In Heirloom, Sarah Owens’ efforts to introduce cooks to using locally grown, “heirloom” food is commendable, and she writes eloquently and passionately about the benefits of doing so. A lengthy introduction leaves the reader fully informed as to why Owens prefers this kind of food and cookery, despite the sometimes overblown descriptions and statements describing the relationship between humans and food consumption.
The recipes here are organized in two parts – by type such as fruits & vegetables, meats, and grains, then by season, which is helpful and supports the narrative style of the text.
There’s some definite “Earth Mothering” here, with recipes and instructions for making your own vinegar from carefully selected plants, and fermenting food which, let’s be real, regular people are probably not going to work into their busy lives, even though the recipes are totally fascinating!
And that leads me to my main criticism of this book – it is definitely written from a place of privilege. There’s little to no understanding by the author that many Americans live in food deserts, where they can’t easily access fresh food, and certainly can’t afford to pay for some of the ingredients used here. That said, this will find an audience with the semi-affluent to affluent Moms who are trying to get their families to eat healthy.
Publication Date: September 24, 2019
Published By: Roost Books
Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy
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