Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables

by Farmer John Peterson

Join the real food revolution with a true pioneer in the Community Supported Agriculture movement―Farmer John Peterson and his farm, Angelic Organics. Angelic Organics is a leader in community supported gardening and biodynamics, helping to connect people with their food, their farmers, and healthful living.
With exciting recipes grouped by season and by vegetable, The Real Dirt Cookbook provides cooking tips, serving suggestions, and evocative descriptions of each dish, and teaches readers new ways to use a surplus of basil, cabbage, tomatoes, or whatever veggie is plentiful. Find new ways to use a huge variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs.
Also included in the book is an Illustrated Vegetable Identification Guide and tips on long-term vegetable and herb storage and preservation methods (such as freezing, drying, canning, and lactic acid fermentation). Whether you grow your own veggies, spend lingering mornings at the farmer’s market, or pluck your produce from shelves at the local supermarket, The Real Dirt Cookbook is an invaluable resource on growing, cooking, and storing real food.
Watch for the DVD release of The Real Dirt on Farmer John, the award-winning feature documentary film by Taggart Siegel, about the dramatic failure of Farmer John’s conventional farming operation and its resurrection into a thriving, organic CSA farm! Coming Spring 2006. Visit www.AngelicOrganics.com for more information.
“[Farmer John is] part of a movement that connects to the same movement that Alice Waters has helped lead and facilitate, coming from another part of the system.”
―Al Gore, in his introduction of The Real Dirt on Farmer John, San Francisco’s Castro Theatre, June 2005
Lifelong farmer John Peterson runs Angelic Organics, one of the largest Community Supported Agriculture farms in the United States. John brings the discipline of farming in the Midwest to his winters of writing in Mexico. John’s essays have been featured in books and articles, including in The Sun, Growing for Market, Biodynamic Magazine, Lilipoh, and Community Farm News. John makes public presentations about farming to groups and conferences worldwide. He lives in Illinois.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Gardening, Nonfiction, Reference

360 pages, Paperback

First published April 19, 2006

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, there's some serious mumbo jumbo going on in parts of this book ('root vegetebles have spiritual forces which act on the lungs', etc. (loosely paraphrasing)). But if I need recipes for strange vegetables at farmers markets next summer, I'll know where to get them.

[Betsy Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-have for CSA members

[Abby Stopka · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this is good for anybody who gets csa boxes or goes to the farmers market. There's lots of good recipes for vegetables for veggies and stuff. He doesn't concentrate near as much on meat but kind of the middle of the road and it's still a fairly good cookbook. I probably wouldn't use some of the recipes in here but there are definitely a few I would use such as the chocolate beat cake.

[Cyndi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the format of this book confusing and cluttered. The recipes were rather basic and uninspired.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect when I picked up this book; I guess I thought it was some treatise on eco-local-vega-holism. In a way I suppose it is, but so much more entertaining than any dry testimonial. Come on, how can you not like a book which includes not only recipes for rutabagas, but also the suggestion that "Rutabaga" is a fine pet name? Farmer John's writing style leans to the aw-shucks kind of familiarity (the guy is hardly a hayseed), but his passion for his crops is charming. He is at least no more annoying than your average organic convert, which speaks volumes. I especially liked the sidebars; excerpts from customer fan letters and "overheard" quotes from volunteers and staff members at Angelic Organics. I haven't tried any of the recipes, but I became inspired to break free from my corn-and-peas prison, food-wise. I'll bet that was the intention. Kohlrabi, anyone?

[Nicole Underthrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is my vegetable encyclopedia! i joined angelic organics after my friend kristen raved about them--and now i would like to pass the torch. from june until december i get beautiful organic veggies delivered to a location near my home. my friend laura and i acutally share it because it's too much for one person. anyway, back to the book. it divides vegetables by group and then tells you the best way to store/freeze them, what they are best paired with, recipes, and anecdotes from the farm. it gave me a new appreciation for locally grown, organic food and small farms.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a vegetarian, I am pretty picky about non-vegetarian cookbooks. This one is one of my favorites. It's got lots of simple recipes and even its non-veg recipes are generally adaptable to veg food. I also enjoy cooking more informally and thus I really like the general cooking ideas that are provided for each featured vegetable along with the formal recipes.

Especially recommended for people who regularly go to farmers' markets or get a CSA share.

[Happyreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved "The Real Dirt on Farmer John." Plus he's an Illinois farmer so his seasonal veggies are my seasonal veggies. I wanted to love this book but it's only OK. The recipes are servicable and the veggie notes OK. Nothing too exciting. Not that this takes anything away from Farmer John. An organic farming pioneer doesn't also have to be an amazing cookbook author. Growing high-quality veggies is plenty.

[Shawndra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great recipes, grouped by season/vegetable. In between there are treatises on nutrition, anthroposophy, and biodynamics. I've been curious about biodynamic farming since seeing the film The Real Dirt on Farmer John, and this book helped explain its history and philosophy. The nutritional advice is somewhat wacky, and Farmer John's sidebars range from self-conscious whimsy to arch wisdom to complete non sequitur. But I've already made three dishes from this book and all were winners.

[Brooklyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because it's not conventional. Like my friend Farmer John himself - The Farmer John Cookbook does things just a little bit differently. It's organized by season and includes recipes, musings by Farmer John, and lots of information about biodynamic farming. It's a great book to turn to when you've run out of ideas for what to do with kohlrabi and all of those other vegetables in your CSA box or at your farmer's market.

[Marilee · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have been shareholders in Farmer John's farm (Angelic Organics) for over 10 years. I use this book every Saturday when I open our weekly CSA share and need fresh ideas for cooking with the likes of eggplant, fennel, beets and a host of other veggies from lettuce to zucchini. This book is useful not only for the wonderful recipes but also for tips on storage and using fresh herbs.

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than a cookbook. Full of anecdotes and tidbits, pictures, storage info and charts showing when stuff is in season.

It's a celebration of farming in harmony with the Earth.

Farmer John's web site has additional info available.

It might be a 5-star book, but I haven't had a chance to try any of the recipes, yet.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this cookbook! My roommate bought it for me when I joined my first CSA. It gives basic instructions for cooking vegetables as well as recipes. It also gives pairings for veggies and herbs. It is very helpful in the kitchen and I enjoy learning about how the veggies grow, when and nutrient values. The stories on the side about the farm and insets from CSA members are also charming.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I especially like this cookbook because of its illustrations and descriptions of various produce items. Want to know about Chioggia beets? Raddichio? Kohlrabi? You'll find info and recipes for all CSA/farmers' markets items.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a member of Farmer John's CSA (Angelic Organics) for several years now, and no matter what I find in my veggie box, this cookbook always has several recipes to choose from - for any vegetable.

[Constance · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great resource that I received when I signed up for Angelic Organics CSA for the first time this year. I use it to identify veggies and find recipes for things I've never cooked with before - kale, tatsoi and garlic scapes to name a few.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yum-O. Fall is the perfect time to pour over recipes for fresh produce, and these recipes are definite winners. I especially like the marinated cucumber salad - it is like a batch of very fresh pickles.

[Meghan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know what I expected, but this easy it. I wanted recipes that only used the CSa stuff- or heavy on CSa stuff with limited Other stuff so I could really get the most from CSa. Without having to buy a ton from grocery store AND CSa. You know?

[Julia]

Good information on sustainable farming and lots of good veggie recipes. Very helpful if you have a shitload of fennel and need a comprehensive list of what one can do with fennel.

[Caroline]

So much more than a cookbook.

[Staci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool! Cookbook, gardening book, CSA newsletter, and much more all rolled into one!

[Corey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this book for its recipes and occasional musings about vegetables. The order of the recipes by season the crops comes in worked very well for unfamiliar farm share newbies.

[Kit · Rating 4 out of 5]

If only this cookbook was vegan....
Yummy seasonal recipes (based on midwestern food seasons) - most recipes are vegetarian and many are easily veganized.

[Brook]

Perfect companion to a CSA subscription. It helped me figure out what to do with kohlrabi, which was a foreign substance to me.

[Lorenzo Pilla]

There's also a great documentary on this guy.

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/re...

http://www.angelicorganics.com/ao/ind...

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just received this as a gift! So exciting...now I might know what to do with the three bags of parsnips in my fridge from the CSA

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have belonged to this CSA for several years. I really liked this book!

[BouBou · Rating 4 out of 5]

my favorite recipe in this book is the Indian Squash and split peas. So simple to put together the but flavors are amazing.

[Colette Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I refer to this book on a near-daily basis during the spring and summer when I am bringing home veggies from the CSA. I rarely follow a recipe, but I use it for inspiration and tips.

[Edith]

Good recipes, odd R. Steiner quotes.