ORGANIC: FARMERS & CHEFS OF THE HUDSON VALLEY
Photographs by Francesco Mastalia, introduction by Gail Buckland, foreword by Mark Ruffalo, preface by Joan Dye Gussow
powerHouse Books, 2014, $49.95
Mastalia's luminous photographs cross-pollinate with eloquent words in this stirring and beautiful book. Ambrotypes produced with 19th-century technology, they give work-worn faces the textured patina of Civil War portraits. Aesthetics and subject meld perfectly as 21st-century women and men reembrace the beauty of old ways. Buckland writes, "Sunlight and patience with a dash of love. What is true for the farmer is true for the photographer." Book launch 11/9 at 4pm, Oblong Books & Music, Rhinebeck.
SIMPLE RECIPES FOR JOY: MORE THAN 200
DELCIOUS VEGAN RECIPES
Sharon Gannon, foreword by Kris Carr
Avery, 2014, $40
From its mad tea party cover, vibrant purple and orange graphics, and recipes for seven Chakra Smoothies featured at Gannon's Jivamuktea Café, it's abundantly clear that this cookbook embraces life. "There is no more direct and powerful way to make a positive impact than being vegan," Gannon writes; her unfussy, delectable recipes will bless your Thanksgiving table with compassion. Appearing 11/8 at 2pm, Mirabai, Woodstock; 12/5 at Golden Notebook, Woodstock.
GARLIC, AN EDIBLE BIOGRAPHY
Robin Cherry
Roost Books, 2014, $16.96
"Other foods may have fans; garlic has lovers," writes Red Hook food and travel writer Cherry, whose ardent pursuit of "the Lord Byron of produce" has taken her from Central Asia to Saugerties. Studded with lively historical anecdotes, vampire lore, planting tips, and 75 internationally reeking recipes, this is a fitting tribute to "the world's most pungent food." Appearing 11/16, 11am-1pm, Rhinebeck Farmers Market.
SPICES & SEASONS: SIMPLE, SUSTAINABLE INDIAN FLAVORS
Rinku Bhattacharya, foreword by Suvir Saran
Hippocrene Books, 2014, $35
"Cooking in Westchester" blogger and journalist Bhattacharya and her husband maintain a backyard garden that, supplemented by farmers' market bounty and well-chosen spices and herbs, keeps their family "eating the rainbow" all year. Her straightforward, flexible approach to Indian cooking is "about flavors, freshness, and love." Too much eggplant in your CSA share? Beets going wild? Try a smoky Baigan Bhartha or Cardamom-Scented Beet Halwa. Your palate will thank you.
FRESH COOKING: A YEAR OF RECIPES FROM THE GARRISON INSTITUTE KITCHEN
Shelley Boris, foreword by Rozanne Gold, photographs by Caroline Kasterine
Monkfish Books, 2014, $29.99
Housed in a former Capuchin friary, the Garrison Center is a retreat center for "scientists, rinpoches, Zen archers, teachers, doctors, students, and the general public." All are well-fed by Shelley Boris, who left foodie Manhattan behind to make bountiful, vegetarian-friendly locavore meals in Garrison's kitchen. Here are a year's worth of seasonal menus to try in your own, from Onion Soup with Sprout Creek Cheese and Sour Rye Toast to Flourless Chocolate Cake.
POISONED APPLES: POEMS FOR YOU, MY PRETTY
Christine Heppermann
Greenwillow, 2014, $17.99
There's one in every bunch. Food has its dark side, and Heppermann's razor-sharp, sometimes wickedly funny poems speak to young women who writhe in the grip of the beauty myth. Intermingling Grimm's fairytales with the Abercrombie dressing room, she conjures "a girl who longed to be brave / enough to stick her finger down her throat, / to measure herself by the teaspoon, / to shrink to the size of a serving." Appearing 11/16 at 4pm, Hudson Valley YA Society at Oblong Books & Music, Rhinebeck.