Favorite quotes: P is for pomegranate “The earth where we raise our crops is the dirt where wet bury our bodies. Pomegranates represent this same contradiction, the complete cycle: life and death and life again, returning new, returning transformed.”

“Q is for quince, which , when fresh, gives off the scent of ‘roses and citrus, and rich women’s perfume,’ but if eaten raws so astringent it wicks the juice from one’s mouth”.

From the publisher:  In a work of unique invention, difficult fruits serve as the central ingredients of twenty-six alphabetical, lyrical essays (with recipes). What makes a fruit difficult? Its cultivation, its harvest, its preparation, the brevity of its moment for ripeness, its tendency toward rot or poison, the way it might overrun your garden. Here, these fruits will take you on unexpected turns and give sideways insights into relationships, self-care, land stewardship, medical and botanical history, and so much more. What if the primary way you show love is through baking, but your partner suffers from celiac disease? Why leave in the pits for Willa Cather’s plum jam? How can we rely on bodies as fragile as the fruits that nourish them?

Dimensions: 8.25 x 5.5 in / 391 pages

Softcover