On The Nightstand: Books of Interest (and Reference)

I am a bookworm at heart.  A perfect world would involve hours of time to indulge in reading.  For now, I'm feeling pretty good when I get a solid five minutes a day in.  That's the painful truth.  Most reading that happens in my life is in the form of reference books.  Oh, how boring that sounds!  But I have come to love them like old friends.  Content and beautiful pictures make being a repeat reader of them a treat.

Rodale's Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening
This treasure turns any black thumb green.  Most every plant, tree, bush, or berry can be found in this book.  It takes a good two minutes to become a pro on any specific crop.  I love how quickly I can find information and answers to questions.  It leaves you with a feeling of empowerment instead of being overwhelmed.  It's magic, I tell you.

The Organic Cook's Bible
The book mentioned above is the how-to-succeed manual for the garden.  The Organic Cook's Bible offers the same kind of help once the harvest (or CSA box) is brought to the kitchen.  Do you find yourself with an exhausting amount of persimmons and have not a clue as to what to do with them like I did after receiving a huge bunch for the first time?  This book will help you identify what variety it is, how to store them, prepare them, and even preserve them if you have enough.  And not just for persimmons, I promise.  It's a massive book.  It covers countless edibles.  Pure gold.

A Year of Pies
This book...  I bought it as a birthday present for my mother.  I have also had my eye on it for personal use for quite a while.  I just happen to be neighbors with my mom now and, well... it might disappear from her kitchen and miraculously end up in mine.  Oopsies.  Daughter of the year award does not go to me.  But this book.  I swoon.  The pictures are glorious and will make anyone's stomach rumble.  There are sweet and savory pies galore.  And the best part?  The recipes are divided into seasons.  It has officially stollen my heart.  How could it not with recipes like Saltwater Taffy Pie in the summertime, Roasted Butternut Squash, Cheddar, and Sage Galette for autumn, Gluten-Free Pear and Hazelnut Frangipane Tart for winter, and Strawberry Crumble Pie with Lemon Verbena Whipped Cream for springtime.  Good gracious.  I can't go on.  But I will say that each season is packed with unstoppable sweet and savory pies, and each season has gluten-free recipes.  The pictures themselves are worth investing in this book.

Please.  Do yourself a favor.  Check these books out at the library.  Don't be surprised if you end up becoming the proud owner them though.  They are keepers and might prove worthy of a prominent spot on your bookshelf.  If they ever make it to there.  Mine never seem to.

I'm sharing this at Simple Lives Thursday.