Summertime: Cook!

We are entering the height of Montana's harvest season. And it is busy, it can be 9 PM before we think of dinner. These cookbooks have been favorites for many years. Quick, simple meals. And a multitude of recipes to keep meals different and interesting, even if you are using the same crops day after day!

Cookbook Recommendations:

Cookbooks arranged by crop are useful. For example, if you have a bushel of green beans and run out of ideas, then go to 'Recipes (and More Recipes) From a Kitchen Garden' by Renee Shepherd and Fran Raboff. Also, Barbara Kafka's 'Vegetable Love' is amazing. This book is arranged by regions of the world (the vegetable's origin place). Danger: you may find yourself reading more than cooking. 'Cool Food' is a small, kind of artsy cookbook, but it is absolutely fantastic for summertime meals.

Favorite recipes:

• 'Recipes From a Kitchen Garden': Sweet Pepper Essence

• 'More Recipes': Cilantro Corn Pancakes

• 'Vegetable Love': Pea Pod Soup (waste nothing!)

• 'Cool Food': Fava Bean, Mint & Bacon Salad. Or the Cilantro Miso Paste.