Out-of-season cookbooks

January 14, 2014 by
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Today’s post is brought to you by The Weather.  Here in New England, we’re enduring a cold, heavy rain.  It’s slowly eroding the mountains of gritty snow piled next to driveways and parking lots, but it’s not quite warm enough to melt the underfoot ice that sends you sprawling after one ill-judged step.  It’s slow cooker weather, cocoa weather, roast weather.

Yet what’s the latest cookbook that rolls across the doorstep?  Check it out!

Now I am unabashedly adore my Weber grill, and I drag it to the barn only reluctantly around Columbus Day.  But the idea of lighting up – maybe after donning several layers of Gore-tex and fleece – has zero appeal to me at this time of year.

But at least grilled foods are still a hot meal. What puzzles me even more are books about fruity, yogurty smoothies –  published in January.  Sure, like everybody else I feel a tug of overindulger’s remorse after the holidays.  I might go easy on the bacon and the cookies for a few weeks.  But you won’t catch me near anything that’s going to lower my core temperature by several degrees.

Don’t get me wrong – I admire those stalwart souls who can do without comfort and comfort foods at the bleakest time of year.  But there can’t be many of them, and I can’t help asking myself:  how do these publishers pull it off? What’s their bottom line look like?  

If you have any explanation for these out-of-season apparitions – or if you buy them yourself – please, enlighten me!

Category: Shelf Life With Susie

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4 Comments

  • Margaretsmall  on  January 14, 2014

    I guess the release dates of books depends on lots of factors, not just the season. Much more annoying are the recipes in magazines which use ingredients which are way out if season, strawberries in midwinter for example. Not only are they not appealing, but they encourage the purchase of out of season fruits and vegetables,which is deplorable because of the food miles consumed in getting them to the market from the distant producer, and they just don't taste good anyway.

  • boardingace  on  January 14, 2014

    LOL, good points!

  • sailor  on  January 14, 2014

    Maybe the buyers of these books come from another hemisphere? We're all barbequing like mad here Down Under, at least when there isn't a total fire ban. And we can't make those smoothies fast enough for our very overheated kids.
    Sorry this is so short — I'm off to the beach. It's a balmy 86 degrees today here in Sydney. LOL

  • tsusan  on  January 15, 2014

    Good points all! It would certainly make sense if theses were Southern Hemisphere books….but they don't appear to be. Or maybe the publisher has an in with S.H. markets. Anyway, jealous of you in Sydney!

    When I was in publishing, release date was considered really important – unless it was a really "small" title – and if a book was having trouble or experiencing delays in production, we'd even just put it on hold for a better release date…. But I totally agree about out-of-season produce!

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