Inga Orth

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Paul Strabbing Photography

A close-up of Inga Orth.

Inga Orth

media release: This September, Little Creek Press serves up a story-driven cookbook memoir by renown farmer, cheesemaker, and foodie Inga Witscher-Orth, the long-time host of PBS Wisconsin “Around the Farm Table”. Filled with warmth, humor, and more than 50 recipes, "Unpasteurized Inga: Recipes and Reflections on Food, Farming, and Finding Your Way Back" (Hardcover: $39.95, 978-1969183034) shares the personal stories behind her public life—from growing up on farms to navigating family, entrepreneurship, heartbreak, healing, and rediscovering herself.

Part memoir and part cookbook, this deeply personal collection follows her journey through farming, marriage, family estrangement, friendship, loss, healing, and the slow work of learning to trust herself. From a barn wedding and a creamery fire to farmers’ markets, cheesemaking, a wildly-successful TV show, and life with a herd of Jersey cows, Inga reflects on the moments that shaped her―and the meals that sustained her along the way.

Woven throughout her storytelling are nourishing recipes inspired by the rhythms of farm life: simple breakfasts, soups, salads, suppers, and desserts meant to be shared around a table. More than recipes, they are reminders that food can comfort, connect, and help us find our way home.

EARLY PRAISE

“Inga Orth is one of my very favorite Midwestern voices. As generous and bighearted as they come, I’ve watched Inga excel at everything she does: must-watch TV, delicious cheese, and now—soulful writing. Authentic, inspiring, and approachable, Unpasteurized Inga is an essential book for every Midwestern foodie, chef, farmer, or homecook.”  —NICKOLAS BUTLER, author of Shotgun Lovesongs and A Forty Year Kiss

“In her literary debut, Inga allows readers a peek behind the proverbial curtain as she shares the vulnerable and raw story of her personal struggles as she smiled for the camera while hosting her PBS show. ... Part memoir, part cookbook, Unpasteurized Inga is a must-read for anyone curious about the woman behind the apron.” —LISA STEELE, host of Welcome to my Farm on PBS author of The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook and In Season

“The unknown story behind Inga Orth’s success is one of beauty and pain, and she offers it here with a voice as soft as a spring pasture and honest as the morning sunlight. Unpasteurized Inga shows the strength of bearing your soul, with lessons on life, farming, and—of course—how food can nourish us even at our most weary.” —BRIAN REISINGER, author of the national award-winning Land Rich, Cash Poor

“Inga bravely reminds us, through sometimes-tender snippets of memoir, that life is a confounding blend of bitter and sweet. Her mix of long-loved recipes is attractive and accessible to the average cook. Add enticing photography, and it all makes Unpasteurized Inga a wonderful gift for a cherished friend, or yourself.” —MARY BERGIN, travel and food writer and author

“I’ve spent years insisting that great flavor starts in the soil, not at the stove. Inga Orth doesn’t argue the point; she lives it. ... Unpasteurized Inga reminds us that food never arrives without a story, and that the farmer’s life is always part of it.” —DAN BARBER, chef and co-owner, Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns

"A heartfelt, unfiltered look at a woman who has spent her life honoring the land, her craft, and her own truth. Inga’s stories move with the same authenticity she brings to her farm and her cheese—honest, resilient, and deeply rooted in Wisconsin soil. Her recipes feel like extensions of her journey, small rituals of nourishment and renewal. This book is a generous offering from someone who has finally allowed herself to be fully, beautifully unpasteurized.” —KEN MONTELEONE, owner and founder of Fromagination

“Food stories are people stories. Inga has spent years telling the stories of treasured farmers and makers. Unpasteurized is her story, and like the cheese she makes, her story is more nuanced than you might expect. Meet Inga again, come into her kitchen, and do the good work of sharing stories around the table.” —ABRA BERENS chef, teacher, and author of Ruffage, Grist, and Pulp

“Unpasteurized Inga feels like an invitation to the kitchen table. Recipes feel both familiar and imaginative, like classic farm fare, only elevated by Inga’s deeply personal style. Her Baked Honeycrisp Apples and Creamy Braised Chicken will find a place on my family’s table for a long time.” —JENNY McGRUTHER, author of The Nourished Kitchen

“Inga’s culinary memoir is an intimate, vivid look at daily life among Wisconsin dairy cows and award-winning bandaged cheddar. Alongside behind-the-scenes stories about making a food television show and mouth-watering recipes for honey cakes and hearty farm breakfasts, Inga tells a story of remarkable resilience. This left me inspired—and hungry.” —LINDSAY CHRISTIANS, author of Madison Chefs, coauthor of The Osteria Papavero Cookbook

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dairy farmer, cheesemaker, and foodie with a passion for gardening and cooking, Inga Witscher-Orth owns and operates a small organic dairy farm with her husband near Osseo, Wisconsin. For more than a decade, she was the host of PBS Wisconsin’s popular “Around the Farm Table” and now hosts "Unpasteurized Inga" online discussions on burnout, boundaries, healing, and of course, food and farming. Visit www.facebook.com/inga.witscher for more!

ABOUT THE BOOK: Wholesalers, retailers, and libraries can preorder the book, published by Little Creek Press in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, through Lakeside Book Company distribution or Fujii sales rep or Little Creek Press directly. Visit www.littlecreekpress.com for more details.