From milking cows on the farm in Iowa to picking up mermaid’s purses on the beach in Massachusetts, Cornfields to Codfish celebrates the Midwest and New England via short personal essays. Malcolm takes readers on a journey and entices her readers’ senses along the way.
In "Cornfields" Malcolm reflects on farm life: from milking cows in a warm winter barn and walking beans at sunrise to hunting morel mushrooms in the timber and "doing corn" picked fresh from the field.
"Codfish" explores life near the Atlantic coast through the eyes of a Midwesterner: from treasure seeking on the beaches of Massachusetts and skiing in the mountains of New England to deep-sea fishing off the fishing port of Gloucester and hiking in the Berkshires.
Finally, in "A Menagerie of Recipes," Malcolm lures readers to the kitchen with 18 diverse recipes reminiscent of essays in her book: from chicken stock and braised roast beef to grilled swordfish and mushroom risotto. Just reading the recipes livens the taste buds with textures and aromas emitted from onions and fennel on a chopping board, simmering sauces and soups on the stovetop, and desserts and rolls coming out of the oven piping hot.