In Pursuit of Flavor

Edna Lewis grew up in a small farm town in Virginia and learned her culinary skills watching her mother and grandmother prepare meals from what was in season in the garden, orchards, the wild, or what was on hand. The fare is often simple, but flavorful as prepared with fresh herbs and meat juices and fats. The book has six sections — From the Gardens and Orchards; From the Farmyard; From the Lakes, Streams, and Oceans; For the Cupboard; From the Bread Oven and Griddle; and The Good Taste of Old-Fashioned Desserts. Besides the recipes, there are instructive stories about planting and growing cabbage, buying ducks, storing food in the refrigerator, freezing plums, buying lard, and more. Some instructions might shock today’s cooks such as her advice to “let the uncooked duck sit out in the kitchen most the day without any covering” so that the skin will crisp. Her instructions for making sauerkraut are exactly the way my mother made it, and her Apple Brown Betty brings back wonderful memories. Don’t miss that recipe. It’s perfect. Her chutney recipe can be made with a variety of fruits, depending on what is available fresh. Don’t miss this.