Farmstead Chef

(New Society Publishers, $19.95)

I may be partial to the recipe and inspiration book Farmstead Chef because the award-winning, eco-friendly bed and breakfast  Inn Serendipity that the book’s authors founded is very close to my rural hometown in Wisconsin. So when I read this book, not only do I recognize the names of some people mentioned in the stories of modern rural farmsteading, I also recall many of the recipes that they include in the book as the local foods that I ate growing up.

Even so, I don’t think I’m the only one who will get a heartwarming feeling and a heaping dose of inspiration while reading the stories and preparing the recipes in Farmstead Chef. Authors Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko wrote the book (and live their lives) in a way that inspires us to “return to our roots of independence, self-sufficiency, and frugality.” I feel it, and I want it, even more after reading this book.

The recipes here span everything from breakfast (Tomato Breakfast Pie… yum!) to desserts (Peanut Butter Pumpkin Bread…please!), and include such old-time favorites as Freezer Pickles that are so easy to make and no canning required. All the recipes pass the “grandmother’s test” and fit on one page.

The stories woven through the book include tales of other people who live near the authors and as far away as California who have found inventive ways to belong to the local, sustainable, organic, self-sufficient food movement. These sections of the book, peppered as they are among the recipes, created the feeling of being at a good outdoor summer potluck on a farm with people who all have the same vision for positive change in the world and listening to each and every person’s story. Good stuff.

In the intro portion of the book, the authors share their story of how they came to own the piece of property in Wisconsin that is now home to their B&B and farm. It’s a particularly sweet story, and one that will give everyone who has ever dreamed of owning some land, growing some things, and being somewhat self-sufficient a lot of hope. A highly recommended cook-spiration book.