How To Pick A Peach

I have really enjoyed reading How to Pick a Peach by Russ Parsons. This is a great book for foodies, and those interested in knowing more about the food we buy at the grocery store, how to pick out the best fruit and veg, how to store and prepare your purchases.

The book is organized by seasons and is further broken down into small chapters on each fruit or veg available in that season here in the USA. Parsons gives the names of the varieties available in our typical grocery store and the genetic histories of these foods. While it may sound boring, it's really not. For instance, the varieties of strawberries we eat change almost constantly as new and better (for mass-sale) varieties are developed. On the other hand, we are still buying the same variety of lemons that our ancestors were purchasing 100 years ago.

At the end of each chapter Parsons includes a few appetizing recipes and suggestions for using each fruit and veg. All in all, it was a great book to have near the kitchen and read in snatches as I had the time.