Julia Shanks

discusses

The Farmer's Kitchen:
The Ultimate Guide to Enjoying Your CSA and Farmers' Market Foods

This event includes a book signing

Date

Jun
19
Tuesday
June 19, 2012
7:00 PM ET

Location

Harvard Book Store
1256 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138

Tickets

This event is free; no tickets are required.

Harvard Book Store is delighted to welcome chef and entrepreneur JULIA SHANKS for a discussion of her cookbook, The Farmer's Kitchen: The Ultimate Guide to Enjoying Your CSA and Farmers' Market Foods.

The Farmer's Kitchen was prepared to help Farmers' Market customers and CSA subscribers enjoy the foods that farmers love to plant, tend, and harvest. In addition to the recipes designed especially for small-farm crops, this book contains detailed descriptions of the foods as well as storage tips.

CSA — Community Supported Agriculture — is a new agricultural model built upon the relationship between farmer and consumer. CSA farms are partially or entirely supported by members who pay in advance for weekly distributions of fresh produce. By accepting the possibility that certain crops may do poorly or even fail, members share in the inherent risks of farming. This model demonstrates a commitment to the farmer, and it allows small farms to thrive in otherwise unfavorable conditions. Given the alarming disappearance of farmland across the nation, more and more people are abandoning the supermarket and joining CSAs.

Farmers’ markets have become the new best place to find cutting edge foods. From professional chefs to home cooks to food writers, farmers’ markets are now the destination to find the most high-quality, diverse, and exciting vegetables, fruits, meats and cheeses. In contrast, supermarkets, even the high end ones, can never offer truly ripe and superbly flavorful produce. But this diversity can be confusing. This cookbook is designed to help you navigate through newly discovered foods. We want you to understand what produce is available, how to choose truly ripe vegetables and fruits, and how to best to store them. Finally, a larder of great recipes is essential to best appreciate what the farmers have grown for us. We thank all of our customers for supporting local farms. You are the people that will let progressive American farms thrive in the 21st century. You make possible our stewardship and environmental goals.

Julia Shanks
Julia Shanks

Julia Shanks

Julia Shanks is a chef and entrepreneur who consults with food businesses and farms, helping them maximize profits and streamline operations through business planning, feasibility studies and operational audits. As a business consultant, teacher, and serial entrepreneur, she has first-hand knowledge of the challenges that business owners face when starting up or raising funds, and helps her clients and students overcome the obstacles. 

Julia received her professional training as a chef at the California Culinary Academy. Her first business, Interactive Cuisine, founded in 1997, provided informal cooking lessons in private homes and grew to include corporate team-building through cooking. In addition to Julia Shanks Food Consulting, Julia also runs CSA Cookbooks, which creates custom cookbooks for small farmers seeking a way to build loyalty with their customers. Her books have been reviewed in The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, Taste of the Seacoast, and Growing For Market. She’s the Greater Boston regional leader of The Slow Money Alliance, lectures on sustainable food systems at Boston-area culinary schools and sits on the advisory boards of Future Chefs and Drop in & Decorate.

Harvard Book Store
1256 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138

Walking from the Harvard Square T station: 2 minutes

As you exit the station, reverse your direction and walk east along Mass. Ave. in front of the Cambridge Savings Bank. Cross Dunster St. and proceed along Mass. Ave for three more blocks. You will pass Au Bon Pain, JP Licks, and TD Bank. Harvard Book Store is located at the corner of Mass. Ave. and Plympton St.

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General Info
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info@harvard.com

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