Podcast Summary: “A New Cookbook Celebrates All Seasons”

All Of It with Alison Stewart – WNYC
Date: October 14, 2025
Guest: Gesine Bullock Prado, Pastry Chef & Author of My Harvest Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Savor the Seasons

Overview

In this episode, host Alison Stewart welcomes pastry chef and cookbook author Gesine Bullock Prado to discuss her newly released book, My Harvest Kitchen. The conversation delves into the joys and realities of seasonal eating, practical gardening, approachable home cooking, and the cultural stories behind recipes. Gesine shares personal anecdotes from her Vermont homestead, offers practical solutions for home cooks, and celebrates the beauty and imperfection of both gardens and kitchens.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Seasonal Eating and Preserving the Harvest

• Living in Vermont’s Challenging Seasons (02:37)
  • Gesine emphasizes the importance of eating seasonally, especially in Vermont with its “foreshortened” growing season.
  • She describes her process of preserving—freezing tomatoes, pureeing and freezing peaches, and other methods—to enjoy garden produce year-round.
  • Quote (Gesine, 02:37):
    “As I’m harvesting, I am preserving, I am freezing tomatoes...doing a lot of putting away things so that I can enjoy the sweetness and the beauty in times where it gets very dark and sad.”
• What's Good in the Garden Now (03:13)
  • October produce: Garlic (“glorious and juicy”), tomatoes, pears, apples, and quince.
• The Realities of Homesteading (04:12)
  • Gesine calls herself a “half-assed homesteader,” distancing herself from the glossy social media portrayals of gardening.
  • She values imperfection, practicality, and maintaining joy over perfectionism or identity performance.
  • Quote (Gesine, 05:03):
    “Not everything grows perfectly...and it really shouldn’t. It shouldn’t also take over your life either. I think it should bring you joy, and it should nourish you...but it should not be your identity.”
• Seasonal Rhythms & Family Traditions (06:17)
  • Gesine marks gardening tasks with family birthdays—onion seeds on her dad’s birthday, harvesting onions on her sister’s—tying the rhythm of the garden to her life.

2. Gardening Advice and Kitchen Philosophy

• Grow What You Love (07:11)
  • Her #1 tip: “Grow the things you love and then grow the things you love to grow.” Joy should outweigh hardship.
  • You don’t need much: even a single basil plant on a windowsill is worthwhile.
• Removing Gatekeeping & Promoting Accessibility (08:52, 09:40)
  • Gesine is transparent about her favorite brands (Guitar chocolate chips, Red Star Platinum yeast) so readers can best replicate her results, but encourages improvisation with available ingredients.
  • She demystifies intimidating pastry techniques, sharing simple but impactful tools like a “lattice cutter.”
  • Quote (Gesine, 09:40):
    “It’s like, dude, it’s literally a roller. You just have to put the right amount of pressure down, and you, too, will have the perfect, perfect little pie.”

3. Celebrating the Seasons: Odes and Recipes

• Odes in the Cookbook (10:26)
  • Gesine dedicates “Odes” to key seasonal themes: harvest, hibernation, and hope, particularly resonant in Vermont’s long winters.
  • Quote (Gesine, 10:30):
    “Hibernation is big simply because in Vermont, we do a lot of it...that hope is that season—though there is snow on the ground, the SAP starts running for the maple, and you get that sweetness from the earth.”
• Focaccia as Seasonal Canvas (14:04)
  • Her “summer to fall focaccia” adapts with whatever vegetables are available, encouraging creativity and “artwork with vegetables.”
  • Quote (Gesine, 14:51):
    “I thought of it as a poppy field...my fantasy because I love poppies and...how wistful they are.”

4. Highlight Recipes for Fall

• Creamy Garlic Soup (11:55)
  • Perfect for fall and “spooky season”—“combats vampires” and the cold.
• Caramel Apple Pudding (16:16)
  • A warm, easy, “no fuss” fall dessert suited for Halloween or Christmas.
  • Quote (Gesine, 16:16):
    “It’s kind of the perfect thing to impress, to dress with a little bit of ice cream and just be super happy in the season.”
• Apple Crumb Tart vs. Pie (17:14)
  • Prefers tart for textural contrast and ease of slicing: “Never get the bad first slice.”
• Focus on Simple, Seasonal Ingredients (18:09)
  • “If you’re gonna base something on the best of the season, the thing itself should carry flavor.”

5. Practical Tips & Community Q&A

• Handling Unripe Tomatoes (12:27)
  • Suggests making green tomato relish or baking instead of frying, acknowledging the frustration of frost-stunted produce.
• “Ugly” Tomatoes and Cheesy Bean Dip (13:13)
  • Uses overripe or blemished tomatoes for dips—no food waste, just deliciousness.
• Squash Surplus Solutions (19:20)
  • Make squash sauces—roasting intensifies sweetness, and sauces can be preserved.
• Leeks Cooked Simply (20:32)
  • Reminisces about a formative experience with “Leeks Vinaigrette” in France, highlighting the beauty of simple, swift home cooking.
  • Quote (Gesine, 21:12):
    “The ease and the deliciousness all at once was so impactful to me.”
• Homemade Preserved Lemons for Moroccan Tagine (25:14)
  • Preserved lemons add a transformative brightness to dishes, a technique learned on her honeymoon in Morocco.
  • Step-by-step for preserved lemons at (25:50).

6. Personal Stories & Culinary Roots

• Her German Heritage (22:08)
  • Celebrates German cheese dumplings (spätzle) as “better than mac and cheese” for speed and flavor—fried onions and gooey cheese are key.
• Law School to Culinary Career (23:20)
  • Gesine shares that she attended law school—coping by baking, which kept her calm for the bar exam (23:20).
• Family and Food Memories Intertwined

7. Sweets for All Seasons

• Easy Treats: S’mores Cornflake Clusters (26:55)
  • Revisits a childhood favorite with a twist—chocolate, nuts, marshmallows, and graham crackers.
  • Quote (Gesine, 27:53):
    “You use a really good chocolate...a little sea salt, and your day will be made.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Not everything grows perfectly, and it really shouldn’t...it should bring you joy...but it should not be your identity.” — Gesine Bullock Prado (05:03)
• “Grow the things you love and then grow the things you love to grow.” — Gesine (07:11)
• “It’s literally a roller. You just have to put the right amount of pressure down and you, too, will have the perfect little pie.” — Gesine (09:40)
• “It’s like a poppy field...that was my fantasy because I love poppies and...how wistful they are.” — Gesine, on focaccia (14:51)
• “The reason I passed the bar was because I didn’t study. I just baked my way through that period.” — Gesine (23:20)

Segment Timestamps

• 02:37 – Eating seasonally in Vermont, preserving harvests
• 04:12 – “Half-assed homesteader” philosophy
• 07:11 – Gardening/do-what-you-love tips
• 08:52 – Naming favorite brands, removing gatekeeping
• 10:26 – Writing odes to seasons
• 11:55 – Fall recipe highlight: Creamy garlic soup
• 12:27 – What to do with green tomatoes
• 14:04 – Summer-to-fall focaccia as edible artwork
• 16:16 – Caramel apple pudding and apple tart for fall
• 18:09 – Simplicity in ingredients; growing saffron
• 19:31 – Using up squash: Sauces and preservation
• 20:32 – Cooking leeks; French food memories
• 22:08 – German cheese dumplings vs. mac and cheese
• 23:20 – Law school, baking, and turkey-avocado meatballs
• 25:00 – Moroccan tagine; preserved lemons
• 26:55 – Easy sweets: Chocolate cornflake s’mores

Tone & Takeaways

The episode is warm, practical, and gently humorous. Both host and guest stress that gardening and cooking should be sources of joy and creativity—not stress or perfectionism. There’s a celebration of both tradition and flexibility, with plenty of hands-on advice for home cooks and gardeners, all wrapped up in the genuine encouragement to “grow and cook what brings you joy.”