Cookbook Watch - harvest time

It's the middle of August, and most berries are either gone by now, or in their prime. Apples are soon coming into season, and plums are perfect at the moment. I don't have any fruit trees or bushes, so I'll be doing all my picking at the market - but that's ok too, and there's plenty to choose from. As for what to do with the loot.. well, that's where these two books come in.



Both are only available in Swedish, and both are written by very accomplished female pastry chefs. And I'll tell you right now, both are well worth the space on the cookbook shelf. One, Min äppelbok ("My Apple Book") by Elisabeth Johansson is just about apples. The other, Frukt och Bär ("Fruits and Berries") by Ingela Persson has a wider scope, and covers everything from citrus, rhubarb, currants, plums, pears, apples to peaches, cherries and sloe berries. It's more focused on preserving in different ways, whereas the apple book has a lot more dessert or baking ideas. Both books are very nicely made, but the apple book has more photos. If you have loads of apple trees, you should definitely opt for Elisabeth's book. If you, however, don't have much of a preference on what fruit or berry to work with, get the other book. Or really, get both. You won't regret it.