July 2015 Cookbooks

Nourishing Traditions: the Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon

I found out about this book in Ben Hewitt's book The Nourishing Homestead. I'm a BIG fan of his, so I definitely wanted to check this book out. I wish I had had more time to read through it more thoroughly, but I had to return it to the library. I liked that the author gave a LOT of health information at the beginning of the book - there is a lot of trends and bad info out there when it comes to food and health. My only complaint is that many of the recipes call for whey and I don't have access to a home milking operation and raw milk is illegal to sell in my state. I think this would be a great resource for a more self-sufficient homestead like Ben Hewitt's, but not necessarily applicable for everyone. Don't get me wrong there are things in the book that ARE applicable to everyone, so it's definitely worth checking out. This might be one that I buy to use more in the future. If you're into homesteading this is worth reading.

The Bone Broth Miracle by Ariane Resnick

As our society has moved away from whole-animal cooking - now mainly buying "parts" like chicken breasts at the grocery store, the value of bone broth/stock is somewhat lost. This cookbook does a great job of explaining how bone broths are important for nutrition and other reasons. Plus, if you're buying high-quality meat it's a great way to use every bit of what you're buying. There are recipes for basic broth/stock, but also lots of recipes to incorporate that broth/stock - soups, stews, drinks, etc. I also like that they include a few recipes for "tonics" for specific ailments/conditions/etc. I've been making homemade chicken stock for awhile now, but I'm ready to move on to beef broth and there are lots of recipes I'd like to try from this one. If you are buying meat from your local farmer's market this book is the next logical step in home cooking.

The Apple Cookbook by Olwen Woodier

My husband and I have started going to the mountains every fall and picking apples. I really wanted to find more recipes for the apples we get. This cookbook gives tons of great ideas for both sweet and savory dishes, as well as a few varieties of favorites like apple pie, applesauce, etc. I can't wait to try some of these out this fall.