'Natural Foods Cookbook' author Beatrice Trum Hunter dies

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Beatrice Trum Hunter, who wrote "The Natural Foods Cookbook" in 1961, long before organic foods became a staple at supermarkets, has died. She was 98.

Family members said Trum Hunter, who also took an early stance against pesticide exposure, sharing information with "Silent Spring" author Rachel Carson, died Wednesday night in hospice care in Hillsborough, New Hampshire.

A New York City native, she and her husband turned their Deering, New Hampshire, home into an inn in the summer, exposing city dwellers to organic and natural foods. When "The Natural Foods Cookbook" came out, Trum Hunter said she attracted some criticism because she wasn't using processed foods. The book has since become a classic.

In all, Trum Hunter wrote 38 books, including "Gardening Without Poisons," and "Our Toxic Legacy."