"Valley of Maize: Breads, Muffins, Treats by Natalie Buckley Rowland"

This book has been a needed necessity for many years. It takes corn and presents it in at least one-hundred recipes,utilizing the purest form of baking with no leavening, refined grains or dairy with Native people's ingredients - corn, the first grain cultivated in North America. Many are of non-leavened cornbread. It also gives an anthropological account of grains and cooking. If you get the the book and do the recipe 'You Won't Believe Your Eyes Cornbread' - use three cups of water to one cup of brown rice when making the soft rice, and pressure cook for 45 minutes to one hour. Or, use leftover regular brown rice - three cups cooked, and add approximately one cup of water, which will equal the consistency of soft cooked rice. Those that are not familiar with Macrobiotic cooking may not be familiar with 'soft rice'. The book is a gem and will change your concept of bread and baking.
Review by Natalie

"The recipes contained in this book are wholesome and creative, followind macrobiotic duidelines with a touch of ingenuity ... high-quality ingredients, good taste, and health-giving benefits."
Marc van Cauwenberghe, M.D.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Natalie Buckley Rowland grew up in the Bronx, New York, attending Herbert H. Lehman College where she earned her B.A. in Education and Fine Arts, specializing in printmaking.
After graduating she turned to the health-care field, working with the disabled as a Recreation Therapist, using modalities such as art, music, and cooking as therapeutic tools. She went on to study Media and Communications at the New School for Social Research in New York City, returning to the health-care field one year later.
As well as being a natural-foods cook and caterer, she plays acoustic guitar and does crocheted fiber sculpture and illustration.

What Natalie has been up to since the publication of Valley of Maize 7 years ago.

Since the publishing of Valley of Maize, the author has spent seven years living in Northwestern New Mexico amidst the Navajo culture, intensely studying indigenous foods. For a complete update, see the Macrobiotics Today article entitled "The New Navajos" (March/April 2001) which describes detailed aspects of the Navajo culture and her pilgrimage to the area. See also a future article in Macrobiotics today entitled "The Way of Corn" which contains several new corn recipes and facts about the importance of corn in Navajo culture. What the author found very interesting is the fact that she had written the book "Valley of Maize" actually before she relocated to what is considered to be corn country in terms of the outstanding importance of corn in the physical diet, culture, and spiritual beliefs of the Navajo people. She has merged with the Navajo culture in all aspects of living, and being part of their family. In fact she has written another book about her experiences in the Four Corners area which will include photographs, recipes and a documentary account of efforts to preserve the integrity of the natural environment, in terms of food and natural resources.

She also worked for four years as the Executive Director of a non-profit agency that operates a residential shelter and community dining facility for primarily Navajos. It has been a fascinating, challenging, enlightening experience in this area. Eight years after the book was published, she continues to be fascinated and consumed by corn. Natalie lives with two golden retreivers, a Great Pyrenees, and three cats. She also has been photographing some of the Navajo people for the last few years and continues to write free-lance while completing her second cookbook ( not yet published as previously mentioned). She sincerely hopes that you enjoy her book and that it enriches your life in terms of health, diet, personal insight and enjoyment.

More from Marc van Cauwenberghe, M.D.
I have known Natalie Buckley Rowland for several years. She scribed for me during my macrobiotic consultations at the Macrobiotic Center of NewYork in 1993 and 1994. During that time she assisted me in the contribution of dietary and culinary preparations; sharing her knowledge and experience with clients whenever possible, She also teaches macrobiotic cooking, giving private sessions for special dietary regimens for those who request it throughout the New York area.
The recipes contained in this book are wholesome and creative, following macrobiotic guidelines with a touch of ingenuity, [n addition, I have sampled some of her specialties included in the book and appreciate their high-quality ingredients, good taste, and health-giving benefits. Many of her recipes have been tested by the George Ohsawa Macrobiotic Foundation in Oroville, California with very positive results. The presence of her original illustrations and almost anthropological account of the history of grains and cooking, plus her unique recipes and notes make this work an original and valuable contribution to one's bookshelf.