There’s no simple way to describe this off-beat, nostalgic, yet forward-looking book which does full justice to its spirit and charm.
Free Food. There are several ways to read the phrase, says author Andrew Barton, who also wrote the meditative bread guide,
“Free as in food made with a sense of openness, no rigid rules, and plenty of flexibility.
“Free as in the absence of monetary exchange.
“Free as in somewhat improvisational–eating what there is in front of you, rustled up into something new—a freewheeling journey from ingredients to meal.”
There are stories of communal living and family tables, natural food stores and harvest festivals. Recipes are almost all vegetarian, and often strikingly personal, as when Barton says “Cauliflower loves having things scattered over it at the end.” At another point he proclaims himself a celery evangelist. There are few enough of those.
Drawing deeply on a particularly Pacific Northwestern counterculture spirit, Barton offers an alternative to performative cooking. His is an invitation to meals where the social aspect lies in who’s sitting around the table rather than following you on the ‘gram.
Paperback. Green-and-white photographs and drawings throughout.
