Welcome to another installment of Inside the Author’s Studio, where we give you a peek into the minds and studios of your favorite Workman authors.

In honor of summer’s bounty, we’re celebrating with a visit to the (alfresco) studio of Myra Goodman. She’s the founder of Earthbound Farm–the country’s largest producer of organic produce and other products–and author of The Earthbound Cook and Food to Live By. Here, we ask her a few questions, speed round style.

Recent book you loved/learned from
Cutting for Stone. Amazing!

Favorite bookstore
I was at Powell’s in Portland on my book tour last month. Amazing stores, even one specializing in home and gardens, with the largest selection of cookbooks I’ve ever seen, and great gifts.

Hidden talent
Knitting ambidextrously

Bookmark, dog-ear, or virtuality?
Dog-ear paperback novels. Post-It notes for cookbooks.

Book you are most ashamed never to have read
Atlas Shrugged, especially because everyone is talking about the movie now…

Most frequent form of writerly procrastination
Getting stuck on email.

Favorite childhood book
The Secret Garden

Alternate ambition (i.e. If you weren’t a writer/Earthbound Farm founder, you’d be…)
A nutritionist or dietician who works with teenagers.

Your perfect meal
A summer harvest feast of fresh picked corn with melted butter; ripe heirloom tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella and basil with great olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt over a baby arugula salad; a bit of perfectly grilled steak and a warm stone fruit crisp with vanilla ice cream…

Big dream
To live in a healthy, thriving world free of toxic chemicals.

Super power of choice
To travel through time.

What summer crop are you looking forward to this month?
Peaches

What 3 fresh ingredients is your refrigerator never without?
Salad, fruit, and ricotta cheese.

What Workman book would you like to receive as compensation for your involvement?
Whatever my editor Suzanne Rafer recommends for me! (You’ve got it, Myra! There’s a copy of the utterly compelling, eco-conscious World Without Fish headed your way!)

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Myra Goodman is the do-Gooder behind The Earthbound Cook and Food to Live By.

Though not a traditional Thanksgiving dish per se, Myra Goodman’s Roasted Butternut, Fennel, and Cranberries recipe from The Earthbound Cook epitomizes autumn, while also combining several ingredients that are commonly used around the holiday.  If you feel like trying your own spin on the dish, substitute in other winter vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, rutabagas, cipollini onions, shallots or yams. If you’re looking to make a vegetarian or vegan dish, the pancetta can be eliminated.

Serves 8-10

3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 6 cups)
3 large fennel bulbs, halved lengthwise, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 3 cups), fronds reserved
3 crisp apples such as Fuji or Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup dried cranberries, preferably organic
1/2 cup (4 ounces) finely minced pancetta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon chopped reserved fennel fronds or fennel pollen
Coarse sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400˚F.

2. Place the squash, fennel, apples, cranberries, and pancetta, if using, on a rimmed baking sheet.

3. Place the olive oil and maple syrup in a small bowl, and whisk to combine.

4. Pour the oil mixture over the vegetables and toss to coat. Add the thyme and fennel fronds, and season with coarse salt and black pepper to taste. Spread the mixture out. Do not crowd the vegetables as this will cause them to steam rather than brown—use two pans or cook in batches if necessary.

5. Roast the vegetables until they are lightly caramelized and tender, 30 to 45 minutes. As they are roasting, shake the baking sheet or stir the vegetables occasionally so they develop a crisp crust on each side.

6. Transfer the vegetables to a warmed platter and serve immediately.

7. Refrigerate leftovers, covered, for up to 3 days. Reheat over low heat or in a microwave before serving.

In this installment of The Adventures of Greenman, Greenman saves one woman from a depressing snack of spray-cheese nachos by introducing her to Myra Goodman’s The Earthbound Cook. Watch the video from the folks at the Earthbound Farm below!

We’ve been told organic is good for us, but do we know why it’s better for us exactly? I had some general, but rather vague, ideas, but once I read the twelve reasons Myra Goodman points out in Earthbound Cook, I realized how far-reaching the use of pesticides can be. And I now feel much more informed about why exactly I’m reaching for the organic spinach at the supermarket…

Reasons to choose organic:

1. Keeps chemicals out of your body—and the environment.
Organic food is grown without toxic synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Pesticides not only enter our food supply, they drift from their target and contaminate the air, oceans, rivers, groundwater and soil.

2. Eliminates the main source of dietary pesticide exposure for kids.
The average child in the U.S. is exposed to five pesticides a day in his or her drinking water. A 2008 study in Environmental Health Perspectives showed that switching to organic produce and juices for only five days virtually eliminates any sign of organophosphate insecticides.

3. Protects farmworkers, wildlife, and nearby homes, schools and businesses.
The people who apply conventional agricultural chemicals are affected along with the environment. Studies have shown that those who handle pesticides have a significantly higher rate of Parkinson’s disease.

4. Provides your family with highly nutritious produce.
Overall, organic produce is approximately 30 percent higher in antioxidants than conventional produce.

5. Protects our precious oceans.
Conventional fertilizers are a big contributor to the “dead-zones” in our oceans, caused in large part from synthetic farm fertilizers that run off farmland and into rivers and oceans. This results in large areas in the ocean that can no longer support marine life.

6. Reduces contaminants in our drinking water.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s 2008 “Pesticide National Synthesis Project” found at least one pesticide in every stream tested. Pesticides found most often, and in the highest concentrations were those used in conventional agriculture.

7. Mitigates global warming.
Research has shown that while conventional farming breaks down soil carbon, releasing it into the atmosphere in the form of CO₂ , organic farming builds soil carbon levels by absorbing it from the atmosphere. If all the 160 million acres of conventional corn and soybeans in the U.S. were converted to organic production, it would be the equivalent of taking 80 million cars off the road.

8. Assures you that you’re not eating genetically modified or irradiated foods.
The USDA’s National Organic Program standards prohibit the use of genetically modified ingredients and irradiation. There are no requirements for other types of food to be labeled as containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

9. Avoids antibiotics and artificial growth hormones in meat and dairy.
Organically raised animals have been fed organic feed and grazed on organic pasture. They are raised in conditions that limit stress and promote health, and are never given antibiotics or synthetic growth hormones.

10. Supports the farmers and other food producers who invest the extra care to produce food organically.
When you buy organic, you are supporting the farmers that are taking steps to avoid the serious and long-term issues like groundwater pollution, soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, and human health problems caused by exposure to agricultural chemical residues.

11. Promotes healthy soils.
Organic farmers know that agrichemicals kill more than pests—they wipe out beneficial microorganisms and earthworms that help create rich soil that holds nutrients and protects plants from disease.

12. Preserves biodiversity.
Organic farming encourages an abundance of species living in balanced, harmonious ecosystems because it works with natural processes, not against them.

I’d never even heard of panzanella salad until it was served at a wedding a few years back, where I proceeded to eat an embarrassingly (perhaps alarmingly) large quantity of the tomatoey, bready deliciousness.  Ever since, I’ll order it without question on any menu, and try to eat it in greater moderation…”Try” being the operative word. But for some reason I’ve never attempted to make it at home, and I’m not really sure why.  Now that I’ve seen Myra Goodman’s easy-to-follow recipe from The Earthbound Cook, that’s about to change….

Panzanella Salad

Panzanella is a traditional Italian bread salad that probably originated as a thrifty way to use up the bread that was no longer fresh. This is a salad that lets you be creative: Capers, olives, or anchovies are also delicious additions. The bread can be toasted if you want more crunch.  (Serves 6)

12 ounces day-old country bread, with crusts, cut into 1-in. cubes (8 cups)
4 large tomatoes, cored, seeded, and chopped, juices reserved
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 in. dice
2 medium red, yellow, or green peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/4 in. dice (about 2 cups)
1 small red onion, cut into 1/4 in. dice (1 cup)
3/4 to 1 cup Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
20 fresh basil leaves, cut into very thin ribbons

1. Place the bread in a large bowl, and add the tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, and red onion.

2. Add 3/4 cup of the Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette to the mixture, and toss to coat all the ingredients evenly. Taste, and add more vinaigrette if the salad is dry.

3. Season the salad with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with the basil. The salad should be served within an hour or two of making. If made too far in advance, the bread will soak up all the dressing and you will need to add more.

Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, reconstituted in hot water if not soft and pliable, chopped
1/2 teaspoon minced peeled garlic
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Place the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and both vinegars in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl once during processing, about 1 minute.

2.  With the machine running, add the canola and olive oils in a slow, steady stream. The dressing will be thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. (The vinaigrette can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 2 months. For the best flavor serve at room temperature.)

It’s easy to forget that ovens are energy-hogs. Ever pre-heat for longer than necessary? Or can’t resist opening the door to peek in on your baked goods (completely guilty). And since there are no Energy Star qualified residential ovens available today, you’ll have to take matters into your own hands in order to minimize energy expenditure. Myra Goodman’s new The Earthbound Cook offers up these tips (in addition to delicious recipes) to help use your oven efficiently:

• Buy an oven thermometer. The one built into your oven may not be accurate, the actual temperature may be higher than the oven control indicates.

• If you have a double oven, use the smaller oven if the dish fits. Save the larger oven for the multiple pans or large items.

• For small items that need baking or reheating, use a countertop oven, such as a toaster oven. These appliances preheat faster and have a lower output of watts.

• The longer an oven is turned on but not used, the more energy it wastes. Start preheating the oven just 10 to 15 minutes before you need to use it.

• Look for ways to maximize the use of your oven. Instead of cooking one dish at a time, if you’re baking an entrée, choose a vegetable or potato you can cook at the same time.

• Resist peeking: Opening the oven door drops the temperature by at least 25˚F, and the oven has to switch back on again to replace it.

• If you have a convection feature on your oven, it uses 20 percent less energy than a standard electric oven and has a shorter warm-up time.

• Self-cleaning ovens are more energy efficient than standard ovens because of their thicker insulation. This means they lose less heat to the surrounding air. If you have a self-cleaning model, don’t clean it too often: this is the most energy draining of the oven’s functions.