From its humble beginnings in 1934, L.A.'s Original Farmers Market has become one of the leading destinations in Southern California. And this comprehensive cookbook celebrates the food, people, and history of this Los Angeles landmark. Mexican, Brazilian, Middle Eastern, and old-fashioned American diner fare are all here, among many others. Readers can re-create more than 75 stand-in-line classics like Chilaquiles Verdes from Lotera! Grill, Falafel Sandwiches from Moishe's, and finish up with decadent Chocolate Fudge from Littlejohn's English Toffee House. Vivid photographs and rare archival images bring the market to life as it celebrates its 75th anniversary.

"A regional market with national presence, the Santa Monica Farmers' Market has long inspired both renowned chefs and home cooks. One of the oldest and largest markets in the state (with 20,000 customers weekly), it stands at the forefront of a national trend toward cooking with local and seasonal ingredients. For more than twenty years, Amelia Saltsman has shopped its stands, talked with its farmers, and cooked its magnificent produce for family and friends. The result is The Santa Monica Farmers' Market Cookbook, a celebration of the market's excellence and its hardworking farmers. What's the difference between white and green zucchini? What are amaranth, sapote, and ramps? With Amelia as your guide, you'll learn the answers to these questions and more. In these pages, you'll find advice on how to select and store produce, stories about farmers and their crops, chef and farmer cooking tips, and more than 100 of Amelia's simple, tempting recipes"--Publisher description

The ultimate guide to easy, local, sustainable entertaining in season. Now in e-book form, it’s easier than ever to access Amelia Saltsman’s tricks and techniques to simple, delicious cooking from local farmers’ markets. This seasonal “bite-size package” offers three menu chapters, each with recipes, entertaining tips, wine suggestions, shopping lists, and a countdown plan. There are also sections on how to shop at a farmers’ market, suggestions for useful kitchen tools and pantry items, and basic cooking techniques, as well as the Roasted Seasonal Vegetable Primer, an indispensable master recipe tool for every home cook. Illustrated with food photography by Staci Valentine, the book showcases the best of summer foods. Whether readers want an elegant supper or casual barbeque, or to know what to serve on a night perfect for sipping rosé, they will find out here. Each menu includes an appetizer, first course, main dish, accompaniments, and dessert that complement each other in flavor and preparation time. Cooks can prepare all the recipes for an extravagant lunch or dinner, or use just two or three for a simpler meal. Having entertained “market-style” for years, Amelia offers her strategies for balancing it all while producing a special meal: plan, shop, work, cook, visit with guests, and embrace the “carpe diem” philosophy of seasonal ingredients. Using one market as a lens, Amelia gave us the tools to shop and cook in season in her first, best-selling book. Now she shows us how to bring that knowledge to stress-free entertaining. Delicious ingredients give us the confidence to entertain. When we start with foods that were raised for how they were grown, all that is needed is a bit of technique to bring out their best. Wherever readers live, they will enjoy serving such simple showstoppers as: • Roast Halibut Loin with Black Olives and Summer Herbs • Cherry and Almond Salad • Green Zebra Tomato Gazpacho • Easy Peach Pavlova Words of praise for The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook: Amelia’s book is an amazing resource to have with you, a complete season-by-season handbook to guide you through the bounty of the market. –Alice Waters, owner of Chez Panisse Restaurant In her first book, Saltsman proves that minimal effort, coupled with high-quality food can produce extraordinary results. –Publishers Weekly

“A warm and charming book, where Fletcher’s passion for the produce gently shines . . . Meandering and passionate . . . like an afternoon at the market.” —Heavy Table Introduction by Alice Waters Sporting a gorgeous new cover, Fresh from the Farmers’ Market just got a little fresher. With more home cooks falling in love with the unbeatable flavor of farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, there has never been a better time to serve fruits and vegetables at mealtime. This wonderfully useful cookbook is a celebration of market bounty with luscious color photographs and more than seventy-five mouthwatering recipes. Each delicious soup, salad, entrée, and dessert makes the most of the season’s best. James Beard Award–winning author Janet Fletcher guides shoppers through the market, sharing tips on selection and storage as well as advice from the farmers themselves, so readers can turn peak-season produce into delicious eating, year-round. “This newly published book is an indispensable companion for all farmer’s market fans and food lovers . . . It’s conveniently divided into seasons so a quick glance through the appropriate seasonal section, before you head off to the market, will give great inspiration for shopping.” —Ditty’s Saturday Market

Provides tips for storing, preparing, and preserving the fresh, seasonal ingredients available with a Community Supported Agriculture subscription and farmer's markets.