TOME ON THE RANGE
A behind-the-scenes look at sustainable farming
When it comes to what we’re putting on our plates and in our mouths, the words local, sustainable and artisanal have become practically second nature.
A new book by Chicago writer and photographer Anna Blessing showcases some of the real places and people behind the terms that have ignited the passions of healthy eaters and mindful chefs everywhere.
For Locally Grown ($23), Blessing had an enviable task: Venture out of the city and onto 20 beautiful Midwestern farms, documenting each through photographs and profiles that showcase the farmers’ efforts to grow food in thoughtful ways.
The book is filled with recipes from notable Chicago chefs who buy from the farms. Paul Kahan and Brian Huston of the Publican show us how to make their Morteau sausage using pork from Iowa’s Becker Lane Organic Farm, while Duncan Biddulph of the impossibly romantic wine bar Rootstock shares his recipe for fried chicken made with Gunthorp Farms poultry from LaGrange, Indiana. Stephanie Izard (Girl & the Goat), Andrew Zimmerman (Sepia) and Paul Virant (Perennial Virant, Vie) are among the other star chefs who weigh in.
We love supporting the local movement, and this book has us craving a road trip to see the process firsthand.
