The Little Book and Farm That Could . . .

JAN POGUE and her husband, John Walter, now deceased, had more than seventy years combined experience in editing and publishing when they founded their small publishing company, VINEYARD STORIES, in 2005. Well suited for the task and highly familiar with the importance of excellence in books, they had held high-level editing jobs at such well-regarded newspapers as USA Today, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the Philadelphia Inquirer. In addition, Ms. Pogue had fifteen years in book publishing. As she expresses it:

Vineyard Stories is a full-service publisher, creating high-quality books for and about Martha’s Vineyard. . . . We are focused primarily on telling Island stories. To do this, we pursue outstanding writing, editing, photography and illustration, design and manufacture. Then, to make sure your book is seen and read, we offer distribution and promotional services.

Recently MORNING GLORY FARM and the family that feeds an island, text by Tom Dunlop and photos by Alison Shaw, one of Vineyard Stories very special books, went global—or at least national—in a surprising series of events that included the attention of Michelle Obama and coverage in the New York Times. The book is about the Athearn family’s Morning Glory Farm in Edgartown, MA, and features 70 recipes organized by season. As Pogue says, “They were sustainable before there was sustainable.”

This wonderful story opens when a young husband and wife, from very different backgrounds and disparate world views, begin battling the woodlands near Martha’s Vineyard to plant and harvest what turned out to be a crop of wormy corn. Thirty years later their farmstand is the source of a cornucopia of fruits, vegetables, prepared dishes and baked goods and people come from all around to stand on line waiting to stock up.

This book is an homage to eating sustainably and nutritiously and to the glory of beautifully prepared food consumed surrounded by family and friends.

For more information and images:

http://www.vineyardstories.com
http://www.morninggloryfarm.com/

-- Rosemary Carstens
http://www.CarstensCommunications.com

A Platter of Figs . . . the JOY of eating!

A Platter of Figs and other recipes, DAVID TANIS. Artisan 2009. Six months of each year, David Tanis is head chef at Chez Panisse in Berkely, California, where he’s worked since the 1980s for legendary Alice Waters. The other half of the year he’s in Paris preparing meals in a 6x10 foot galley kitchen in his 17th century apartment.

This book was conceived from Tanis's belief that the best meals are simple, easily prepared, and served without too much fuss. A meal should not take all day to make. The “platter of figs” symbolizes the idea of eating with the seasons and is a metaphor for the food Tanis enjoys most: fresh, abundant, luxurious, fleeting, and innately beautiful.

Twenty-four seasonal menus designed for 8-10, easily halved or increased, includes such enticements as “Salmon on My Mind,” “Yellow Hunger,” “A Simple Morrocan Supper,” and “Slow Beef.” For each section, Tanis writes as much about eating as about cooking, about his inspirations, techniques, and infinite joy in the kitchen.

This is my favorite cookbook so far this year! Here’s a selection from the book that is simple yet superb. Bon appétit!

Sea Scallops a la Plancha

One of the delights of the winter season is the availability of good shellfish, especially sea scallops. Ask your fishmonger for freshly shucked scallops, often called “diver” scallops. A good way to cook them is a la plancha, on a hot griddle or cast-iron pan, which caramelizes the exterior and keeps them juicy inside.

1 pound large sea scallops, about 16
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Green Sauce (recipe follows)
Lime wedges


Remove the “feet”—the tough muscle that attaches scallops to their shell—and discard (or add them to a fish stock). Season the scallops on both sides with salt and pepper and drizzle lightly with olive oil.

Heat a large griddle or cast-iron skillet to nearly smoking. Add the scallops in one layer, being careful not to crowd them. Brown the scallops well, letting them cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the scallops over and cook for another 2 minutes. Put the scallops on a platter and spoon a little green sauce onto each one. Surround with lime wedges.

Green Sauce: Put 1 small bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems roughly chopped, 2 chopped garlic cloves, 1 sliced serrano chile, and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground, in a blender. Season lightly with salt and add 1 cup olive oil. Blend to a smooth puree. Makes about 1 cup. (Excerpted from A PLATTER OF FIGS by David Tanis [Artisan Books]. Copyright 2008. Christopher Hirsheimer, photographer)

-- Rosemary Carstens
http://www.CarstensCommunications.com

Good Cooking Begins at Home . . .

Recently I blogged about Molly Wizenberg, author of A HOMEMADE LIFE, and the pleasure I got our of reading her family stories and trying her recipes. Now JENNIFER FRAZER, a science writer who also loves cooking--or a cook who also loves science--has a terrific blog at http://homecookingwell.wordpress.com/ that she says is "about how your kitchen can enrich your life, your wallet, and your sense of humor."

Jennifer believes "good, home-cooked meals can be much healthier and tastier than what you’ll find in the frozen food aisle, the takeout box, or even many expensive, sit-down restaurants. The very same meal can often be made at home from scratch in 15-30 extra minutes using simple, widely available recipes and ingredients." After eleven years of cooking and experimenting, she wants to share the pleasures of her kitchen: recipes, meal planning, techniques, money-saving shortcuts, and nutrition tips. Frazer sauces her tales with a delightful measure of humor and I wouldn't be at all surprised if, in time, we see a book by her out there titled, as is her blog, HOME COOKING WELL!

The photos alone will have you drooling over your computer, heading for your own kitchen, and ditching the last of the frozen pizza in the trash! Happy eating--

Rosemary Carstens

http://www.carstenscommunications.com/

New Issue of FEAST now available!

For the latest delicious offerings of books, art, food, film, and unique travel--check out the new issue--you will not go away hungry-- http://www.CarstensCommunications.com/FEAST.html

Boulder Media Women's 2007 and 2008 Titles

There’s a great group of creative media women in my area. All year long I find the group to be a fountain of collaboration, advice, experiences, and encouragement. There are graphic/website designers, technical advisers, copyeditors, authors, journalists, publishers, public relations and marketing professionals, producers, and film makers, to mention just a few of the talents in Boulder Media Women. Here’s a list of the latest and forthcoming titles produced by them. To find out more, go to their website at www.BoulderMediaWomen.com -- Rosemary

COLORADO'S CLASSIC MOUNTAIN TOWNS, Evelyn Spence. Countryman Press 2007. A guide to seven ski towns with history, lodging, dining, summer and winter recreation, festivals, kids' activities, and more. www.countrymanpress.com/titles/GDCOMtnTowns.html.

DARK HARVEST, Lynda Hilburn. Medallion Press 2008. As a guest on a radio show, Denver Psychologist Kismet Knight, PhD, answers a question from a mysterious, preternatural caller who turns her world upside down—again. http://www.lyndahilburnauthor.com/

HEALING FROM TRAUMA: A Survivor's Guide To Understanding Your Symptoms and Reclaiming Your Life, Jasmin Lee Cori, MS, LPC. Marlowe & Co., January 2008. A holistic self-help guide for survivors of various kinds of trauma written by a therapist and trauma survivor. Complete with exercises, healing stories, points to remember, and resources. http://www.jasmincori.com/

MIRANDA, QUEEN OF ARGYLL: Unlikely Saints, Julia Phillips. One Level Higher Publishing 2007. The anxiously awaited conclusion of Past Sins finds Miranda losing her faith as time runs out to stop Kadar from claiming the child. Hope is in short supply as a traitor wreaks havoc on the inner circle, but it is the unexpected players that will tip the scale. http://www.queenofargyll.com/

NORDIC WALKING: A Complete Guide, Claire Walter. Hatherleigh Press, early 2008. http://nordic-walking-usa.blogspot.com/

ONE GAY, ONE STRAIGHT: Complicated Marriages, Carol Grever, writer/producer; Roslyn Dauber, producer/director. Dauber Film Services 2008. Straight spouses tell their own stories in this unique documentary on marriages mired in the secrecy of a homosexual closet. Watch how some reconfigured their broken lives, moving from bewilderment toward healing. http://www.carolgrever.com/

POWER IN THE BLOOD: A Family Narrative, Linda Tate. Ohio University Press 2008. A family and cultural history brings to life several generations of the author’s Cherokee-Appalachian family. Three interrelated, first-person narrators tell the tale: the author’s great-great-grandmother Louisiana in 1902; her grandmother Fannie in 1963; and the author in her own story from childhood through the present. http://portfolio.du.edu/ltate3

PRACTICALLY SHAMELESS, Alyce Barry. Practically Shameless Press 2008. An uplifting personal story that illustrates how to find the gold in your shadow and how good it feels when you do. An inspirational and heart-healing book for viewing your most troubling personal issues with compassion and loving yourself more. http://www.practicallyshameless.com/

RV TOURIST: Tips, Tools, and Stories, Elsi Dodge. iUniverse 2007. How to plan and implement an RV vacation, from choosing an RV and a campground, to writing an itinerary, to what to do if you're lost. RV TOURIST is full of stories about the author’s adventures while driving a 30-foot Winnebago across the US, accompanied only by an elderly beagle and an odd little cat who thinks he's a saber-toothed tiger. http://www.rvtourist.com/

SUSTAINING THOUGHT: Thirty Years of Cookery at the School for Advanced Research, Rosemary Carstens and Leslie Shipman. School of Advanced Research Press 2007. Unfolding around the seasons of the academic year, this cookbook contains recipes for meals tested by generations of SAR’s guests and fine tuned by distinguished cooks and chefs. The recipes are perfect for medium-sized gatherings and designed to take advantage of the best fresh foods of each season. http://www.sarpress.sarweb.org/

THE BACKROADS AND BYWAYS OF COLORADO, Drea Knufken (with John Daters). Countryman Press, 2008. A comprehensive, mile-by-mile guide to Colorado's 12 best scenic and historic byways. Just in time for summer road trip season! http://dreaknufken.com/

THE HEROICS OF FALLING APART: One Couple's Breast Cancer Journey, Judy Gordon and Dan Gordon. 2007. A candid memoir told through the voices of both the patient and the caregiver; the only breast cancer memoir written by a couple. http://www.theheroicsoffallingapart.com/

THE SCIENCE OF DUNE: An Unauthorized Exploration into the Real Science Behind Frank Herbert’s Fictional Universe, includes an essay by Sibylle Hechtel. Smartpopbooks, January 2008. http://www.smartpopbooks.com/

THE VAMPIRE SHRINK, Lynda Hilburn. Medallion Press 2007. Denver Psychologist Kismet Knight, PhD, finds herself up to her neck in vampires when a new client pulls her into the paranormal underworld. http://www.lyndahilburnauthor.com/

WHAT KIDS REALLY WANT TO ASK: Using Movies to Start Meaningful Conversations (A Guidebook for Parents and Children aged 10–14), Rhonda A. Richardson, PhD, and Margaret Pevec, MA. VanderWyk and Burnham 2007. Real questions asked by 10–14 year olds led to the topics covered in this book. Each topic comes with a suggested movie and talking points for both parent and child to keep lines of communication open during the transformative middle school years. http://margaretpevec.com/

WHEN YOUR SPOUSE COMES OUT: A Straight Mate’s Recovery Manual, Carol Grever, MA, and Deborah Bowman, PhD. Haworth Press 2007. A lively guide to long-term emotional recovery for heterosexual men and women whose intimate partners are gay. Solid therapeutic techniques for self-help in a framework of riveting case studies of mixed orientation couples. http://www.carolgrever.com/

Guest Bloggers' Series Begins

FEAST is beginning a new program today featuring a series of special guests who will post about one of our five topics: books, art, food, film, or travel. Each will bring a unique perspective to the topics and I think you will enjoy reading them and seeing where their links lead. Be sure to sign up for the Atom or RSS feeds so you don’t miss a thing!

OUR FIRST GUEST OF THE SERIES is DONNA DRUCHUNAS, author, editor, and freelance writer, who is passionate about following her dreams and combines writing and traveling as a large part of her personal journey. Welcome, Donna!

FEAST: Books, art, food, film, and travel . . .

Summer 2007

Welcome to an eZINE that will satisfy your appetite for books, art, food, film, and travel. It's a FEAST of suggestions for reading, viewing, dining, and getting on down the road to some less usual destinations. Issues come out quarterly and generally focus on a single topic. Click on the link below or on the right hand menu to access the full magazine. While all material is copyrighted, please feel free to pass the link along to anyone you feel might have an interest in these topics. We want to see how far FEAST can travel! Now to the summer issue:

These days, the topics of war and immigration generate a great deal of conversation about cultural differences and how to tolerate, absorb, and welcome that diversity into our lives in the interest of general human enrichment and, perhaps, peace. Since spring and summer are seasons we associate with warmth, new beginnings, and long days plumped out like juicy peaches, I thought it might also be a good time to consider a wider range of books, art, food, film, and travel options.

Some studies have shown that when we encounter something new or different, our brains attempt to “recognize” it by relating it to memories of similar events. How often, when exposed to foods, writings, and artistic creation from other cultures, do feelings and expectations derived or absorbed from our past prevent us from a direct, fresh experience? Can we learn to set aside those inclinations, to form new, positive memories, and approach cultural differences with curiosity and an expectation of pleasant discovery?

In the spirit of giving it a try, in this issue you’ll find a selection of novels by writers of diverse ethnic and national backgrounds. Each flavors the soup of English-language literature with a touch of saffron here, a bit of bitterroot, a pinch of salt, a touch of irony, a stir of laughter. There are also suggestions for films and art that explore an assortment of cultures. By stepping out of our usual Anglocentric choices, we honor the diversity of our country, we open the door to fresh views of universal topics, and we enrich our lives and stimulate our imaginations with previously unrevealed images. I hope you’ll pick one or two and open your heart to change.

-- Rosemary Carstens

NOTE: We've expanded this issue and have some new separate sections for food and art! http://www.CarstensCommunications.com/FEAST.html