Cooking the Wild Southwest by Carolyn Niethammer

Carolyn Niethammer has been writing about desert foods and culture for over 20 years. Her early books were our first introduction to Arizona's edibles and how traditional peoples lived and dined in the desert. Niethammer's new book, Cooking the Wild Southwest: Delicious Recipes for Desert Plants (University of Arizona Press, 2011), is a modern, updated look at our native foodstuffs.

The far-from-traditional recipes gleaned from Tucson's chefs, food producers and cooks make native foods accessible to our modern palates: Think muffins, salsas, chile and quiche–but made with cactus, piñon nuts, wild greens and Mexican oregano. Niethammer also provides hints for gathering, preparing and storing each of the plants.

Appeals to:  Fans of Southwest cuisine, Foragers, Gardeners