The Farmstead Egg Guide & Cookbook

Starred review from January 1, 2014

In 2006, chicken owner and professional chef Golson published The Farmstead Egg Cookbook to highlight recipes made with local eggs. This revised edition also showcases the joys of owning chickens. In the first part of the book, Golson expertly presents a brief overview of keeping chickens, discussing raising layers and how to handle fresh eggs. The majority of the work is devoted to a bounty of recipes featuring eggs as the main ingredient, ranging from the simplest forms of fried, poached, and shirred eggs to quiches, custards, sauces, and souffles. Golson includes an instructive and entertaining introduction to each dish, and there are plenty of helpful charts and color photographs. VERDICT Golson provides a full-circle cookbook for those who won't end up caring if the chicken or egg came first. This comprehensive volume is recommended for all collections, especially those with a community interest in urban farming.--Kristi Chadwick, Emily Williston Memorial Lib., Easthampton, MA

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2014
The egg that consumers take for granted has suffered much abuse in recent years. If not excoriated for its cholesterol, it's feared as a source of salmonella or other deadly food poisoning. Golson has taken to raising her own eggs from a backyard chicken flock. For those similarly inclined, she offers plenty of practical advice, beginning with the necessity to check local regulations to be sure the community has no bans against poultry, which can be noisy enough to offend neighbors. Golson also cautions that no matter how tasty one's own hand-raised eggs can be, their costs can never hope to compete with eggs raised with the economies of scale that modern industrial egg production achieves. For those who don't have room for a backyard coop, Golson provides a number of egg recipes, ranging from the simplest boiled egg through complex quiches and silky baked custards.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)