Field Notes for Food Adventure: Recipes and Stories from the Woods to the Ocean

by Brad Leone

NEW YORK TIMES  BESTSELLER • A FOOD52 BEST COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR • Join Brad Leone, star of Bon Appétit 's hit YouTube series It's Alive , for a year of cooking adventures, tall tales, and fun with fire and fermentation in more than 80 ingenious recipes
 
Come along with Brad Leone as he explores forests, fields, rivers, and the ocean in the hunt for great food and good times. These pages are Brad’s field notes from a year of adventures in the Northeast, getting out into nature to discover its bounty, and capturing memorable ideas for making delicious magic at home anytime.
 
He taps maple trees to make syrup, and shows how to use it in surprising ways. He forages for ramps and mushrooms, and preserves their flavors for seasons to come. He celebrates the glory of tomatoes along with undersung fruits of the sea like squid and seaweed. Inspiration comes from hikes into the woods, trips to the dock, and cooking poolside in the dead of summer. And every dish has a signature Brad Leone approach—whether that’s in Sous Vide Mountain Ribs or Spicy Smoked Tomato Chicken , S umac Lemonade or Fermented Bloody Marys , Cold Root Salad , Marinated Beans , or just a few shakes of a Chile Hot Sauce that’s dead simple to make.
 
This is a book about experimentation, adventure, fermentation, fire, and having fun while you’re cooking. And hey, you might just learn a thing or two. Let’s get going!

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Culinary, Memoir, Foodie

352 pages, Hardcover

Published November 23, 2021

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Field Notes for Food Adventure: Recipes and Stories from the Woods to the Ocean by Brad Leone is a 2021 Voracious/ Little Brown & Co. Publication.

I love recipe books!! Sometimes I just like thumbing through them, looking at the lovely presentations and the unique ways of preparing food, I never would have thought of.

This book grabbed my attention because of the title. I have never seen the YouTube series, but I had an idea the author would introduce me to foods found in specific locations, that were perhaps, off the beaten path.

I thought it would be interesting to see what those unique ingredients and methods of preparation might be- and who knows, I might find something I could try, even if the ingredients were hard to find or didn’t grow in my neck of the woods.

I’m glad I gave the book a chance. As it turns out the author sticks mainly to locations in the Northeast- which is a long way away from me.

Still, I loved the unique adventures, and learned a lot about fermentation, fungus- aka- mushrooms- and maple syrup. I’ll have to take a pass on the squid, though.

This book has some interesting preparation methods, and I thought, as I was looking through it, that this one might be a big draw for those who enjoy fly fishing and hunting.

Truly, I think this book, is quite educational!!

As to finding a work around for these recipes- I would say- absolutely!!

No, I can’t get the ramp onions around here, and no I wouldn’t be able to get the exotic mushrooms, but there is no reason why one couldn’t prepare these dishes using some substitutes common in your region.

The book also made me think about visiting the Northeast someday- and I will have to find the time to check out the author’s YouTube channel- “It’s Alive!”

This is not the typical cookbook, or Recipe book. It has a gorgeous presentation, with vivid color photographs- including photos of the locale, which are incredible!

Overall, this is an enlightening, adventurous book for those who enjoy gathering ingredients in the great outdoors- from the woods and the oceans- as the title states.

It would also make a great Christmas gift!!

4 stars

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brad’s cookbook was sold out at so many shops so quickly for very good reasons. What a wholesome, thicc chunk of loveliness. Basically a compilation of what I suspect to be Brad’s favourite recipes/comfort food. Mostly very simple recipes with an extra touch, but certainly not something you can just look up on a ‘Google’ search. Most of the recipes are also inspired by the people in Brad’s life, and he credits them all very generously and appropriately. It’d make a spectacular gift. The photographs and writing are also very stunning (which isn’t something I expect from cookbooks but definitely something nice to have). My favourite sections are 1 (Maple) and 3 (Squid) . Do expect a good amount of ‘fermented’ stuff. Mostly light fermentation, so – the easy but delicious stuff.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to subscribe to Bon Appetit magazine, but I hadn't ever watched any of Brad Leone's video series for the publication. I liked that in his introduction he talked about growing up in rural New Jersey and being in nature and foraging/hunting/fishing for food. The recipe chapters are unique from most cookbooks, it's not organized by type of recipe, but rather by season or a specific ingredient like maple syrup or ramps. I did like that he included a chapter on wild game because it feels like fewer and fewer people hunt and eat wild game anymore. But, many of the recipe sections were some sort of seafood and I'm allergic to most seafood so I couldn't eat most of the recipes in those sections. I also found the giant/oversize/weird fonts used in the book very distracting. Maybe I'm too old, but it felt like it made the cookbook look very weird - the headings for a recipe would be HUGE, then the actual recipe would be pretty small font. It felt like it was laid out by a child and someone with serious vision issues. For whatever reason that really bothered me. Overall, if you're into seafood you could probably find some good recipes in here, but I didn't find anything I wanted to try.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book, a joy to read.

Gorgeous photos.

Bon Appetit!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the stories! The photography was superb. I ❤️ Brad

[Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great advertisement for New Jersey. A pleasure to read.

[Arabella Forster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE BRAD

[Zack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Exactly what I had expected. The stories are great and the recipes look good. The chapter about his dad was a nice addition.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has great recipes that aren’t too difficult to recreate at home. The seaweed wrapped whitefish recipe gets made about twice a month, so good

[Victoria Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Brad and his stories and messages throughout the book. The recipes are both simple and also complex at the same time. Not a ton of recipes for the average cook but the vibes were great.

[Derrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can's say I've ever read a cookbook before, but hey I did this one. If you enjoy Brad, which I do, this is some of his story. Plus some good recipes.

[Sari · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an ARC of Brad Leone’s book through the Goodreads Giveaway program. I think the text is well-written, but the recipes themselves were not particularly appealing to this cook. In addition, the ARC edition seemed hastily printed in all black and white. The numerous photos in the book were so dark as to be nearly impossible to see clearly. There is some good basic information about fermentation processes. Because I did not receive a finished copy, it was hard for me to evaluate this book.