Eat Local for Less

February 1, 2015

The title of Castillo's first book is somewhat misleading, since, unfortunately, the suggestions for reducing costs are just a small portion of the book. The author spends the majority of the work laying out her arguments for why eating local is a better choice, defining local food and its benefits, and providing a side-by-side comparison of local versus industrial food. Especially helpful is an explanation of the many labels and terms consumers face, such as "all natural" and "free range." Suggestions for how to find affordable local food sources aren't found until midway through the book. The final section provides very basic instructions on preparing food and setting up a vegetable garden. VERDICT This is a good primer for readers who are unfamiliar with the local food movement, but those looking for tips on how to save money eating locally may be disappointed.--Melissa Stoeger, Deerfield P.L., IL

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2015
When sidebarsthose parenthetical bytes of informationare just as interesting as the main narrative (and sometimes more), it's almost a guarantee that the content of the whole book will prove mesmerizing. So it is with Castillo's first full-fledged, non-coauthored book: She's embraced a topic of much debate, parsed and streamlined it to make sense to the average Jane Q. Consumer. The subject? Food that tastes and smells like it's straight from the farm: fresh and in-season, without the processed ingredients endemic to many supermarket and restaurant foods today. Truly, the whole world of food is her province; she defines common terms bandied about, whether biodiversity or GMO, and explains not only the history of our eating patterns but also the how-to's of choosing a farmer as well as the lifespan of local veggies. Her tone is moderate; her attitude, one of rational fact-finding. How could anyone refute such headlines as Top ten ways to maintain control over what you eat and Five drop-dead cheap whole foods ? Simple recipesone at the end of each chapter, such as the one for 100-clove garlic soup and another for frying-pan chiliconvince any nonchef to start firing up the burners. A novel approach to a sensitive topic.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)