Book Review: Green Market Baking Book by Laura C. Martin

The Green Market Baking Book not only includes 100 delicious, healthy recipes, it just may change the way that you cook. Author Laura C. Martin is a strong proponent of slow food cooking - the replacement of highly processed ingredients such as sugar with natural alternatives. Like most chefs today, Martin also advocates using locally grown ingredients that are in season.

Martin is a prolific author with 24 books written over 30 years. The titles of these books are a testament to the author's many interests including cooking, arts and crafts, and gardening. Her knowledge and skill in all of these fields is evident as you read the Green Market Baking Book. In addition to providing information about gardening and food preservation methods such as freezing and canning, Martin also did all of the illustrations. The book's art work is extraordinary. In fact, you may want 2 copies of this book: one for the
coffee table and one that you can "trash" in the kitchen.

Green Market Baking Book includes Laura's own recipes along with a host of talented chefs and bakers. These recipes are organized according to the season in which their main ingredients are naturally available. In addition, certain recipes include icons with dairy-free, wheat-free, vegan, and low-calorie designations for those with special dietary concerns.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to try the 12 Grain Muffin, Honey Strawberry Jam, and Graham Cracker recipes from the spring section of the book. Although I had some difficulty finding a store that carried ingredients such as whole wheat pastry flour and 12 grain cereal, the recipes were fairly easy to prepare and they all tasted great. The most challenging recipe was the Honey Strawberry Jam which required me to do some canning (something
that I had never attempted in the past). However, the section on food preservation was very helpful in this regard.

Overall, I give Laura C. Martin's Green Market Baking Book five stars out of five. All of the recipes that I tried were delicious, healthy, and easy to make. The book is interesting, informative, and a pleasure to read.