Unlock the mysteries of your Farmers Market and CSA box with this guide to eating and preserving local, seasonal foods

Farmers' Markets and CSAs are among the best places to find high-quality, diverse, and exciting vegetables and fruits. But the rich array of unusual varieties can be confusing and overwhelming. From detailed produce descriptions to storage tips, preparation techniques, and over two hundred flavorful recipes, The Farmers' Market Cookbook has the answer to every prospective locavore's perennial question, What do I do with this ?

Featuring a range of traditional favorites alongside innovative creations showcasing the stunning flavors of heirloom fruits and vegetables, this guide to seasonal eating will help you engage your powers of creativity, learning, and experimentation. Recipes include:

• Garlic scape vichyssoise
• Potato fennel risotto
• Beef roulade with cilantro mojo
• Cantaloupe salsa

Eating locally cultivates appreciation for those who grow our food. Full of practical insights from field to fork, The Farmers' Market Cookbook celebrates the small farmer's labor of love with recipes that showcase every crop at its best--essential reading for anyone who wants to appreciate fresh food at its best.

Julia Shanks has honed her culinary talents working in restaurants around the country, developing a taste for fresh, local and seasonal foods. She consults with restaurants, farms and food producers, helping them maximize profits and streamline revenues through sustainable business practices.

Brett Grohsgal worked as everything from line cook to executive chef while developing and sharing his appreciation for artisanal, seasonal foods. Now he runs Even' Star Organic Farm, growing and harvesting crops year-round for restaurants, grocery stores, universities, farmers markets, and the farm's own successful CSA.

Julia Shanks is a chef, serial entrepreneur and certified pilot whose passion for food preparation began when she was 12 years old and determined to bake, grill and steam her way through the complete set of Time-Life Cookbooks. In her later years, she honed her culinary talents working in restaurants around the country, developing a taste for fresh, local and seasonal foods. Today, Julia consults with restaurants, farms and food producers, helping them maximize profits and streamline revenues. In her tiny, urban garden in Cambridge, MA, she harvests vegetables seven months out of the year.

Brett Grohsgal has dedicated himself to delighting tastebuds from New England to California, working as everything from line cook to executive chef, while developing and sharing his appreciation for artisanal, seasonal foods. As his passion for cooking evolved he began growing his own produce, and in 1996 he and his wife established Even' Star Organic Farm. Even' Star focuses on harvesting crops year-round for restaurants, grocery stores, universities, farmers markets, and the Grohsgals' own successful CSA, while adhering to the highest standards of responsible environmental stewardship. "Life is too short, and farm life too arduous, to ever grow or eat boring foods."