Smoke, Roots, Mountains, Harvest was an interesting read detailing the love Lauren McDuffie has for the place she grew up and the recipes and food she so fondly remembers. Sections and recipes focus on using seasonally available ingredients, which I appreciated since that is how I try to meal plan and cook. The pictures were stunning and I think this would be a wonderful coffee table hardcover book.
The only thing that took away from my reading enjoyment was the copyright protected symbol that was on every page. I mostly was able to read the stories and it wasn't as obvious in the pictures, but I could not read many of the recipes. This was a DRC though and I am sure this won't be an issue when the book is released in May. I plan to look for a hard copy and will update my review accordingly after making some of the recipes. 3.5 stars.
I received a DRC from Chronicle Books through NetGalley.

This cookbook totally blew me away with its tasteful photos, the delicious recipes and the heart-warming intimacy with which it was written. You can see that Lauren McDuffie not only loves to cook, she respects where the ingredients she uses come from, and through her dishes she pays respect to the land that provided them. I've tried two of the recipes (there's around 70, plenty to choose from!) and I was not disappointed. You can see pictures of them on my Tumblr blog, as well as my full review.

I'm really glad I could get a copy of this amazing and essential cookbook, although I have to say, the online format didn't do it justice. Don't know if it was an issue on my end, but reading it with Aldiko reader was slow-going (I assume my poor little tablet had a hard time coping with the huge number of really high quality photos.) But this didn't discourage me, I had to see what Lauren McDuffie had to offer. And she did, so many unique recipes. Have you ever thought about spicing up carrots with Bourbon? Sounds unbelievable!

I really like that every season is a separate part of the book, which is paramount to cooking with local, seasonal produce.

This cookbook is amazing and a treasure!

"Smoke, Roots, Mountain, Harvest" is a beautiful book filled with the recipes and stories of Lauren McDuffie's Appalachia home. In the book, each season is represented with several season inspired menus and stories of some of the key ingredients and and recipes that are used. Ingredients local to the area are at the core of so many of the recipes. This book looks like it will be a beautiful hardcover book - which may be more of a "pretty on the shelf" book for many who may find some of the ingredients hard to come by. This e-ARC was difficult to read closely (and seriously consider making any of the recipes) because of the intense publishers watermark that was prominently displayed across each page.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book . I grew up in this part of the world and love the history and folklore of my ancestors.
Thanks so much for allowing me to read and review this book

I love cookbooks, especially those that celebrate the traditional recipes and ingredients of Appalachia.  My roots are in the South and my cooking is inspired by my home. 

Award-winning food blogger Lauren McDuffie of Harvest & Honey has written a beautiful love letter to her Appalachian home (she was born in Kentucky and raised in West Virginia) with a stunning collection of stories, recipes, and photographs.

"Food, to me, is a source of endless wonder, nourishment, and love, and in today's world of infinite distractions, I appreciate it all the more. When we gather together at the table, phone and other electronic devices fade into the background, emails and work stop, and conversation flows." *

This cookbook begins with a list of helpful pantry and kitchen items, tips and tricks for the included recipes, and a helpful wine pairing guide.

The recipes are divided into sections by season, beginning with fall.  Each section begins with a personal story followed by a menu of 4 - 5 recipes.  Each recipe includes a brief note, serving size, ingredients with cooking instructions, and a lovely photograph.

I tested two recipes before writing my review to gauge how user-friendly the instructions are.
With the crisp fall weather turning to winter, I made Potato & Pimiento Purèe, a "fondue-mashed potato hybrid" McDuffie adapted from a traditional French recipe to include a Southern favorite: pimiento cheese.
This dish works as an excellent side to a grilled steak or chicken dinner and can also be easily adapted into a super-cheesy potato soup!
It's the season for Christmas cookies so I had to try the recipe for Chocolate-Tipped Salted Butter Meltaways, a recipe adapted from a Southern Living Christmas cookbook her mom keeps in her kitchen.  These are simple, no-fuss cookies with allspice as the star ingredient.

Other recipes I'm looking forward to making include: Chipotle-Peach Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Curried Bean & Cornbread Soup, and Morning Sun Tea Lattes.

Smoke, Roots, Mountain, Harvest is a solid collection of stories and recipes that celebrate the South and McDuffie's food styling and photography is superb!

Thanks to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Smoke, Roots, Mountain, Harvest: Recipes and Stories Inspired by My Appalachian Home is scheduled for release on May 14, 2019.

* The quote included is from an advance readers copy and is subject to change upon publication.

I love the recipes and stories in this book. I'm from the Appalachian region and after making some of the recipes in this book, I felt like I was back at my grandmother's house as a child, watching her cook in the kitchen.

My grandma always told me that you could tell how good a cookbook was by the number of pages that were stained with bits of food and sauce. The higher number of stains, the more often the cookbook was used. Unfortunately, I believe if I ever received a hardbound copy of Smoke, Roots and Mountain Harvest for my home, its pages would remain pristine. I found some of the ingredients very exotic and even some of the cooking vessels rather unusually. I feel I’m more of a practical cook and I think this book is better aimed for someone with more advanced skills in their cooking technique. I enjoyed this book for its pretty pictures, but I personally won’t be attempting to make any of the recipes from it.

This cookbook is beautiful, and I really appreciate the regional flair due to its focus on Appalachia. I actually wish it was a little bit *more* of a meditation on the region, but the recipes look delicious and seem to be detailed enough for guidance. The header notes before each recipe are very helpful.

Hailing from the foothills of Central Appalachia, the author constructed a wonderful homegrown cookbook filled with culinary surprises. With the changing of the seasons, food fare varied throughout the year by using many ingredients that were in fresh demand - the fresher the better. At one time, trying her hand with recipes from many different cookbooks, the author found herself always falling back to her tried-and-true favored dishes that were part of her childhood. Once it's in your blood...

The voice of the narrative settled me down into a place of America that I'd never visited, or for that fact not heard much about. In many of the rural locations, the local townsfolk spoke highly to tradition and time-honored events. Local cuisine fell into that category.

Intrigued with each mouth-watering recipe, the dishes harkened back to a time and a place that had been hidden from mainstream America. Adding a taste of charm, amusing anecdotes preceded many of the recipes. Now in beautifully illustrated form, these dishes come wonderfully to life. This cookbook comes highly recommended.

I extend my thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

5/5

This book was a complete surprise. Better than expected. It is hard to be different and unique with a cookbook and it is even harder, as a reader, to find a cookbook that catches your eye and has that IT that you have not come around and other books you own and like don't have.

This book is definitely unique and beautiful. I loved how it is organized, by season and by menu. Seems like a simple idea but it is definitely one of the things that sets this book apart from many others. The photos are incredible and make the book colourful and a pleasure to look through. And of course, the recipes are amazing! I already bookmarked a couple I will be making in the coming weeks.

Amazing book! I will be definitely buying a paper copy of this book!


I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

What a beautiful cookbook. I am so glad that I requested to review an ARC of this one!  Specifically, one that features parts of my home state and recipes and wisdoms that I had heard by entire life.  This cookbook—Smoke, Roots, Mountain, Harvest—is based on the author’s life in rural Appalachia and the cookery she experienced throughout her life.  Its such a beautiful notion to create a cookbook of your own recipes that are based on the poetic nature of home, especially in a land as magical as the Appalachian Mountains.  When you live in Kentucky, hiking in the Daniel Boone National Forest is an important trip that you need to take at least once.  As you cross the gaps through the mountains and entire into the Virginias and Tennessee there is something so old and profound about the region.  Time seems to stop and the most important things in life become easier to see and appreciate.  The way of life there is slower, the roads are quieter, and the people have a much more melodic and sing-song way of speaking.  These are all things that this cookbook captures so well.  There is a pace in this book, it too has that way of flowing that is more like poetry or music versus a manual for cooking.  The writing is perfect, the photography is exceptional, and content itself is so stunning and inspiring.  It is beautiful.      

As I was reading, the first thing that I noticed was how this cookbook was divided.  It is done in two ways.  First, it is divided by season.  I love this notion because when we eat from the land, we should follow the seasons and cook by what is in season.  Each of these seasonal sections features and really highlights what is in season during that time.  Second, each season is divided by celebration, gathering type, holiday, or general theme.  These also depend on each season; it is as if the best occasions and themes for each season are highlighted.  For fall there is an apple section, winter features Christmas, spring showcases the fresh flowers and green, and summer boasts picnics, berries, and sun tea.  There are so many other smaller themes and sections as well.

I was head of heels excited when I found a tea and tinctures section tucked within the winter division of the book.  Most cookbooks that I have seen forget drinks that aren’t alcoholic drinks or milkshakes/smoothies.  This book, as in the Appalachian folk tradition, incorporates tidbits of wisdom and folklore.  These are things that, although I did not live in the mountains, heard when I was growing up to.  Including a section that focuses on making your own tea, tisane, and tinctures as a way to heal and nourish the body was brilliant.

As a proper Kentucky girl, I was so excited to see an entire themed section based on bourbon.  I grew up with an appreciation of liquor from my home state, and my pride has only grown as I grow older.  I don’t normally pickup bourbon to drink, but I do occasionally enjoy a nice Old Fashioned, a Maker’s and Coke, or a Kentucky Mule.  All of course, must be made with Kentucky Bourbon.  The section that cooks with bourbon stole me away and made me so nostalgic for the smells of home.  It’s a good cookbook when it can invoke those feelings just by reading it.   
A negative aspect that actually really bothered me more once I finished reading it was the ending.  It feels so abrupt to me.  It is as if the last recipe is given and then, it is literally over.  I wish there was just some sort of short, maybe just a partial page and a good photo, that closed the cookbook up and just made a general conclusion.  If feels like maybe I lost the last few pages, or they just got messed up and I missed them while reading.  I think that to complete the book it needs this.  Like family and traditional culture in Appalachia, while things can end abruptly and often do, a loving goodbye and thanks for coming is always a thing. 

On Goodreads, I gave this book five stars.  I am probably very bias because so many parts of this cookbook were home for me, but I did love it.  Many thanks to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for this one.  I am sure that when this one comes out I will buy it for my collection.  There are so many recipes that I want to try and cannot wait to do so.  I would highly recommend this book if you like to cook, like photography, or like the region in general.  It is a cookbook there is so much more tucked into those pages besides recipes.

I love how much information this book includes before the recipes. It is evident that the author put a lot of heart into the book which definitely gives it that mountain-home feeling. There are tips at the very beginning about how to use the book, what tools you may need, wine pairings, the types of ingredients used and what they are typically used for, and things that are good to know, such as how to whip cream or even how to build an outdoor campfire. The recipes are organized by seasons instead of meal times. The photos are beautiful and give a very mountain-home vibe. The instructions for each recipe are detailed and easily understood. The recipes sound very good and I would love to have this book.

As someone who grow up in East Tennessee and went to college in Southwestern Virginia, I thought this cover and title seemed right up my alley. But, where I wanted to find a book containing food that made me think of home, I found chefy-, fussy food and an abundance of alcohol. I never think that eating the foods of home feel very restrictive in regards to my allergies, but the recipes listed in this book are not foods that I would be able to eat in many cases. I appreciated her handy tips on how to properly season a cast iron skillet. I don’t think that I’ll be adding Smoke, Roots, Mountain, Harvest to my collection anytime soon because it doesn’t reflect my cooking roots. But if you’re a collector or fan of Appalachia or Appalachian cooking, then you might enjoy this book.

Familiar with McDuffie's blog - Harvest & Honey? I am not. But I am a new fan. Her book - Smoke, Roots, Mountain, Harvest - is delightful. Obviously, her current fans will be drawn to it; as will those with ties to West Virginia and Appalachia. But if you are a Southern girl like me, you will find a kindred spirit here. If you're from west of the Mississippi and love to explore unfamiliar American culture and cuisine, this book is for you. McDuffie's stories educate you and paint a picture of the traditions in this region. Before each recipe is a short description of why she included it - a favorite ingredient, a cultural staple, a regional technique. And then the recipes themselves are so delicious sounding that you will have a difficult time deciding where to start. Black Grape & Jalapeno Skillet Cornbread. Boozy Pickled Hot Sauce. Cantaloupe & Honey Jam. Bourbon-Broiled Salmon.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. I have yet to figure out the way to tie this into my blog, but I loved the book so much that I didn't want to delay in posting a review.

This book was received as an ARC from Chronicle Books in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Fall season is wonderful when it comes to trying new recipes and it's always the same warm comforting dishes that come from generations of cooking. Lauren McDuffie does an excellent job combining new modern fall recipes with comforting classics we all know and love. I am curious to try a lot of the recipes featured in this book especially the drinks and cobblers and from where our library is, apples and a lot of veggies grow a lot. A wide selection of delicious, delectable, comforting dishes that are sure to wow and please your guests.

We will definitely consider adding this book to our Non-Fiction TX Cookbook collection at the library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

My review has been posted to my blog & Goodreads. Review has also been tweeted as usual. Thank you! :c)

A lovely book, full of interesting stories and great recipes.
There're wonderful illustrations.
i loved both the stories and the recipes and I want to try some of them.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC

Almost as a response to Hillbilly Elegy, this cookbook celebrates the Appalachian way of life. I love the text, where the author talks about her roots, the communal personality of mountain folk, and how it relates to the dishes. The recipes are simple, with ingredients that can easily be obtained - possibly from your backyard. I liked how she sorts the recipes by season and meal. There is also basic instruction on cooking methods, tools, and the like.

McDuffie shares stories and recipes from her home in Appalachia, and while the recipes look delicious and easy to try, it’s the stories McDuffie tells that make this book so outstanding. Knowing what we eat, where it came from and why we eat it has never been more important as daily news reports recite daily lists of food recalls and dire warnings about contaminated meat and produce. McDuffie makes me want to return to simpler times, live off the land and learn to respect the food we eat. Beautiful photos round out this truly special book

This cookbook is interesting as it gives great recipes. Anyway, I must say I did not like the look of the pictures as they are really undersaturated, maybe in a search of a retro vintage look.