Serving Up The Harvest: Celebrating the Goodness Of Fresh Vegetables, by Andrea Chesman (Storey Publishing, $18.95)

Vegetable aficionados can't resist the homegrown harvest available now. It appears the snowy-white cauliflower, crisp green beans and newly dug spuds on display at farmers markets are beckoning them.

It happens to me every year at this time. I end up lugging home so much fresh produce from our local farmers market there isn't any room in the fridge to hold it.

So it was a pleasure to receive Serving Up The Harvest.

This book is for home gardeners faced with a bountiful crop of zucchini, tomatoes or sweet peppers as well as those who haunt roadside stands and farmers markets stocking local produce.

The book is laid out by season, and within each season the author has organized the vegetables alphabetically.

Each vegetable has its own guide to "sow and reap" explaining how to cultivate it and under "kitchen notes" offers readers a guide on how to prepare it.

Chesman urges her readers to keep a well-equipped pantry: "If your kitchen is well-stocked with staples you'll be able to whip up a delicious dish in a moment's notice."

Chesman shares more than 175 recipes to help savour the bounty, dishes like Caramelized Winter Squash and Onion Pizza and Grilled Eggplant Salad.

Here, at the height of their season, is her recipe for Roasted Green Beans. There "is no better way to prepare green beans," she says.

Roasted Green Beans

Makes 4 servings

q2 lb (1 kg ) green beans, trimmed

q2 tbsp (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

qCoarse-grained sea salt or kosher salt

Preheat oven to 450 F (230 C). Lightly grease a large sheet pan or shallow roasting pan with o

il.Arrange green beans in a single, uncrowded layer on prepared pan. Drizzle oil over beans and roll beans until they are evenly coat

ed.Roast for about 15 minutes or until beans are well browned, shaking the pan occasionally for even cooki

ng.Transfer beans to a shallow serving bowl or platter and sprinkle with salt. Serve immediate

ly.Approximate nutrition per serving: 130 calories, 7 g fat, 4 g protein, 16 g carbohydrates, 8 g