Serving Up the Harvest: Celebrating the Goodness of Fresh Vegetables: 175 Simple Recipes

by Andrea Chesman

Savor the bounty! Whether harvested from your own backyard garden or bought at a local farmers’ market, nothing is more satisfying than delicious fresh vegetables. In this seasonal cookbook, Andrea Chesman offers 175 easy-to-make recipes that are designed to bring out the very best in whatever produce is currently peaking. From spring’s first Peas and New Potato Salad to autumn’s sweet Caramelized Winter Squash and Onion Pizza, serving up the harvest has never been so tasty!

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food

512 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2007

About the author

I write cookbooks. I also edit them. I am grateful that I have found work that I enjoy.

Pickled Pantry is my newest book. I am very excited about it, and it is already generating favorable reviews.

Mostly I have written about vegetables, but I took a break from them to write 250 Treasured Country Dessertswith my co-author Fran Raboff on, which came out in 2009. The book is an update and expanded version of Mom’s Best Desserts, which was an update and expanded version of The Great American Dessert Cookbook. The collection contains everyone’s favorite home desserts—lots of cookies, brownies, layer cakes, pies, old-fashioned fruit desserts, ice cream, and more.

The New Vegetarian Grill is an updated and expanded version of an earlier book about vegetarian grilling. I’ve also written about cooking with the seasons (Recipes from the Root Cellar, Serving Up the Harvest, The Classic Zucchini Cookbook), roasting vegetables (The Roasted Vegetable), and healthy eating (366 Delicious Ways to Cook Rice, Beans, and Grains). Then there is also Mom’s Best Desserts, Mom’s Best One-Dish Suppers, and Mom’s Best Crowd-Pleasers, and a few more that are now out-of-print.

My work has appeared in Edible Green Mountains, Cooking Light, Vegetarian Times, Organic Gardening, Fine Cooking, Food & Wine, The New York Times, Natural Health, and several other magazines and newspapers. I was a Rcontributing editor for Vermont Life for twelve years.

Over the years I have edited hundreds of cookbooks, gardening books and others too varied to classify. I also Americanize cookbooks published in England and index books as well.

I live in an old farmhouse in Ripton, Vermont, a very small town where early and late frosts make gardening challenging. The poet Robert Frost used to rent a cottage across the street and took his meals in our house, in what we now call “the Robert Frost Memorial Dining Room.” I am married to Richard Ruane, a marvelous musician and recipe taster. Our kids, Rory and Sam, are also excellent cooks and enthusiastic recipe tasters. They have served as great inspiration for me.

Reviews

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vegetable cooking at its best! I've been looking for a book that would expand my horizons beyond broccoli and green beans and I think this is it. I don't want to be a vegetarian, just incorporate more veggies into my diet. There are terrific recipes here, including Spaghetti Squash Salad with Citrus Dressing (never thought about using it in a salad!), Pasta with Arugula Pesto, Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes and Wilted Greens, Tuscan Kale with White Beans and Garlic, Pan-Roasted Green Beans with Warm Soy Vinaigrette, several great-sounding cabbage recipes. Maybe I'll even try Brussels Sprouts again. Never thought I'd say that. Can't wait to get started!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was just browsing this for recipes and realized I never reviewed it on here - and it's my most recommended cookbook to friends! I picked up a copy when I was first really teaching myself to cook and kept running into "I bought this vegetable because it was pretty, now how do I make it taste good" roadblock. The book starts with some basics like pizza dough and pasta, then has a section for each veggie. The veggie sections all cover the basics of how long to cook via various methods and which method is best, which parts of the veggie to eat and in what way, etc. It was extremely accessible when I was new at this and it's still my go to for "how long do I roast this again?"

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my go-to book for CSA season. I've been in three different CSAs over the past six years, and I almost end up with some vegetable I'm not quite sure what to do with (turnips, kale, parsnips...). I love the fact that this book not only has recipes, but also includes a general how-to about most of the major vegetable types, so that I have general preparation instructions regardless of whether I make one of the recipes in the book or a recipe online. It also has weight conversion (e.g. 1 pound pumpkin ~ 4 cups cubed ~ 3 cups mashed) so I can use fresh ingredients in a lot of recipes that call for frozen or canned veggies. The recipe that I use the most is the oven-fried okra, although the rustic roasted chicken with rutabagas is also super easy and fabulous for Fall.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most nutritionists agree that we need to eat more fruits and vegetables and many people agree that home grown are better tasting than the mass produced ones. This book gives 175 recipes from across the country for fresh vegetables along with sidebars about them. There are bound to be some recipes for everyone's individual tastes [I don't eat squash but love okra and tomatoes].

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this cookbook the first summer we had a CSA share and decided it was time to revisit. Although we enjoyed some of what we tried, I think I’ve already tried all the recipes (less than a dozen) that appeal to us. Something in the recipe formatting doesn’t feel inviting and most of them are not designed for substitutions, which are often essential if you’re using local produce. It’s not a bad cookbook, just not one that suited our family well. I’d consider putting it in the giveaway box but it’s falling apart even from minimal use because it doesn’t have a lay flat binding.

[Mrs. Musrum's Mum Keleher · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very useful book if you're a member of a CSA or a farmers' market regular. The recipes are listed in the order produce comes into season, so you have asparagus and greens at the beginning and squash at the end. The first chapter covers recipe basics, such as stir frying, grilling, steaming, pasta and various sauces and dressings. Everything I've tried is tasty, and I expect it will continue to be a useful book as the growing season unfolds.

[Ruth Soz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Birthday present from Katie to Jack. This is a great cookbook/reference for someone who already knows the basics of cooking, but is eager to start utilizing fresh vegetables from a local market or their own garden. I love the way the index is set up according to which vegetables are in season. This seems like a great next step for those whole really enjoyed Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and want to take their local eating habits to the next level.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I didn't finish my cover-to-cover read, I've consulted this cookbook enough in the last four months that I think it has to count for something. Well written and nicely organized - by season, and then by type of produce - I found it really conducive to local eating and preserving.

[Jack Barraclough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Present from Katie! Thanks sis!

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Receipes are delcious and there are tidbits and explanations for how each vegetable grows. Good pick for anyone who wants to try to eat with the seasons.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, broken down by season and particular veggie. Lots of great tips for growing and picking. This needs to be in my home collection:)

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank goodness for ILL! Got some good recipes/ideas, clear info.