Coming in 2014
Precious Cargo: How Foods From the Americas Changed the World
From Counterpoint Press, Berkeley
The Premise
I admit that I laughed out loud when I reread historian Alfred W. Crosby’s 1972 diatribe against what he termed “the Columbian exchange,” saying it “has left us with not a richer but a more impoverished genetic pool. We, all of the life on this planet are the less for Columbus, and the impoverishment will increase.” Instead of this sort of dated doom and gloom about the Columbian exchange, I propose a new vision of that monumental collision of foods and technology: The discovery of the Americas was a watershed event for food that forever changed history and triggered unforeseen advances in agriculture, enterprise, and commerce that allowed the development of the modern world. Admittedly, this progress came with horrendous problems, like slavery and the destruction of indigenous societies and species, but I don’t believe it serves any useful purpose to make moral judgments about historical events. The purpose of Precious Cargo, is simply to tell the many stories of how and why western hemisphere foods and crops conquered the rest of the world and saved it from not only culinary boredom, but mass starvation as well. See the Counterpoint Press catalog pages here.
Dishing Up New Mexico
From Storey Publishing
This is a farm-to-table cookbook featuring New Mexico small farmers, ranchers, restaurateurs, chefs, and 160 recipes featuring the foods of the Land of Enchantment.
Contents
Foreword, by Vicki Pozzebon, director of Delicious New Mexico
Introduction: The Legacy of New Mexico’s Agriculture
Chapter 1. Chile Peppers, the Heart and Soul of the State
Chapter 2. Transforming the Essential Vegetables
Chapter 3. Farm to Table Seasonal Delights
Chapter 4. From Mozzarella to Chèvre: Enchanting Cheeses
Chapter 5. Exceptional Meats from Churro Lamb to Oryx
Chapter 6. Cooking with Unique Specialty Food Products
Chapter 7. Brilliant Beverages
Chapter 8. Nuts, Fruits, and Extraordinary Desserts
Appendix 1. Farmers’ Markets of New Mexico
Appendix 2. New Mexico Food and Beverage Events
Appendix 3. Participating Delicious New Mexico Members
