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Local Dirt: Seasonal Recipes for Eating Close to Home
The author of the popular farm-to-table cookbook Dishing Up the Dirt returns with a dazzling collection of inventive recipes using farm-fresh ingredients, inspired by her commitment to supporting the local food movement.For Andrea Bemis, eating locally is a way of life. After all, her and her husband own and operate an organic vegetable farm in the Pacific Northwest, and the produce they grow—from kale and kohlrabi to beets and butternut squash—is at the heart of the meals they serve and eat at their dinner table. They supplement their harvest with food produced by their neighbors, including the ranchers who supply their meat, and the orchardists who provide their fruit.
Andrea has always identified as a sustainable eater—until one day, when she opened a can of coconut milk and realized she had no idea where it came from. This propelled her to look more closely at her pantry, taking stock of the other ingredients that may have traveled some distance. Considering the energy used to transport the avocados, olive oil, and lemons to her Northern Oregon kitchen, she came up with an idea—a 30-day challenge to cook and eat only local food grown from local dirt, using ingredients produced within 200 miles of her home.
In Local Dirt, Andrea shares her journey through stories, photographs, and more than 80 recipes, re-creating a not-so-distant world when the ingredients cooked and eaten were produced within local communities. Organized by season, the delicious and creative dishes in this truly sustainable cookbook includes Fennel Gratin, Kohlrabi Yogurt Salad with Smoked Salmon, Winter Squash Toast with Honey & Hazelnuts, and Zucchini Swiss Chard & Chickpea Stew. Best of all, the recipes can be adapted to utilize any local fare.
Ultimately, Andrea found that the “challenge” she set out for herself wasn’t a challenge at all, but an opportunity to go back to basics, slow down, and connect even more deeply with her community. In Local Dirt, she offers the inspiration, instruction, and advice we need to eat deliciously and sustainably.
Andrea has always identified as a sustainable eater—until one day, when she opened a can of coconut milk and realized she had no idea where it came from. This propelled her to look more closely at her pantry, taking stock of the other ingredients that may have traveled some distance. Considering the energy used to transport the avocados, olive oil, and lemons to her Northern Oregon kitchen, she came up with an idea—a 30-day challenge to cook and eat only local food grown from local dirt, using ingredients produced within 200 miles of her home.
In Local Dirt, Andrea shares her journey through stories, photographs, and more than 80 recipes, re-creating a not-so-distant world when the ingredients cooked and eaten were produced within local communities. Organized by season, the delicious and creative dishes in this truly sustainable cookbook includes Fennel Gratin, Kohlrabi Yogurt Salad with Smoked Salmon, Winter Squash Toast with Honey & Hazelnuts, and Zucchini Swiss Chard & Chickpea Stew. Best of all, the recipes can be adapted to utilize any local fare.
Ultimately, Andrea found that the “challenge” she set out for herself wasn’t a challenge at all, but an opportunity to go back to basics, slow down, and connect even more deeply with her community. In Local Dirt, she offers the inspiration, instruction, and advice we need to eat deliciously and sustainably.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 13, 2020
48 people are currently reading
157 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 21, 2021
Local Dirt -
Overall, I would recommend this cookbook.
Scale of 1-5, 5 being best.
Design: 4
[5] Is the book bound nicely? Can I leave it open on the counter to read while cooking?
[3] Does the cover of the book inspire me?
[4.5] Are there pictures for most recipes?
[1] Are there diagrams for trickier techniques?
[5] Is the organization/flow of recipes logical?
Content: 4
[4] Do the recipes taste good?
[4] Are the recipes easy?
[4] Are the recipes enjoyably challenging?
[3] Are the ingredients easy to source?
[5] Is the mix of memoir/narrative appropriate?
Miscellaneous: 4
[Y] Did I learn something new?
[N] Did I add anything to my “Best recipes” album?
[Y] Did I add any recipes to my “Recipes” album?
[Y] Is there anything I didn’t make that I’m very excited about?
[Y] Did any recipes fail?
Design:
The book itself is bound nicely. I usually most appreciate a cover that makes me hungry when I look at it, sorry Andrea : ) I’m really impressed by how many recipes have photos – the only ones that don’t are mostly components of recipes, like the recipe for herb butter, or ketchup. There are no diagrams for cooking/preparing techniques. The book is organized by season, which I found incredibly useful – it was intuitive in many ways, and when it wasn’t intuitive it was educational (“why wouldn’t that be in the spring section? …oh, because it’s imported when I eat it in the spring”).
Content:
The recipes are tasty, with the honey and cider beans, pumpkin hazelnut bread, white bean chicken chili, and a power muffin recipe all coming to mind. The recipes are easy enough, although a lot of substitutions might need to be made if you’re keeping with the spirit of the book. The recipes weren’t too simple, and I found myself engaged while cooking. The ingredients are easy to source, in a way. The entire theme of the book is cooking with what is both local and in season. For that reason, given the book is based on the local PNW options and I live in Chicago, there was a lot of substituting out hazelnuts, etc. for other things (sometimes to something more local, mostly to things I like more than hazelnuts). I’ve given ingredient-sourcing a 3 because you’ll need to think about what to substitute in, and if you don’t have strong intuition for flavor profiles this could be a big challenge. The amount of narrative works nicely and doesn’t overrun the book – it serves almost entirely to support the main theme of the book.
I learned a LOT about local and sustainable cooking. My biggest take-away is that spring consists of asparagus, tender herbs (dill), and old root vegetables that managed to survive the winter. I haven’t added any recipes to my Best Recipes album, but that’s a high bar and I’ll update this is anything makes the cut. I kept a LOT within my recipes album, and I’m so excited that it’s almost time to make the chicken pot pie from scratch. I did make the mushrooms cooked over a campfire, and found they were just a bit too acidic from the wine – which was interesting, given how much I love cooked mushrooms, smoke, and cooking with wine… But regardless, everything else turned out well.
Overall, I would recommend this cookbook.
Scale of 1-5, 5 being best.
Design: 4
[5] Is the book bound nicely? Can I leave it open on the counter to read while cooking?
[3] Does the cover of the book inspire me?
[4.5] Are there pictures for most recipes?
[1] Are there diagrams for trickier techniques?
[5] Is the organization/flow of recipes logical?
Content: 4
[4] Do the recipes taste good?
[4] Are the recipes easy?
[4] Are the recipes enjoyably challenging?
[3] Are the ingredients easy to source?
[5] Is the mix of memoir/narrative appropriate?
Miscellaneous: 4
[Y] Did I learn something new?
[N] Did I add anything to my “Best recipes” album?
[Y] Did I add any recipes to my “Recipes” album?
[Y] Is there anything I didn’t make that I’m very excited about?
[Y] Did any recipes fail?
Design:
The book itself is bound nicely. I usually most appreciate a cover that makes me hungry when I look at it, sorry Andrea : ) I’m really impressed by how many recipes have photos – the only ones that don’t are mostly components of recipes, like the recipe for herb butter, or ketchup. There are no diagrams for cooking/preparing techniques. The book is organized by season, which I found incredibly useful – it was intuitive in many ways, and when it wasn’t intuitive it was educational (“why wouldn’t that be in the spring section? …oh, because it’s imported when I eat it in the spring”).
Content:
The recipes are tasty, with the honey and cider beans, pumpkin hazelnut bread, white bean chicken chili, and a power muffin recipe all coming to mind. The recipes are easy enough, although a lot of substitutions might need to be made if you’re keeping with the spirit of the book. The recipes weren’t too simple, and I found myself engaged while cooking. The ingredients are easy to source, in a way. The entire theme of the book is cooking with what is both local and in season. For that reason, given the book is based on the local PNW options and I live in Chicago, there was a lot of substituting out hazelnuts, etc. for other things (sometimes to something more local, mostly to things I like more than hazelnuts). I’ve given ingredient-sourcing a 3 because you’ll need to think about what to substitute in, and if you don’t have strong intuition for flavor profiles this could be a big challenge. The amount of narrative works nicely and doesn’t overrun the book – it serves almost entirely to support the main theme of the book.
I learned a LOT about local and sustainable cooking. My biggest take-away is that spring consists of asparagus, tender herbs (dill), and old root vegetables that managed to survive the winter. I haven’t added any recipes to my Best Recipes album, but that’s a high bar and I’ll update this is anything makes the cut. I kept a LOT within my recipes album, and I’m so excited that it’s almost time to make the chicken pot pie from scratch. I did make the mushrooms cooked over a campfire, and found they were just a bit too acidic from the wine – which was interesting, given how much I love cooked mushrooms, smoke, and cooking with wine… But regardless, everything else turned out well.
January 17, 2023
I love this cookbook for many reasons:
The pictures are great.
It’s arranged seasonally.
It’s whole ingredient cooking.
I can never remember how to roast a chicken and there happens to be a recipe for roast chicken.
The oxtail soup and chicken pot pie recipes are just amazing.
The pictures are great.
It’s arranged seasonally.
It’s whole ingredient cooking.
I can never remember how to roast a chicken and there happens to be a recipe for roast chicken.
The oxtail soup and chicken pot pie recipes are just amazing.
May 2, 2023
Amazing! A wonderful, simple ode to American cooking that challenges you to examine where you get food, and encourages you to take the long way (sometimes! There are slow cooker recipes here too!!) You MUST try the “Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic” — then tell me this book isn’t delicious. Would recommend to any intermediate cook, or someone a little more experienced looking for new root vegetables to experiment with or a refresher on the possibilities of Pacific Northwest cooking. Book also provides great suggestions for “localizing” dishes outside of the region, though, so don’t let that dissuade you!
March 10, 2021
very excited to make all of these recipes. i’ll let you know how the recipes work out. but besides that, i know it’s a recipe book, but you get quite a bit of andrea’s story in this. their journey of the local 30 is very inspiring, and after reading through all the anecdotes, the stories behind the recipes, and the simplicity of the recipes themselves (beautiful photos too!) i’m super inspired to get back to this style of cooking. it makes me want to go to the farmers market (it’s early march 🙄) and start a bunch of seeds. it makes me want to learn how to can and pickle. it makes me want to go fishing! and it really makes me want to eat more local. maybe my own local 30 will happen this summer....
January 22, 2021
Unless you are preparing meals in a restaurant or a home chef looking for meat-driven main dishes, I would skip this book.
I was so sad when this book finally arrived to find 95% of the recipes are meat focused. As someone trying to live a more "local" life i understand that meat and fish make up a portion of the daily diet, but i had hoped the author would take a sustainable approach to living locally. Having 50%+ of your plate filled with meat at every meal is not possible for all people on the planet, nor is it healthy for many body types.
I was so sad when this book finally arrived to find 95% of the recipes are meat focused. As someone trying to live a more "local" life i understand that meat and fish make up a portion of the daily diet, but i had hoped the author would take a sustainable approach to living locally. Having 50%+ of your plate filled with meat at every meal is not possible for all people on the planet, nor is it healthy for many body types.
May 2, 2021
My initial impression of this book was that the recipes were going to be very fussy. In reality, they are pretty simple (and good!). Plus, I appreciate the suggested substitutions.
My only gripe is that a lot of the recipes are quite heavy or rich, or are just a really simple side dish, which isn’t how I prefer to eat on a regular basis. Could be a little more imaginative in my opinion, but would be good for someone who knows nothing about cooking!
My only gripe is that a lot of the recipes are quite heavy or rich, or are just a really simple side dish, which isn’t how I prefer to eat on a regular basis. Could be a little more imaginative in my opinion, but would be good for someone who knows nothing about cooking!
January 26, 2021
Love the ideas of this book- eating local, in season, stock up, support local farmers.
March 29, 2023
Not vegetarian. Another local cookbook. Don't think I would make anything in this cookbook. It's a beautiful book, but I feel like there are so many of this type of cookbook these days.
March 10, 2024
A great read and the recipes are too! Thought I'd have to buy it but maybe I'll just look at her website. A challenge of sorts to eat more locally here too.
September 19, 2025
This is my current favorite cookbook. It is a GREAT way to work through my CSA box each week. I wish she had a list of local produce in each region to make swapping easier
March 30, 2026
This book covers a lot of what I’ve tried to focus on in my cooking/diet to various levels of success. It’s helpful that it is PNW focused for sure.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews