I first picked up Gristle: From Factory Farms to Food Safety (Thinking Twice About the Meat We Eat) because of its bright yellow cover.  As a new vegetarian, when I saw it was about the implications of factory farming, I was intrigued.  Wanting to learn more about the food I had always eaten and that most of the world still eats, I began reading it.  When I finished the book, I felt like my choice to be vegetarian suddenly had dimension and added depth.  I didn’t feel like I was doing anything “better” than anyone else by being vegetarian, but simply that the extent to which we are divorced from the knowledge of what factory farming does is a real shame and will end up harming us.

The word “Gristle” perfectly captures the experience of reading this book.  When you read it you are left with a nagging feeling.  Like gristle in your teeth, the information you read bothers you.  Once you’ve read this book, composed of bite-sized essays on different aspects of factory farming and its effects, you’re left with a sort of mental arsenal of facts, figures, and general information about factory farming.  This takes time to process, and you will be chewing on the ideas in the book for a while.

The essays are pulled together from a wide array of sources to create a comprehensive guide to the food we eat.  Edited by Moby with Miyun Park, each essay touches on one topic in relation to factory farming.  These topics include health, climate change, effects on workers, and global hunger.  It’s a sort of pocket-sized almanac.

Each essay is short enough and profound enough to be striking, surprising, informative and interesting.  Supplemented with charts, graphs, and diagrams the book is an easy read even with its heavy material.  Things like a flow chart about what’s included in meat, such as antibiotics, fecal matter, and arsenic-based drugs are easy to understand and hard to forget.

Moby states outright in his intro that as a vegan and an animal rights activist he has an agenda.  However, this doesn’t invalidate the opinions and research of the people writing each essay.  Further, I’m more inclined to believe in the intentions of somebody who has an agenda based on ethics rather than profit (like big industry).

When it comes to food, we should be informed consumers.  The effects of food are ubiquitous as it essentially becomes a part of us, fueling us, guiding our health and our bodies.  I really appreciate this book for teaching me something about the way food affects me both inside and out.  Food seems like an extremely personal choice, but what I learned from Gristle is that it’s anything but.

The way our food is being produced is different now from how it used to be, and worse, it’s headed in the wrong direction.  Gristle’s discussion of factory farms’ effects shows that “thinking twice about the meat we eat” is worthwhile and should affect our choices, because the factories are certainly affecting us.  By having information from many different people who are experts in a variety of areas it avoids becoming a manifesto and serves as a solid guide for thinking about factory farmed food.

In November of last year I read a story by a Holocaust survivor describing how, even though they were starving, she and other Jewish prisoners refused an offering of snails from the Nazis. The reason? Snails are not kosher.

I sat back and my heart sank.  I’d never really thought about what I ate, food meant nothing to me but a few moments of taste. I felt guilty and I wanted to change. I still wanted to eat good food of course, but now I wanted my choices to matter and I felt deeply that I had no excuses.

That was it. From that moment I started trying to keep kosher. I wasn’t strict about what plates I used, and I had to teach myself a lot about what I could and couldn’t eat, but for the first time I really thought about what I would eat each day and at each meal. Would I have a hot dog for a snack if there was the possibility I’d want a latte soon after? What might I want for dessert and how would I choose my dinner based on that? This kind of planning quickly became normal, and I realized that I enjoyed my food more because it meant more.

It began to feel like with every meal I was making a choice. Through this choice, I was expressing who I was and what my values were. I was saying, to myself and to those I dined with, that I cared about what I put into my body.  I was saying that my heritage was important to me and that I wanted to eat purposefully. The phrase I hear often is that we should “vote with our forks,” and shortly after I started eating “consciously”, that was about to take on a whole new meaning.

In January a friend lent me her copy of Jonathan Safran Foer’s Eating Animals. I had originally sworn I would never read that book, wanting to stay ignorant about the food I was eating because it tasted good. I started reading it though, and I couldn’t put it down. When I finally did, after turning the last page, I realized that I couldn’t go back. I’ve been a vegetarian ever since. The food I’ve eaten since then has made me feel healthy, clean, and good. An entire world of vegetables and foods I had dismissed before opened up to me, and I’ve loved trying out new recipes and learning to cook with ingredients that I had ignored in the past.

That book didn’t just open my eyes to the production practices behind the food I was eating and the impact it was having on workers, the environment, and health. It was a springboard to reading more and learning more about the food we eat, and how to enjoy and appreciate it while being mindful that the choices you make matter.

Right now I am reading Gristle: From Factory Farms to Food Safety (Thinking Twice About the Meat We Eat), edited by Moby with Miyun-Park, which addresses an array of issues related to meat production.

What are some books or articles that you’ve read that have changed the way you eat and think about food?

Photos by Phil Mansfield

Every once in a while I feel sorry for myself because my kids won’t eat my lovingly prepared meals; for comfort, I seek out one of my fellow mom’s, specifically those with teen-agers. Invariably they look at me with a withering ‘well let me get you the violins and a stiff drink fast, your poor thing’ stare, reminding me that I am a mere amateur at kitchen rejection. When I hear their tales of trying to feed their teens, my load somehow seems lighter, more manageable. Snarky, picky, and sometimes downright nasty, it is no easy task to manage teens at the table.

Enter Rozanne Gold and her new book, Eat Fresh Food: Awesome Recipes for Teen Chefs. I sat down with the author and discovered that the book’s appeal to teens is as organic as its recipes. Gold recently adopted a teen-ager and for the past few years they have been coming together as a family, in and out of the kitchen. Her daughter was one of five teen chefs engaged to prepare and test each recipe. Their collective industry and obvious enjoyment is evidenced throughout the book with hands-on pictures depicting their efforts.

“Something a little quirky is that everyone, everyone is talking about childhood obesity and overeating and diabetes and getting back to the table – no one wrote a book. Someone forgot to write the book.” She correctly assessed that the literature includes many books about cooking, kids, and healthy eating, but few if any that feature well known chefs who have cross referenced their work with a nutritionist in order to serve the teen audience. This gap as well as her family changes prompted her to write the book and have nutritionist Helen Kimmel review and validate the recipes. Coupled with her teen chefs’ participation and stamp of approval, the book has a tremendous sense of leading-edge authenticity.

“I like being the first to do things”, says Gold. A food pioneer, she graduated  from Tufts and and did graduate work at NYU. With no formal culinary training, Gold beg, borrowed, and stole experience, and at 23 became the Executive Chef at Mayor Koch’s Gracie Mansion. “I catered the first seder ever at Gracie Mansion. It was a great experience. The Mayor told me to put Perrier (instead of seltzer) in the matzo balls which I had never done before. I did a traditional seder for his family. Holiday favorites included anything with garlic, as well as brisket with vermouth, onions, and a bay leaf.” Many books and restaurants later, she has become a well known force in the food world.  Just this week, she broke boundaries by having her book referenced in the New York Times Health blog, as well as featured in the Science section for its unique approach.

Gold does admire others in the industry attempting to improve school and home meals for children, including Bill Telepan, Ann Cooper , and Lynn Fredericks. But for this book, she felt she had to pave a new path.  “Setting criteria for what eating fresh food means was a process. Working with the nutritionist, we definitely decided not to go the route of calories or counting, but to come up with some broader way of expressing healthy food. The original title was Ketchup Ain’t A Vegetable.”, laughed Gold.  “I’m not doctrinaire about this at all. There is so much discussion about good food and bad food. My solution, my definition is eat fresh food. Which is also a way of saying no processed food or very little processed food. That became my benchmark. The basis of every recipe is that a vegetable or a fruit has to be the star of the dish. You will find this in every recipe. That is my bottom line. The fact that there is very little meat in there is cognizant of the fact that kids are serious about wanting to be vegetarians; 80 – 90% of the book is suitable for vegetarians.”

Gold is very interested in sourcing.  As a restauranteur (The Rainbow Room) as well as a home cook, she is very aware of the power of purchasing. “I am interested in local but fresh is more important. We had the best peach we ever had in our life 2 years ago in March from Costco. I don’t know where it came from, I don’t know how it got there, but it was extraordinary. I’m not sure that is a bad thing. I understand the eco-system of farmers and sustainability and fresh, and we need to be very supportive of that. But I shop in a variety of places. I shop at Key Foods sometimes out of necessity. We have a wonderful farmer’s market here on Saturdays, and we’re always there buying wonderful things. And I am always in the city on Wednesday at the Union Square market.”

“It’s really exciting to be there at the farmer’s markets; if you are interested in trends and what’s happening, that is where the trends are happening today. That is so different than 20 years ago when trends happened from fancy chefs and from kitchens. Today, trends are happening by what you see at the farmer’s markets and that’s fabulous. Just to see the micro-greens…what the farmers are doing now, that’s where most of the creativity is coming from. I remember just a few months ago I walked by one of the stands at the farmers market and there were 10 different colors of radishes. 6 different colors of carrots. It was just breathtaking. Chef’s are very inspired by it.”

That being said, she also recognizes the challenges of urban life and trying to grow your own food.  “I do have a window box. It is hard to run a kitchen and run your garden. If a home cook has land to grow a garden, that is wonderful. I always grew up in and around the city, so it was never practical. I remember once when I was in college I was at my boyfriend’s house and I looked out the window and said, ‘Look, someone threw an eggplant out the window.’ Little did I know it was growing in his mother’s garden! I knew nothing about farming or sustainability – it was not the language at the time. I think it is exciting that it is now.”

The majority of recipes in this book are vegetarian, but there are few vegan offerings.  I asked Gold for her perspective on the movement. “I believe in culinary history and gastronomy.  My religion is much more in classic cuisine and less about anything doctrinaire. I believe in doing everything and eating everything and trying everything. In balance. Vegans would have to work really hard to have a well-balanced, nutritious, healthy diet. And that’s OK because they believe in something else like not eating animals of any kind – that is a different belief system.”

The book reads nicely with lush photography. It includes interesting and fun recipes such as sweet carrot jam, ginger scallion brown rice with scallions, fish tacos, and mac and cheese with cauliflower and red pepper sauce. And of course olive oil chocolate chip cookies, below for you and your teens’ enjoyment.  Who knows, you might end a meal with a smile, or at least a nod.

Want to win a copy of Eat Fresh Food: Awesome Recipes for Teen Chefs.? Leave a comment below about cooking for/with teens. Last date to post comments is 12/21/09. The winners will be notified on 12/22/09.

Courtesy of Rozanne Gold. All rights reserved.

Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 24

2 cups self-rising flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 extra large eggs
½ cup olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon pure almond extract
6 ounces miniature chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Put the flour and sugar in the bowl an electric mixer. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, olive oil, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and mix until a smooth dough forms. The mixture will be slightly crumbly and a little oily.
3. Knead several times on the counter. Form into 24 balls and then shape into small ovals that are 1 ½ inches long and ¾ inch wide. Roll the tops in miniature chocolate chips. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or use a Silpat pad. Place the cookies 1inch apart. Bake for 25 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan. Remove with a spatula.

Recently, acclaimed bestselling author Jonathan Safran Foer appeared on WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show to talk about his upcoming book, Eating Animals. As Julie Steinberg details in her post below, Foer, being both Jewish and a vegetarian, explores issues of food choices and eating meat in a personal narrative that helps shape a larger argument about vegetarianism.

Foer writes and talks about the challenges of ethical eating, and often from a Jewish perspective. The issues Foer discusses in the interview and raises in his book are just some of the topics that will be explored further at this year’s Hazon Food Conference.  Join Hazon December 24-27 on the Northern California coastline for four days of workshops and programs celebrating The New Jewish Food Movement.

This year’s Hazon Food Conference will cover many subjects, including Jewish food education, food justice, sustainable food systems, health and nutrition, Israeli agriculture, and Jewish traditions and food. Register today, we hope to see you there!

Jonathan Safran Foer’s Eating Animals is not for the faint of heart. His recent article in the New York Times (excerpted from the first chapter) includes stories of his grand-mother, a holocaust survivor, which he uses to define himself as well as frame his book. The Jew and The Carrot’s Jonathan Brumberg-Kraus wrote a nice post about it, including:

“But I what I found most moving was the way he connected his own ethical commitment to vegetarianism to his grandmother’s commitment to kashrut, even under the most extreme circumstances. She gets the last word in the dialogue he recalls,

“The worst it got was near the end. A lot of people died right at the end, and I
didn’t know if I could make it another day. A farmer, a Russian, God bless him,
he saw my condition, and he went into his house and came out with a piece of
meat for me.”

“He saved your life.”

“I didn’t eat it.”

“You didn’t eat it?”

“It was pork. I wouldn’t eat pork.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why?”

“What, because it wasn’t kosher?”

“Of course.”

“But not even to save your life?”

“If nothing matters, there’s nothing to save.”

Foer spends the length of the book trying to explain why eating animals matters, and searching for a way we can save ourselves. The book is exceptionally effective in illuminating the horrendous practices of the industrial fish and meat industries. In some cases, he relies on other people’s research (especially government sources), and then effectively channels this into relatable paradigms. For example, Foer takes on the fish industry, explaining the extensive loss of sea life (in some cases 80 – 90% of the total haul) that accompanies each intended catch, also known as ‘bycatch’. He writes, “Imagine being served a plate of sushi. But this plate also holds all of the animals that were killed for your serving of sushi. The plate might have to be be five feet across.”

In another section, Foer goes undercover to see poultry farms for himself, and witnesses first hand the cruel conditions, deliberate breeding of weak (even ill animals), and lack of sanitary practices. He weaves in narratives from interviews with animal activists, farmers, businessmen, processors, and even PETA. Like many before him, he was unable to get into a cattle slaughterhouse, but he attempts to construct the experience in graphic detail based on third party accounts and research. At one point, Foer visits a pig processing plant and observes the operation closely. In the end, they invite him to sample the fruits
of their labor, a plate of ham. Foer writes,

“I don’t want to eat it. I wouldn’t want to eat anything right now, my appetite having been lost to the sites and smells of the slaughterhouse. And I specifically don’t want to eat the contents of that plate, which were, not long ago, the contents of a pig in the waiting pen. Maybe there is nothing wrong with eating it. But something deep inside me — reasonable or unreasonable, ascetic or ethical, selfish or compassionate — simply doesn’t want the meat inside my body. For me, meat is not something to be eaten.

And yet, something else deep inside me does want to eat it. I want very much to show Mario my appreciation for his generousity. And I want to be able to tell him that his hard work produces delicious food. I want to say, ‘Wow, that’s wonderful’ and have another piece. I want to break bread with him. Nothing — not a conversation, not a handshake, or even a hug — establishes friendship as forcefully as eating together.

‘I’m kosher’, I say

‘Kosher?’ Mario echoes as a question.

‘I am.’ I chuckle. ‘Jewish. And kosher.’

‘Kind of funny to be writing about pork then.’

‘Kind of funny’, I echo.

But it isn’t.”

Foer is as flawed and torn as any of his readers. Reading this and other candid passages about his own personal ethics is refreshing, and the larger implications are profound. Foer strives throughout to personally reframe the stories in an effort to make us conscious of his painfully obvious conclusion. ”When we eat factory-farmed meat, we live, literally, on tortured flesh. Increasingly, that tortured flesh is becoming our own.” It’s a compelling argument, and extends to our environment, health, and humanity.

Foer goes further to inquire if there are any circumstances that would make it acceptable to eat meat. For himself, the answer is a firm no. But he also acknowledges that people do eat meat, and that there are farmers and business people who are sincerely trying to satisfy these demands while creating a more humane, effective process. So much so that he, a practicing vegan, has actually gone so far as to fund a slaughterhouse for one farmer friend, whose food he will not eat but endeavors he views as worthwhile.

There are not many references to kosher meat practices in this book, nor to the Jewish philosophies on eating or not eating meat. Foer seems to imply that most meat (99%), kosher or otherwise, is industrial and therefore subject to the same problems outlined earlier. Coincidentally, on the same day that I finished reading my review copy, Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster posted a piece about a new grass fed, organic, kosher meat service. Kol foods seems to have many of the qualities of the non-industrial meat farmers Foer interviewed in his book. They also seem to struggle with the same dilemnas, including the demise of local kosher slaughterhouses. I spoke to the owner, Devora Kimmelman-Block about the book and asked for her perspective on the business of eating animals.

“In order to make an effect on the kosher meat business, they have to see that there is a strong consumer interest in sustainable, ethical meat. The only way to illustrate that interest is for folks to have consistant access to non-industrial meat – not just for special occasions, but for whenever they cook it.

Everyone has to come to their own conclusions (about their comfort level with eating meat); it’s a very personal issue. However, it’s key to be open minded about solutions to the issues with industrial meat (including the environment, the consumer’s health, the people who live and work in communities housing industrial meat companies, animal welfare, and even taste). It’s important that folks have multiple options to combat those issues. Being a vegetarian or vegan is not the only solution, although it is important to consume meat sparingly.

From a Jewish perspective, if we eat meat, we must be conscious of the act, know where it is coming from and make it special. The Rabbis had to encourage people to eat meat on the holidays because they lived in a society in which eating meat was rare luxury. It isn’t special if you eat it at every meal. Take a breath, say a blessing before eating. It’s important not to swallow your ethics.”

Foer does not swallow anything in this book. He takes his readers on a journey that is alternatively funny, angry, bloody, thoughtful, sympathetic, judgemental, confrontational, conciliiatory, and wholly unexpected. The tone and the tale often seem uneven and erratic. In his works of fiction, this dissonance enhanced an incredibly compelling story. In this work of self described journalism, it seems less effective, and I often longed for a more consistent narrative. Moreover, this highly ambitious book attempts to be a memoir, an investigative news piece, and a philosophical inquiry – a broad brush for any one volume. It does not neatly fit into any one category, and perhaps this is its greatest strength and weakness.  All told, it is well worth the read. Regardless of your current views and practices, you will learn much and undoubtedly re-think your own role as an eating animal.

Want to read the book? Enter our contest for a free copy by leaving a comment below about your thoughts on eating animals. Last day to leave a comment is 11/7 – the winner will be contacted the following day.

___________________________

Note (10/31/09): Here is a link to a very interesting, recent OpEd piece in the NYT by Nicolette Hahn Niman.  She and her husband Bill Niman were interviewed by Foer, who had positive feedback about their contributions (with some reservations).  

Note (11/02/09): I got the green light to give away 5 copies.  So please comment away.  Last day of the contest is 11/7.

Note (11/04/09): Thanks to Hannah Lee and Jeff Shapiro for this video link on Foer.

The deli has been in the spotlight these days thanks to the work of  David Sax.  You  may have read Joan Nathan’s piece in the New York Times about David’s upcoming book, Save the Deli, a call to action to revive deli culture.  Deli has been in most newspapers and on the radio now and is  the talk of the town in a way it hasn’t been since its golden years thanks to one man with a mission.

Early on for the Jew and the Carrot Leah Koenig wrote a post about David’s deli zeal during David’s journey to eat at delis around the world (which he also chronicled on his blog), and now the Jew and the Carrot is eager to announce a deli contest in the book’s honor. The winner will receive a free copy of Save the Deli.

Just leave us a comment on this post about your most memorable deli meal or experience and your name could be drawn to win a copy of his book.  Last day to leave a comment is Thursday October 22nd and the winner will be contacted the next day.

And while we’re on the subject, the Save the Deli book launch will be held this Monday at Ben’s Kosher Delicatessen.  It will be a great time with remarkable deli kitsch.

What does eating Jewishly mean to you?  What is Jewish food?  Does it reflect where you come from?  Where your family came from?  Dr. David Kraemer’s 2007 book Jewish Eating and Identity Through the Ages, recently published in paperback explores just those issues – and you can win a signed copy of his book!

Just leave us a comment on this post what is Jewish food for you and your name could be drawn to win a copy of his book.  Last day to leave a comment is Tuesday October 14 and the winner will be contacted the next day.

“I grew up in a family that emphasized food and used it as an organizing principal for family gatherings – which is probably not unfamiliar to The Jew & The Carrot’s readers,” says anti-food-waste activist Jonathan Bloom.

As a freelance writer for the Boston Globe and the Washington Post, Bloom wrote about food and travel. (“My travel articles were about going somewhere else to eat,” he jokes.) Like many Americans, Bloom became increasingly attuned to environmental issues and, he says, “My interests in food and the environment came together for me in 2005, when I volunteered at D.C. Central Kitchen, an organization that rescues food that would otherwise go to waste, and trains homeless people to be chefs using that food.

“Volunteering there opened my eyes to the amount of food that isn’t used in this country, and I was kind of surprised by the high quality of stuff that would have been thrown out if the food rescue groups weren’t using it.”

His interest in the issue grew, and in January 2007, the now-32-year-old Bloom, who currently lives in Durham, NC, with his wife and baby, launched his website, WastedFood.com.

“I saw food waste as a topic that didn’t receive the attention I thought it deserves, and a topic where I could do good by writing about it – and I wanted to write a book about it. The blog was conceived both as a way to raise awareness of the topic and also as a way to help me get a book deal.”

It has succeeded on both counts: Bloom’s book American Wasteland will be published next fall by Da Capo Press, and the website receives more than 5,000 hits a month from viewers interested in its mix of news, suggestions and humor. With everything from reports on college cafeterias’ efforts to go “trayless” (since most students can carry more than they can eat, food piled on trays ends up being wasted in staggering amounts) to recipes, environmental news, product launches and (to raise awareness of the good food that is thrown out merely because it isn’t ready for its close up) pictures of the wackiest-looking vegetables in Great Britain, WastedFood.com manages to encourage virtue without coming off as preachy or judgmental.

I recently spoke with Bloom about why we Americans (and American Jews) waste so much food, and how we can make small changes that will have a huge impact on the amount of food available to feed the hungry, and on the global warming that is exacerbated by food waste.

What is the most important thing individuals can do to cut down on waste?

I tell people that the way they can most impact food waste in their life is by thinking about it – thinking about what you’re buying and what you’re eating, and what is going to waste. The #1 way to do that is to plan your meals and then to make a detailed grocery list and actually stick to that list. Serve sensible portions at home, knowing that people can always take more if they want. Save leftovers after a meal and then actually eat the leftovers. A lot of people end up just delaying the waste. They put something in the fridge and feel virtuous that night, but if a week later you’re just throwing it out you’ve just delayed the waste. If you know you don’t like leftovers, then don’t cook as much.

What would you like to see the government do to cut down on the amount of food we waste as a country?

I’d like to see the USDA get involved, again, in matching up farmers and gleaners and helping promote farm food recovery. There was actually a gleaning coordinator under the Clinton administration, but that position was eliminated in 2001 when the Bush administration took over. Even though it would have fit in with the Bush administration’s rhetoric because it’s something that can be faith-based – they didn’t go for it. There’s just this ingrained idea in Washington you don’t do what your predecessor did even if it’s in line with your values.

What is the “inconvenient truth” about waste – i.e., what should we be doing that no one wants to do?

The so-called inconvenient truth is that in addition to wasting money and creating a generation of Americans who don’t value food, we are contributing to global warming by throwing out food. By sending food to landfills we’re essentially creating methane, a greenhouse gas that is more than 20 times more harmful than CO2.

Are there any waste issues that are actually created as negative consequences of positive lifestyle changes – sustainable eating culture, locavore-ism, etc. – and if so, how does one weigh the tradeoffs?

Well, the downside of fresh, unprocessed food is that it’s perishable. When you go to the supermarket or farmers market, the produce is really attractive, and it’s easy to buy too much. I’m someone who enjoys eating so I’m not trying to be the food Grinch. If you go to the farmers market, enjoy that experience and buy interesting, new things. Just don’t go overboard on quantities.

Are there particular problems of waste in the Jewish community, and if so, what can we do to minimize those issues?

Food is a large part of our culture, and when you throw a big party, be it a birthday or a bar mitzvah, you want to please your guests. There’s a “good provider syndrome” (hat tip to William Rathje, founder of the Garbage Project, for the term) where you have to be sure you have more than enough, and at any catered events – not just Jewish ones – the amount of food and waste can get out of hand. I think we can do a better job of enjoying food and celebrating food as part of our culture while at the same time not being so profligate. If you can donate uneaten food to a soup kitchen after the event, that’s great. But because there are legal issues with donating food that has been out on a buffet table, I would urge people to work with your caterer in advance, to tell them that you don’t want the buffet to still be full at the end of the event. We have to start asking ourselves, why is it normal to expect have a full choice of all the food items – all still in abundance – if you show up five minutes before the event ends?  If we can start asking those questions, then hopefully we’ll see the beginning of a cultural shift.

Q: What do you do when you have so many home grown zucchini your friends won’t answer the door when you try to share your harvest?

A: Find a car with an open window.

The triumph and the tragedy of the summer growing season is the sheer fecundity of gardens and farms. How to partake of fruits and vegetables at their peak without relying on the same old recipes?

Lois M. Burrows and Laura G. Myers offer a mouth-watering solution with their book, Too Many Tomatoes . . . Squash, Beans, and other Good Things; a Cookbook for When Your Garden Explodes.

Originally published in 1976 and reissued in 1991, this book would be completely at home on shelf beside Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food.  The recipes focus on more than 20 vegetables that are typically abundant in late summer gardens. The ingredients are generally few and simple, leaving the glory of the vegetables to shine.

The recipes draw from diverse cultures such as Greek, Italian, Mexican, Spanish and Midwestern American. They range from long-standing favorites such as herbed snap bean salad, coleslaws and corn fritters to the exotic and unexpected such as tomato  cake and broccoli guacamole. From canapés to soup to sauces to main dishes, this cookbook has it covered.

Here’s the recipe for fresh tomato cake.  It’s spicy and lightly sweet.

1 cup dark brown sugar

½ cup shortening

2 eggs

½ cup chopped nuts

½ cup chopped dates

½ cup raisins

2 cups peeled, cubed tomatoes

3 cups sifted flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

8 ounces cream cheese

½ cups confectioner’s sugar

3 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of salt

Cream the sugar and shortening.  Add eggs, nuts, dates, raisings and tomatoes.  Sift dry ingredients into the tomato mixture.  Pour into a greased and floured 9” x 13”pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serves 8.