With so many local chefs planted firmly in the limelight, Anna Blessing thinks it’s time for another group’s moment in the sun. “Having some of this glitter dust rub off onto farmers is very valuable,” says Blessing, the author of 14 books in the Eat.Shop series and former Chicago editor of Lucky. In Locally Grown (Agate Publishing, $22.95), she delves into Chicago’s sustainable food movement, profiling 20 Midwestern farms—including Mick Klug Farm, Dietzler Farms, and Seedling Orchard—and shedding light on their symbiotic relationships with chefs such as Paul Kahan, Stephanie Izard, and Patrick Sheerin. Part cookbook, part storybook, it’s an irresistible collection of feel-good anecdotes, vivid photographs, and recipes from both chefs and farmers.

SEE ALSO: Six Great Midwestern Farmers

Photograph: Anna Knott