“In Season: Your Guide to Choosing and Preparing the Season’s Best” (Taunton Press, $22.95) by the editors and contributors of Fine Cooking will help get you ready for all the fresh produce you’ll find at the farmers market starting this spring.

The book is divided into spring, early summer, late summer, fall and winter, and each chapter is organized by the fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs you’ll be able to buy during a particular season. You’ll learn how to pick the best produce, how to keep it fresh until you’re ready to use it, how to prepare and use it, and how to preserve it. The authors also suggest “surprising pairings” for some of the foods.

The “sweet earthiness” of beets harvested in the fall and used in a salad, for example, goes well with strong, salty cheeses such as Roquefort or a tangy feta. Oranges, on the other hand, enhance the sweetness of beets. The authors suggest using orange juice or orange zest in dressings that go on beets.

There are plenty of recipes, and the photos look good enough to eat.

– Meredith Goad, staff writer