Delicious, good for us, but underrepresented on our tables, berries are one of nature's greatest gifts. Amending our lack of berry-smarts, Janie Hibler's The Berry Bible presents a definitive guide, with over 200 recipes using cultivated, wild, fresh, and frozen berries--from well-known types such as blueberries and raspberries (and their related varieties), to lesser known kinds, like the cloudberry and manzanita, and apple-like fruit enjoyed traditionally by Native Americans. The recipes cover a wide range of easily produced dishes, such as Morning Glory Muffins with Blackberries and Pork Tenderloin Salad with Warm Strawberry Dressing, and also include formulas for smoothies, cocktails, condiments like chutney, and homemade berry liqueurs such as Madame Rose Blan'’s Crème de Cassis. What makes the book a particularly valuable kitchen resource, however, is Hibler's A to Z berry encyclopedia, a section that, in addition to providing nomenclature, history, habitat, and classification information, also offers picking, buying, storing, and cooking advice. Accompanying the descriptions are pages of color photos that further aid in berry identification, a gift to those who like to gather their own. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly
From the essential raspberry to the uncommon jostaberry, Food & Wine and Gourmet contributor Hibler sings the praises of the bountiful berry, many varieties of which are indigenous to North America. Without getting too scientific, Hibler explores the history of the berry, how and where it is cultivated and the differences between each variety. She highlights berries' versatility and adaptability, making references to each fruit's cooking capacity as well as its health benefits. Divided into two main sections, the book serves foremost as an encyclopedia of buffaloberries, salmonberries, strawberries and everything in between, listing common names, storage information and other particulars. The second half is an eclectic collection of recipes for beverages, salads, game, pies and more. Forget strawberry jam and cranberry sauce-Hibler offers a refreshing look at a fruit often relegated to pancakes and syrups. Adventurous chefs will be inspired to jump-start their next party with Strawberry Mojitos, followed by Mango-Raspberry Soup and Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Blueberry Port. For dessert, they may want to go out on a limb with Almond Gooseberry Cream Pie, or just play it safe with Peak-of-the-Season Blueberry Pie. Incorporating the berry into both sweet and savory dishes is what Hibler seems to do best, and her recipes are straightforward and well-explained. 8-page full-color photo insert not seen by PW. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
The domain of edible berries stretches far beyond familiar strawberries and raspberries. Marionberries, jostaberries, mayhaws, pyracanthas, and thimbleberries have their own regional devotees. Hibler classifies them all, giving both botanic data and culinary uses for each berry. She distinguishes often confusing nomenclature and provides, where possible, sources of supply for some of the more obscure members of the berry world. A brief description of implements useful in berry cookery precedes a large recipe section. In addition to both nonalcoholic and mixed drinks, Hibler records recipes for homemade liqueurs. Her recipes for baked breads using both standard and unusual berries will please home bakers. Berry soups appeal to contemporary chefs, and recipes such as lamb shanks in a sauce of blackberries and port lure the adventurous. This exhaustive and authoritative treatise belongs in cookery reference collections and will be popular also with those who like to forage for natural fruits. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description

Sweet, juicy, and delicious, berries -- everyone's favorite fruit -- can be found wild, grown in your own backyard, or purchased fresh or frozen year-round. But there's more to berries than glorious summer desserts. Packed with vitamins and antioxidants, berries are exceptionally good for you, too.

In The Berry Bible, author Janie Hibler gets to the heart of these summer fruits, from their health benefits to their genus to how they are best put to use in the kitchen. An award-winning cookbook author and authority on the foods of the Pacific Northwest, Hibler offers 175 recipes, along with 68 full-color identification photographs and an A-to-Z encyclopedia that details well-known varieties such as blueberries and blackberries and lesser-known cultivars such as manzanitas and Juneberries.

Hibler traveled the globe in her quest for berry lore, facts, and recipes, visiting the Canadian prairie to search out Saskatoon berries; Alaska, to pick wild blueberries with the Indians; and Europe, to peruse the markets for the best strawberries.

Her delightful history of 41 berries, and personal annotations on how to use and store them, inspire you to try her Brioche French Toast with Sautéed Berries or tender Marionberry Biscuits, while cooling yourself on a hot summer day with her Strawberry Mojito and refreshing berry lemonades. Hibler offers everything berry, from first course to last. Start your meal with Chilled Blackberry—Lime Soup, move on to Sautéed Chicken Breast with Blueberry Port, and end on a lovely Boysenberry-Loganberry Cobbler or Peak-of-the-Season Blueberry Pie.

In between, there's a chapter on how to wash berries, freeze them, measure them accurately, substitute them in recipes, and remove their stains, plus a primer on the magnificent creams -- whipped, crème fraîche, clotted, and Double Devon. There is also a chapter on berry preserves, jams, pickles, syrups, and toppings. The time is ripe to pick up The Berry Bible.

About the Author
Janie Hibler is a contributing writer to Gourmet, Food & Wine, and Bon App#233;tit magazines. She is the past president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and the author of five books, including the bestselling Dungeness Crabs and Blackberry Cobblers, and Wild About Game, winner of the 1999 James Beard Award for Best Book: Single Subject. She divides her time between her home in Portland, Oregon, and her cabin in the Cascade Mountains.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Sweet, juicy, and delicious, berries — everyone's favorite fruit — can be found wild, grown in your own backyard, or purchased fresh or frozen year-round. But there's more to berries than glorious summer desserts. Packed with vitamins and antioxidants, berries are exceptionally good for you, too.

In The Berry Bible, author Janie Hibler gets to the heart of these summer fruits, from their health benefits to their genus to how they are best put to use in the kitchen. An award-winning cookbook author and authority on the foods of the Pacific Northwest, Hibler offers 175 recipes, along with 68 full-color identification photographs and an A-to-Z encyclopedia that details well-known varieties such as blueberries and blackberries and lesser-known cultivars such as manzanitas and Juneberries.

Hibler traveled the globe in her quest for berry lore, facts, and recipes, visiting the Canadian prairie to search out Saskatoon berries; Alaska, to pick wild blueberries with the Indians; and Europe, to peruse the markets for the best strawberries.

Her delightful history of 41 berries, and personal annotations on how to use and store them, inspire you to try her Brioche French Toast with Sautéed Berries or tender Marionberry Biscuits, while cooling yourself on a hot summer day with her Strawberry Mojito and refreshing berry lemonades. Hibler offers everything berry, from first course to last. Start your meal with Chilled Blackberry—Lime Soup, move on to Sautéed Chicken Breast with Blueberry Port, and end on a lovely Boysenberry-Loganberry Cobbler or Peak-of-the-Season Blueberry Pie.

In between, there's a chapter on how to wash berries,freeze them, measure them accurately, substitute them in recipes, and remove their stains, plus a primer on the magnificent creams — whipped, crème fraîche, clotted, and Double Devon. There is also a chapter on berry preserves, jams, pickles, syrups, and toppings. The time is ripe to pick up The Berry Bible.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly