OP: Whole Earth Cook Book

Houghton Mifflin Company, 1972. Spiral bound. Very Good. First printing.

The Whole Earth Cook Book (1972) comes from a restaurant once located at the University of California, Santa Cruz, which took advantage of the student garden project’s produce. The restaurant’s, and the book’s, political agenda centers around the importance of whole foods—and the rejection of processed foods—for a diet that is both nutritious and that restores kinship with the earth.

Although the Whole Earth team acknowledges the pitfalls of the ranching industry and the value of eating a vegetarian diet, they also pragmatically recognize that not everyone is willing to give up meat entirely. Animal protein dishes, therefore, are present in small quantities but often feature offal. Vegetables, beans, and grains, however, are the main show.

Among the recipes you’ll find:

• Curried pumpkin-mushroom soup

• Sweetbreads sauteed in butter with fresh herbs, garlic, and Madeira

• Zucchini stuffed with chopped vegetables and rice, cooked in enchilada sauce

• A cheesy millet souffle

• Spiced persimmon cookies

Our copy is the spiral bound first printing in Very Good condition. Some soiling and marginalia but largely clean and securely bound. A book to bring health and happiness, surely!