Joshua McFadden, chef and owner of the renowned trattoria Ava Gene's in Portland, Oregon, is a vegetable whisperer. After years racking up culinary cred at New York City restaurants like Lupa, Momofuku, and Blue Hill, he managed the trailblazing Four Season Farm in coastal Maine, where he developed an appreciation for every part of the plant and learned to coax the best from vegetables at each stage of their lives.

In Six Seasons, his first book, McFadden channels both farmer and chef, following vegetables through an arc from spring to early summer to midsummer to the bursting harvest of late summer, then ebbing into autumn and finally the earthy, mellow sweetness of winter. Each chapter begins with recipes featuring raw vegetables at the start of their season, and as the weeks progress he turns up the heat, grilling and steaming, then moving on to sautés, pan roasts, braises, and stews. 225 recipes in all.