Before you hit the farmers’ markets, tuck a copy of Eating on the Wild Side (Little, Brown, $16) in that canvas bag. Food activist Jo Robinson has crunched thousands of scientific studies and nutrition lab analyses for this perspective-shifting and practical guide to fresh foods. Through some four-hundred farming generations (!), humans have developed crops on the basis of taste, appearance, and disease-resistance, paying little mind to their nutritional content. More recently, industrial processing and transportation have required that foods be durable, whether nutritional or not; spinach, for instance, “superfood” though it is, has eight times fewer antioxidants than the dandelion leaves blighting our yards. As we can’t – and won’t – all forage in Rock Creek, Robinson offers practical ways of tapping into the “wild side” of our groceries and markets, recommending specific varieties of produce along with tips on storing and preparing them for maximum nutritional value . And if you garden, better yet! Robinson has invaluable information on selecting seeds.
