CHECK IT OUT

Transferring the bounty of the garden to the grill can be dicey

business, made easier with a crop of new cookbooks.

Among the most recent books added to Newport Beach Public Library

shelves is Jack Bishop’s “Vegetables Every Day,” featuring 350 inspired

recipes for vegetables from artichokes to zucchini. In 66 chapters

organized by vegetable type, there are tips on availability, selection,

storage, preparation and cooking methods in this guide to buying and

cooking produce. Along with creative ways to fix tomatoes, corn and other

familiar fare, find information about bringing such lesser-known veggies

as calabaza, cardoon and kohlrabi to the table.

Equally comprehensive for both gardeners and fresh food enthusiasts is

“The Gardener’s Table,” by noted horticulturist Richard Merrill and

award-winning cookbook author Joe Ortiz. Based on the premise that flavor

starts in the soil, this compendium of information about natural

vegetable growing and cooking includes tips for composting, pest control

and ecological cooking.

You won’t need an acre of farmland to cultivate the more than 100

fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers discussed in Terence Conran’s “The

Chef’s Garden.” Color photographs illustrate the ornamental value of

purple broccoli, red chard and cherry tomatoes -- shown growing in

containers or small urban gardens. The most mouthwatering photos depict

such delicacies as spinach and ricotta tart, offering ample inspiration

for tilling the soil.

Also peppered with photos guaranteed to make you salivate is “Cooking

from the Garden.” Margaret Leibenstein covers everything from appetizers

to desserts with 80 international recipes calling for fresh produce and

herbs in this slim, user-friendly volume.

The simple act of food preparation can enliven your senses and nourish

your life, according to vegetarian chef Peter Berley. In “The Modern

Vegetarian Kitchen,” the macrobiotic cooking enthusiast brings the art of

meatless cuisine to a new level with a variety of tempting chowders,

seasonal salads and creative menus for health-conscious diners.

Herbs complement dishes made both with and without meat in 200 recipes

featured in “The Herbfarm Cookbook” from Seattle chef Jerry Traunfeld.

And whether or not you grow your own parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,

you can incorporate the flavors of these aromatic greens into soups,

sorbets, sauces and breads with this guide to cooking with fresh herbs.

There’s more to a potato than meets the eye, reveals food historian

William Weaver in “100 Vegetables and Where They Came From.” When you’re

ready to get out of the kitchen, ingest tantalizing tidbits about this

Irish staple and 99 other edibles in stories that should delight

gardeners, cooks and veggie connoisseurs.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Melissa Adams in collaboration with

June Pilsitz. All titles may be reserved from home or office computers by

accessing the catalog at o7 https://www.newportbeachlibrary.org.

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