Simple Food for the Good Life

by Helen Nearing

Book Overview

Fifty years before the phrase "simple living" became fashionable, Helen and Scott Nearing were living their celebrated "Good Life" on homesteads first in Vermont, then in Maine. All the way to their... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0913299243
• ISBN13: 9780913299241
• Release Date: January 1985
• Publisher: Stillpoint Publishing
• Length: 309 Pages
• Weight: 0.87 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

The Uncook Book

This book is a collection of essays and recipes explaining and demonstrating Helen Nearing's philosophy about food. Nearing is the first to point out that she does not enjoy cooking in the least. For this reason, she spent as little time as possible in food preparation. Nevertheless, as thousands of visitors would testify, the food from her kitchen was wholesome, tasty, and most of all, nourishing. Her cardinal rule was that food should take no longer to prepare than to consume. Of course, some dishes required simmering for several hours on the woodstove, but the active involvement of the cook was still limited to just a few minutes. The first part of the book is devoted mainly to Nearing's philosophy of food. She explains the benefits of minimal processing and raw foods, for the cook as well as for health. She devotes an entire chapter to espousing vegetarianism. The second part of the book contains recipes or general directions for the kinds of foods she and Scott ate on their homesteads. Separate chapters cover breakfast, soups, salads, vegetables, casseroles, baking, desserts, and beverages. She also discusses seasonings, food preservation, and food storage. One delightful aspect of the book is her collection of quotes from old books that she sprinkles throughout the text. Nearing is very clear about her approach to cooking-she doesn't consider the process itself a worthwhile activity. She tells us "work is only work if you'd rather be doing something else. Well, I'd rather be reading (or writing) a good book, playing good music, building a wall, gardening, swimming, skating, walking-anything that is more active, more intellectual, or more inspiring." She states that if a person actually enjoys cooking, that's fine for them, but she gets little pleasure from it herself. On the other hand, she certainly sees food as worthwhile. For this reason, she advocates eating food raw, or with as little cooking as possible. She notes that if you fuss over food and make it too good, people will be tempted to eat more than they need and get fat, but that nobody ever got fat on a diet of raw foods-they eat what they need and then stop. Seasonings and sweeteners also lead to overindulgence, and so she rarely uses them. Her breads chapter is somewhat unique in that there is hardly a recipe calling for yeast, and few that are even baked. She suggests eating foods raw that many have never considered, such as potatoes, oats, or even wheat berries. Though much of her advice is profound, she does make one suggestion that makes me pause. She notes that she and Scott were not in the habit of supplementing their food with beverages, not even water, and that a single glass of water could last a week for them. Odd. Nevertheless, it's hard to argue with someone about their diet when both she and her husband lived healthy and active lives into their late nineties.

I loved this book

Helen Nearing does not mince words. She tells it like she thinks it, which is part of the beauty of her style. This book will make you thing about the way you eat, and what you feed those you love, so get ready to have some assumptions challenged. I have used some of the recipes in this text, and have not been disappointed (try any of the salads or the banana cookies for a snack).

The most unusual cook book you will ever read

Helen Nearing does not mince words. She tells it like she thinks it, which is part of the beauty of her style. This book will make you thing about the way you eat, and what you feed those you love, so get ready to have some assumptions challenged. I have used some of the recipes in this text, and have not been disappointed (try any of the salads described or the banana cookies for a snack).

HORSECHOW REDUX

I must correct my receipe above (below?) for Helen's horse chow. It's four cups oldfashioned oats, a half cup of raisins, good olive oil, salt, and juice of a lemon. MIX RAW, NO COOKING NEEDED. Believe me, that is an unbearably delicious breakfast. You MUST STOP at one bowl--but you don't want to. I usually make a big salad bowl full, two or three pounds (and it's far cheaper than processed breakfast food), which might last four days, if I'm a good boy.

A wonderful read

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, more than I enjoyed "Living the Good Life." Helen Nearing gives clear, concise arguments for eating simple, unprocessed food. As a strict vegetarian who has to sometimes defend my dietary choices to my family and friends, I treasured her well-laid out chapter on vegetarianism. Though Helen definitely had her own opinions and stuck to them, I like the message of tolerance that comes through when she speaks about dietary choices and conciences. The recipes are all very simple and easy to understand, and, unlike some vegetarian cookbooks, do not call for hard-to-find ingredients. I also liked her use of quotes on vegetarianism, food in general, and cooking. A very good book, good for anyone who is reevaluating his or her diet.