Book Review:

How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table by Russ Parsons

I have the most amazing used book store around the corner from my apartment which just so happens to be over-flowing into the streets with books (literally, I'm sure this problem will be a little more tolerable now that the snow has *fingers crossed* gone for the season). I find myself perusing it's stacks at least once a month, though I'm sure I will be making weekly visits in the coming season, since it's prime location is right along my foot path to the farmer's market! The absolute best part about this used book store is that it's situated in the perfect neighborhood for any used book junkie: Hyde Park. This part of town contains an eclectic mixture of neighbors, ranging from the President of the United States to the dirt poor college kid. As a result, it's collection of books is unbelievably varied! This bodes well for the foodie in me, since the "Cookbook & Foods" section is constantly being stocked with must-read books at must-buy prices! I found this book nestled in the stacks a few weeks ago and have had my nose buried deep in it every night before bed, and here is what I've learned:

1. The American food system will very rarely produce anything remotely similar to what it might perfectly resemble. Though to be fair, anyone with a trained palate and a large chain grocery store around the corner could tell you that. The quote on the front cover says it best: "Tired of tomatoes the size, taste, and texture of softballs?..." Why yes, I am, and I long for the days of being barefoot and carefree, picking fresh tomatoes from my grandparent's garden, which as my memory serves me, were far tastier than any store bought tomato I can recall!
2. Bananas will continue to ripen after picking (obviously) but at a much slower rate than most any other fruit! I find this astonishing since my bananas seem to turn brown the second I turn my back to them. Conveniently I've learned to love them, all spotted and soft (on the verge of being the perfect banana bread ingredient, a recipe that I plan to share with you all in the next week or so).
3. Figs are actually a cluster of flowers turned inside-out! Those little "pops" you feel when you eat them are actually hundreds of tiny seeds. And for many varieties, the only way to fertilize the flower is with the aide of a two-millimeter long wasp which crawls inside of the fig through a small hole in the base and then deposits its pollen. And even stranger, if the wasp stays inside for too long, a naturally occurring, protein- digesting enzyme called ficin will dissolve it and any pesky eggs which might be loitering for too long. Weird.
4. Small farms can actually function quite successfully within the conventional farm circuit, without completely relinquishing their souls... this is hope after all.
5. I am a very bad person for enjoying a bowl full of salad greens everyday at lunch in the midst of winter.

Okay, I could go on for a while like this.. do yourself a favor, read the book! It's packed full of fun little tidbits (some of which I used when writing about souffles and lemon curd a few weeks back). Each section ends with an explanation of where your food is grown, how to choose it at the market, how to store it once you get home and a few fabulous recipes, almost all of which sound like they are worth trying. My only quibble: he recommends storing most everything in plastic, which I'm not a fan of in the slightest, why choose plastic when you can stock up on reusable glass containers or my personal favorite, the brown paper lunch sack.

Here is one very tasty sounding recipe from Mr. Parson's book, which I can't wait to whip up this weekend:

Old-Fashioned Orange Cake, aka Mamma Cake
1 navel orange
1 cup raisins
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 large eggs
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp buttermilk
2 cups cake flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp chopped walnuts
1 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
2. Scrub the rind of the orange well, cut off both ends, chop into large segments (peel on).
3. In a food processor: pulse the raisins until coarsely chopped, add orange chunks pulse until everything is in small equal-size pieces. Remove from food processor, set aside.
4. Again, in the food processor: pulse the sugar and shortening together to combine. Add the eggs one at a time while processing, scrape down the sides when needed. The mixture should be smooth, light and fluffy.
5. Add 3/4 cup buttermilk and process to combine. The mixture should be very liquid and may look slightly separated.
6. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder, add the the processor. Pulse just to combine into a smooth batter.
7. Set aside 2 tbsp of the orange raisin mixture, add the remaining mixture to the processor, pulse once. Add walnuts, pulse once; do not over-process.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, bake approximately 35-40 minutes, until the sides begin to brown and pull away from the pan, the cake should still be moist in the middle.
9. Whisk together remaining 2 tbsp of buttermilk and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Whisk in reserved orange-raisin mixture and spread the icing over the hot cake. Serve at room temperature.

Enjoy.

(Note: No really, I swear to God, I am a nutritionist, even though this recipe is made of mostly processed carbohydrates, sugar and shortening. I think that sometimes, you just need to treat yourself.)