The Apple a Day Cookbook

Virginia Gillham is Associate Librarian of the Public Service Library at
the University of Guelph.

This book will tell you everything you always wanted to know about
apples but never in your wildest dreams would have thought to ask.
Beginning with clarification of the legend of Johnny Appleseed, and
culminating with nearly 300 apple recipes for everything from appetizers
and relishes to desserts and main dishes, Janet Reeves deals with this
most popular of fruits in exhaustive detail. Specialty cookbooks are not
new to this P.E.I. author and cook. She began the series by dealing with
Prince Edward Island’s principal crop, the potato, in One Potato, Two
Potato.

Twenty pages of introductory information describe the apple in history
and legend, varieties of apples, buying and storing, nutritional
analysis, and apple products. The recipes that follow have all been
tested in the author’s kitchen. They are offered in imperial measure
(though a metric conversion chart is included) and require no special
equipment or exotic ingredients. Many are old, pioneer recipes adapted
for modern kitchens. In only some cases are specific varieties of apple
suggested for specific recipes; in all cases, experimentation is
encouraged.

Lest you wonder at the existence of 300 apple recipes, be aware, for
example, that the book includes 10 versions of apple crisp or crumble,
four different Waldorf salads, five ways to bake apples, and no fewer
than eight apple soups (and two stews). It also boasts four chutneys,
four relishes, and 10 jams and jellies.

Fifteen pages of appendices provide insight into oven temperatures,
baking times, metric conversion, equivalent weights, and ingredient
substitutes. A glossary of cooking terms and a six-page index complete
this amazing little book—a fun addition to any cook’s library.