Sure there are a few takes on the classics (like bread and butter pickles) but then you find recipes like:

- Chrysanthemum soup (and other edible petal recipes)

- caramelized red onion relish

- Asian vinaigrette

- Bourbon mustard

- Watermelon pickles

and even homemade salami! There’s so much more that this list hardly does the book justice.

For people who want to know what’s truly IN their food, and who want to save money by buying in bulk this book is an incredibly useful resource. I had gone looking for something that could teach me what my grandmother knew, but also give me safe guidelines and great inspiration — this book does all three!

I’ve already made many blends and find the directions easy to follow and the results very successful.
Rating: 5 / 5

If you’re new to canning and want to know all the information about it to keep you and your family safe from botulism and unsafe food I would recommend the Dummies book instead. If you’re not new to it and have more experience this book may be interesting to you as it does contain many interesting and enticing recipes.
Rating: 3 / 5

Elizabeth Patten and Kathy Lyons, with illustrator Helen Stevens, have created a superb book that every K-6 teacher should see and use. Sections include: Where Does Food Come From? Choosing Food for Body & Soul; Putting “Garbage” to Work; and Let’s Grow Our Own. Together, the sections clearly present 45 hands-on “lessons” and activities about the importance of agriculture, nutrition and recycling in our lives. Children learn about the power that their food choices have on their health, on local farmers, on the environment and the community by making puppets, keeping food diaries, growing food in their schools, creating model digestive tracts, vermicomposting, and more.

Patten is a Maine dietitian and health educator who lives with her family and several thousand red wigglers. Lyons, also from Maine, is an environmental educator and puppeteer who has created `Annelida,’ the worm puppet for a recycling program and the “spokesworm” for the lessons in this book. The lessons that they have created in Healthy Foods from Healthy Soils are keyed to the Benchmarks for Science Literacy and come with links to children’s literature and Internet resources. The excellent illustrations throughout the book are designed to entertain children and to help teachers visualize projects.

One lesson asks young children to pretend to be a vegetable or fruit seed. As the teacher reads a story about the life of a seed, from its time in the garden to its germination, growth, fruiting and right through to seed saving in the fall, students act out these stages. The writing brings this lesson to life. “…you aren’t the only one down here in this healthy soil!” the teacher will read. “Earthworms are squirming around on their way to find food…”

Another lesson has third to sixth graders map the sources of the food they eat, demonstrating how far food travels to reach them; suggesting a trip to a local market to learn about the origins of foods; and making a regional food guide to the students’ area. The authors suggest organizing a “local foods” party in the classroom; inviting a local farmer to talk about his or her job and products; finding out whether the cafeteria serves local food; and encouraging students to check clothing as well as food labels, since fiber is an important agricultural commodity. A table lists eight reasons for supporting a local food system.

A lesson on whole foods helps third through sixth graders differentiate between processed and unprocessed foods and includes language arts, health, math and life skills. One activity suggests that students survey the foods in their home kitchens and count the number of products that contain the top two food additives, sugar and sodium. A “Dollars and $ense” lesson has fifth and sixth graders calculate and compare prices of foods based on the nutrients in them.

This book could be the basis of a core class for children about one of the most important aspects of their lives: eating. The authors note that two or three generations ago, people were connected to the origin of their food and understood the connection between healthy soils and nourishing foods. “Now that so many of us are living with the health consequences of being a `fast-food nation,’ a program that addresses these issues in a lively and enjoyable manner is vital,” say the authors. Readers could ensure this vitality by purchasing this book for their local schools and libraries.

Jean English, Editor

The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener
Rating: 5 / 5