The local food movement has sprouted across the country in recent years. These books will help you take full advantage of the locally grown food available in our community.


Compiled by:
Jane R.
Blessing the Hands That Feed Us: What Eating Closer to Home Can Teach Us About Food, Community, and Our Place on Earth

Vicki Robin
Adult Nonfiction – 363.8097 Rob

Documents the author's efforts to eat food produced within ten miles of her home, exposing the cause-and-effect consequences of a processed-foods diet. She shares stories of the farmers she befriends who epitomize the sustainable lifestyle.


Cook Food

Lisa Miya-Jervis
ebook available on Hoopla

This rousing call to action for healthy, conscious eating is an inspirational primer for those who want to move beyond packaged and processed food toward a more responsible and sustainable way of eating. Many people are learning about the political ramifications of what they eat, but don't know how to change their habits or expand their kitchen repertoire to include meatless dishes. This compendium offers a straightforward overview of the political issues surrounding food, and a culinary toolkit to put principles into practice. Without resorting to faux meat, fake cheese, or obscure ingredients, the recipes focus on fresh, local, minimally processed ingredients that sustain farmers, animals, and the entire food chain. Instead of a rigid set of recipes to be replicated, it offers tips for improvisation, creative thinking in the kitchen, practical suggestions for cooking on a budget, and quick and delicious vegan and vegetarian meal options for anyone who wants to eat fast, tasty, nutritious food every day.


The CSA Cookbook: No-Waste Recipes for Cooking Your Way Through a Community Supported Agriculture Box, Farmers' Market, or Backyard Bounty

Linda Ly
Adult Nonfiction – 641.65 Ly

These seasonal recipes use every edible part of the plant, from leaves and flowers to stems and seeds.


The Farmers Market Cookbook: The Ultimate Guide to Enjoying Fresh, Local, Seasonal Produce

Julia Shanks
Adult Nonfiction – 641.563 Sha

From detailed produce descriptions to storage tips, preparation techniques and over 200 recipes, this book has the answer to every prospective locavore's perennial question, “What do I do with this?”


Food Artisans of Japan: Recipes and Stories

Nancy Singleton Hachisu
Adult Nonfiction - 641.5952 Hac

Hachisu shares an in-depth knowledge and understanding of Japanese locales, the foods, and the artisans who work there. Each chef speaks deeply to Hachisu for genuine connection to local ingredients, unwavering desire to give back to the community, and common dedication to craft. Each recipe is a collaboration between the chef and Hachisu, and therefore can be cooked successfully in either a home kitchen or restaurant. And bits and pieces of any chef recipe can be turned into a simple home cooked dish, or the recipe itself can serve as a blueprint for approaching the dish with seasonally available ingredients from your own locale.


Growing Tomorrow: A Farm-to-Table Journey in Photos and Recipes

Forrest Pritchard
Adult Nonfiction – 338.1 Pri

A collection of recipes and more than 250 photos capturing the struggles and triumphs of visionary farmers.


The Local Food Revolution: How Humanity Will Feed Itself in Uncertain Times

Michael Brownlee
Adult Nonfiction – 338.19 Bro

A practical guide for those hoping to navigate the challenging process of shaping the local or regional food system. Written for farmers, community gardeners, aspiring food entrepreneurs, restaurateurs, community food activists, non-profit agencies, policy makers or local government leaders—anyone who wants to be a catalyst for change.


Making Local Food Work: The Challenges and Opportunities of Today's Small Farmers

Brandi Janssen
Adult Nonfiction – 338.1097 Jan

How can local food production benefit communities the most? We may have to do more than shop at our farmers’ market to make it happen.


Root to Leaf: A Southern Chef Cooks Through the Seasons

Steven Satterfield
Adult Nonfiction - 641.65 Sat

Food to leaf is not a vegetarian cookbook--it's a cookbook that celebrates vegetables. Everyone, from the omnivore to the vegan, will find something here. Organized by seasons, and with a decidedly Southern flair, Satterfield's collection of mouthwatering recipes makes the most of available produce from local markets, foraging, and the home garden.


Storey's Guide to Growing Organic Vegetables & Herbs for Market

Keith Stewart
Adult Nonfiction – 631.584 Ste

Addresses how to successfully grow and market organic vegetables and herbs, covering land, equipment, growing techniques, harvesting, storage, sales, accounting, and more.


Vegan Soul Kitchen

Bryant Terry
Adult Nonfiction - 641.56365 Ter

One of the foremost voices in food activism and justice, Bryant Terry brings soul food back to its roots with plant-based, farm-to-table, real food recipes that leave out heavy salt and refined sugar, "bad" fats, and unhealthy cooking techniques, and leave in the down-home flavor. Vegan Soul Kitchen recipes use fresh, whole, healthy ingredients and cooking methods with a focus on local, seasonal, sustainably raised food.