that sometimes contain foraged ingredients. There are photos for most recipes, but no nutritional information. The recipes sound delicious but are quite a bit fancier than the ones I typically cook as a cook who actually incorporates wild foods in my daily cooking. I’m not sure where the rule came from that all recipes involving foraged ingredients need to read like something you’d pay a hundred dollars for and leave hungry, but it definitely seems to be a rule somewhere. This is a lovely cookbook but I really feel like it’s written more for people stuck in a city and dreaming of a foraging lifestyle rather than for regular folks who are actually gathering foods like wild mushrooms, nettles and spruce tips. Also, it would benefit from far more wild foods (mulberries, lambs quarters, acorns, pheasant backs mushrooms, gooseberries, violets, dandelions, dock seeds…) and in the section on ramps she did not go into sustainability for these greens that are being drastically overharvested in many places and she showed them being dug up with roots, which I won’t even go into but will certainly get the foraging police after you. These are still wonderful recipes but they are perhaps best suited for the type of people who buy their foraged ingredients at the farmers market and the rest of their ingredients at Whole Foods or some little grocery in Martha‘s Vineyard.

I read a temporary digital copy of this book for review.

[Tiffany Detweiler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rooted Kitchen by Ashley Rodriguez was a delightful surprise! As someone who savors growing my own food and eating seasonally, I really appreciated Ashley's heart behind writing this cookbook. She gives the reader a unique glimpse into living and eating in the Pacific Northwest!
The cookbook and recipes are sectioned by the four seasons and do a good job of capturing the essence of each one. Ashley also very briefly gives information on foraging, preserving and fermenting foods. While I love that she included those aspects in this cookbook, I would encourage people to do more research and look into other books that go more in depth before actually trying to forage/preserve/ferment on their own.
I don't think this cookbook will be for everyone but I do believe it will delight those of us who are comfortable with trying new ingredients and desire to eat seasonally with great appreciation to nature and all it can offer!

[Laura S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is spectacular for the "crunchy" crowd. I really appreciate the earth-centric theme and separation by season. Some of the ingredients in this book may need to be foraged for, but that's half the fun! Connection to the earth and eating food you've found or grown yourself is so important. Some of the recipes may seem daunting, but nothing looked overly difficult for the average home chef. I am personally wary of cooking and baking using pine needles, but would maybe try it. There are some recipes in here that I will definitely be trying.

I was reminded a lot of Erin French's method of preparing menus and food at The Lost Kitchen.

Every photo is absolutely stunning, which is a huge plus for any cookbook.

Thank you for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautiful recipe book!

It's sorted by season starting with spring. There's information on each season with corresponding recipes. There's a focus on foraging and getting food from the Earth. There's helpful tips and suggestions on how to find some of the ingredients. This isn't the kind of recipe book I'd use for regular meals, but there's a lot of interesting and unique recipes using ingredients like maple blossoms, ramps, and other things you can grow at home which I liked. I wish there were some more pictures of finished recipes, but overall it's a nice cook book.

[Bonnie Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gorgeous book, but not for me. This book requires either time, money, or both. Many of the recipes require at least one uncommon or expensive ingredient, and often the time to forage for something unusual. As a working mom, I found this book to mostly be inaccessible to me and to be fair, I made few of the recipes because of it.

It is a beautiful thing to be able to forage for food and to connect to food this way; it also requires a certain degree of privilege. I could see this book being absolutely lovely in retirement and there are still a few recipes I’d like to try, when I find the time to plan all the ingredients ahead.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

The Rooted Kitchen is a book very far out of my scope but is extremely interesting and informative. Readers wanting to start foraging or are already gathering and foraging will really appreciate this book. For the right reader, this book will provide so many tips, recipes, and ideas for gathered food. I however, am absolutely not that person, however I do appreciate the obvious passion and thoroughness of the author. The photos are gorgeous and the instructions are clear. A very unique and beautiful book.

[Jodi Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book with a great variety of recipes. We tried Celeriac cassoulet with crispy herb and gruyere crumbs- so good. We weren't able to use celery root but wow was this good. We even left off the topping. Can't wait to try it with everything. I am so excited to try the pistachio tahini. The photos are beautiful a few have too many shadows for me it appears more arty than food related. The entire book is a really beautiful read.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Ashley’s recipes and all her cookbooks are outstanding. I gave this four rather than five stars because some of the ingredients were unavailable to someone in Arizona, so I couldn’t make all the recipes.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully laid out, but nothing super new.

[Bayla Jacobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating recipes with fresh flavors for each season!

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every recipe we have tried so far has been amazing and I love how my locally foraged ingredients are included.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

beautiful and thoughtful cookbook, but not practical for how I eat