The Berry Bible: With 175 Recipes Using Cultivated and Wild, Fresh and Frozen Berries

Sweet, juicy, and delicious, berries — everyone's favorite fruit — can be found wild, grown in your own backyard, or purchased fresh or frozen year-round. But there's more to berries than glorious summer desserts. Packed with vitamins and antioxidants, berries are exceptionally good for you, too.

In The Berry Bible, author Janie Hibler gets to the heart of these summer fruits, from their health benefits to their genus to how they are best put to use in the kitchen. An award-winning cookbook author and authority on the foods of the Pacific Northwest, Hibler offers 175 recipes, along with 68 full-color identification photographs and an A-to-Z encyclopedia that details well-known varieties such as blueberries and blackberries and lesser-known cultivars such as manzanitas and Juneberries.

Hibler traveled the globe in her quest for berry lore, facts, and recipes, visiting the Canadian prairie to search out Saskatoon berries; Alaska, to pick wild blueberries with the Indians; and Europe, to peruse the markets for the best strawberries.

Her delightful history of 41 berries, and personal annotations on how to use and store them, inspire you to try her Brioche French Toast with Sautéed Berries or tender Marionberry Biscuits, while cooling yourself on a hot summer day with her Strawberry Mojito and refreshing berry lemonades. Hibler offers everything berry, from first course to last. Start your meal with Chilled Blackberry-Lime Soup, move on to Sautéed Chicken Breast with Blueberry Port, and end on a lovely Boysenberry-Loganberry Cobbler or Peak-of-the-Season Blueberry Pie.

In between, there's a chapter on how to wash berries, freeze them, measure themaccurately, substitute them in recipes, and remove their stains, plus a primer on the magnificent creams — whipped, créme fraîche, clotted, and Double Devon. There is also a chapter on berry preserves, jams, pickles, syrups, and toppings. The time is ripe to pick up The Berry Bible.

"From the essential raspberry to the uncommon jostaberry, Food & Wine and Gourmet contributor Hibler sings the praises of the bountiful berry, many varieties of which are indigenous to North America. Without getting too scientific, Hibler explores the history of the berry, how and where it is cultivated and the differences between each variety. She highlights berries' versatility and adaptability, making references to each fruit's cooking capacity as well as its health benefits. Divided into two main sections, the book serves foremost as an encyclopedia of buffaloberries, salmonberries, strawberries and everything in between, listing common names, storage information and other particulars. The second half is an eclectic collection of recipes for beverages, salads, game, pies and more. Forget strawberry jam and cranberry sauce — Hibler offers a refreshing look at a fruit often relegated to pancakes and syrups. Adventurous chefs will be inspired to jump-start their next party with Strawberry Mojitos, followed by Mango-Raspberry Soup and Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Blueberry Port. For dessert, they may want to go out on a limb with Almond Gooseberry Cream Pie, or just play it safe with Peak-of-the-Season Blueberry Pie. Incorporating the berry into both sweet and savory dishes is what Hibler seems to do best, and her recipes are straightforward and well-explained. 8-page full-color photo insert not seen by PW. Agent, Judith Weber. (On sale Apr. 15) Forecast: Hibler's cookbook will be of particular interest in berry hot spots such as Maine, Massachusetts and Oregon. Morrow plans a national broadcast and print media campaign and author appearances in New York and Portland, Ore., where Hibler lives." Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Janie Hibler is a contributing writer to Gourmet, Food &Wine, and Bon Appétitmagazines. She is the past president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and the author of five books, including the bestselling Dungeness Crabs and Blackberry Cobblers, and Wild About Game, winner of the 1999 James Beard Award for Best Book: Single Subject. She divides her time between her home in Portland, Oregon, and her cabin in the Cascade Mountains.