Packed with 101 enticing and accessible recipes, Peak Season showcases how to make the most of seasonal Ontario produce when it’s freshest!
Written by Deirdre Buryk, long time recipe developer at Fresh City Farms, with a forward by founder Ran Goel, Peak Season celebrates Ontario’s seasonal bounty and guides you through each month of the year. While cooking your way through this beautiful collection of 101 recipes, you’ll learn how to perfectly prepare fiddleheads in April, to then add to a Garlic Mushroom Fiddlehead Frittata; or peel what looks to be an intimidating, knobby celeriac on the coldest December evening, which will transform into a dish of Creamed Celeriac & Potatoes.
In Peak Season, Buryk gives you the chance to explore local ingredients without intimidation. Dishes like Roasted Delicata Squash with Sage Salsa Verde and Strawberry Shortcake Scones taste better because they’re made with the freshest fruits and vegetables. The simplest recipe cooked with peak produce—think roasted radishes or garlic scape pesto—will excite your taste buds, turning something basic into something remarkable.
Inspired by over 5 years at Fresh City, Buryk reminisces, “Fresh City Farms holds a special place in the making of this book. The idea behind Peak Season began while I was working in my Fresh City Farms test kitchen, tucked between our head office and our commercial kitchen at the Fresh City headquarters. This is where I spent many years tempting my hardworking colleagues with scents wafting through the hallway of local organic foods getting transformed into what you know on the market as our ‘Prepared Meals’.”
The book has been praised by local chefs across the province.
“Deirdre Buryk has written a beautiful love story about true Ontario ingredients from soil to plate. This book will find a welcome place in the home of any cook feeding friends and family, from one season to the next.” said CARL HEINRICH, chef and co-owner of Richmond Station.
“I fell down the seasonal food rabbit hole and found it filled with farmers, foragers, and crazed cooks. Now, we also have Deirdre Buryk, a guide and fabulous documenter of gorgeous ingredients and recipes drawn from our plush multicultural landscape. Peak Season is a loving guide to Ontario’s bounty, filled with dishes that have me hungry and struggling to decide: outside for ingredients or into the kitchen?” said BRAD LONG, chef and owner of Cafe Belong.
About DEIRDRE BURYK
Deirdre Buryk is a recipe and content developer who writes, styles, photographs, and films for various organizations, including Fresh City Farms, Healthy Butcher, and Leslieville Farmers’ Market. Her background is in clinical nutrition and takes most of her inspiration from nature and Ontario’s seasons. She has been selected by Fjallraven North America to be Toronto’s local guide in sustainability and leads their major events surrounding food accessibility and healthy eating.
