Cookbook Reviews - Vegan Rustic Cooking

Vegan Rustic Cooking - Through the Seasons
© 2006 by Diana White
ISBN: 9781856230346

Reviewer: Kip from Florida, U.S.A.:

With refreshing popular interest in the environment, millions of people are learning about the benefits of eating vegan, organic, local and seasonal foods. Many who are making these kinds of positive changes or would like to, will be pleased to discover a book that was written with them in mind.

Vegan Rustic Cooking is about slow food; food that has been selected, cultivated, harvested, prepared and eaten with deliberate care and reverence. It follows the rhythms and patterns of nature. It is delicious, nutritious, clean, green, compassionate and very pro- planet. Vegan Rustic Cooking is an instrument that helps to fully enjoy nature’s bounty.

Vegan Rustic Cooking is a breeze to use. For example, when we first brought the book home, it was mid summer in Florida and we had plump avocados on the tree. A quick look through the book revealed an innovative index at the back where recipes are uniquely referenced by main ingredient as well as alphabetically. Listed underneath “Avocados” are "Avocado Sauce on Ribbon Pasta" and "Bulgar, Avocado and Pecan Salad". A quick glance shows that each salad calls for some onion, tomato, cucumber and parsley which are all in season as well. The season is also listed at the top of the recipe page. The dish was easily prepared and absolutely delicious!

Diana White is a long time vegan, who along with her husband, grows fruits and vegetables via the vegan organic method. She is also Trustee of the Vegan Organic Network, an international group concerned with local, organic growing. The Vegan Organic Network is on the leading edge of truly sustainable and responsible agriculture that is quickly finding its way around the world. The vegan organic method not only avoids using synthetic nutrients, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides but also avoids bringing animal manures, blood, bones, feathers and fish parts onto the farm. Fertility is maintained with nitrogen-fixing legumes and other nutrient- concentrating plants and plant-based composts which to the greatest extent possible come from the same farm.

The Vegan Organic Network has lead the world in developing third party verified vegan organic growing standards in the United Kingdom and has recently brought this program to North America through Quality Certification Services. The farm that this writer operates is proud to be certified under these standards.

When locally grown organic food is eaten in season, maximum freshness and nutritional content are assured. By eating locally grown food, a consumer can avoid the environmental costs of transporting foods across continents or even oceans as well as the nutritional penalty of harvesting these high food mile crops early so they will not spoil enroute to distant markets. Buying local also helps build a healthy community. Seek out and support your local growers, and if they are not growing vegan organically, encourage them to do so! For more information on this revolutionary approach to agriculture, check out Vegan-Organic Network at www.veganorganic.net. And on your next trip home with your enticing variety of fresh local produce, pick up a copy of Vegan Rustic Cooking to help you really enjoy it!