Grow Cook Eat: A Food Lover's Guide to Vegetable Gardening, Including 50 Recipes, Plus Harvesting and Storage Tips

by Willi Galloway, Jim Henkens (Photographer)

From sinking a seed into the soil through to sitting down to enjoy a meal made with vegetables and fruits harvested right outside your back door, this gorgeous kitchen gardening book is filled with practical, useful information for both novices and seasoned gardeners alike. Grow Cook Eatwill inspire people who already buy fresh, seasonal, local, organic food to grow the food they love to eat. For those who already have experience getting their hands dirty in the garden, this handbook will help them refine their gardening skills and cultivate gourmet quality food. The book also fills in the blanks that exist between growing food in the garden and using it in the kitchen with guides to 50 of the best-loved, tastiest vegetables, herbs, and small fruits. The guides give readers easy-to-follow planting and growing information, specific instructions for harvesting all the edible parts of the plant, advice on storing food in a way that maximizes flavor, basic preparation techniques, and recipes. The recipes at the end of each guide help readers explore the foods they grow and demonstrate how to use unusual foods, like radish greens, garlic scapes, and green coriander seeds.

Genres: Gardening, Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Cooking, Food, Health, Plants

451 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Onceinabluemoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, from growing, to harvest, to table, eager for a summer garden!

[Shara Vitone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to buy my own copy of this book after checking it from the library. The photos and recipes are wonderful.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty book (pictures are more eye candy than helpful), but I don't find really pretty books do well on the kitchen counter or while I'm running in with dirty hands to double check how far apart I meant to plant my tomatoes. I love both gardening and cooking (and eating too), so I like this book in theory. I'm not sure, however, that the organization is really useful. There may be a good reason I have garden books and cookbooks. Also, the size of this book makes it one I'm less likely to reach for when working either in the garden or the kitchen.

Still, I find it appealing.

As far as usefulness, I'm thinking about a soil thermometer, contemplating new ways of expanding my garden (even though I can barely keep up with what I have), and a few recipes that sound pretty yummy. This one may someday find its way to my shelves, but I'm not quite convinced yet.

About a week later:
I went to copy a couple of recipes before bringing the book back to the library, and I found I had flagged more than I thought. . . . and then there was the handy secession crop chart and the idea about prepping a new spot . . . yeah, I think I like this book, but wish the format were different. I think I'd like it better as a thicker book with smaller trim size.

[Ann Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful resource this book is! From planning your garden, fertilizing and preventing disease and pests, the author provides good instruction for the amateur gardener. Those with more experience will definitely enjoy the chapters devoted to particular types of vegetables, such as legumes, the cabbage family, fruits and herbs.

The author also includes dozens of savory recipes for cooking your garden’s produce. Lemony Broccoli Rabe sounded very appealing, as did the recipes for Strawberry Basil Ice Cream, Fennel Potato and Apple Gratin and Herbed Edamame Salad. In addition, the author also provides great tips on storing vegetables, so you can have a little taste of summer all year long.

Wonderful photographs by Jim Henkens supplement this delightful book, providing mouth watering appeal from garden to basket or cutting board, and finally to the table. This book is a great gift idea.

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Advice for the Northwest gardener and cook. I like that the book includes not only how to grow but also how to prepare veggies that grow well in the Pacific Northwest area..

[Jeff Ellerbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's basically the descriptions and instructions you'll see on a seed catalog's web pages for each type of vegetable. Plus there is one recipe for each plant that includes it but doesn't necessarily feature it. For example, in many cases the "featured" ingredient could be left out without altering the dish or it may be one of a handful of essential ingredients.
The whole thing feels like something you could throw together in a week without even having done any of the gardening or cooking described.

[Iryna D · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is not entirely a cook book, nor is it entirely a gardening book. So if you're looking for such, you'll be disappointed. It is a great book that combines the two, although it's really not for beginners. It's main purpose, I think, is to bring attention to how little we, even gardeners, know about food that is consumable. And in the goal this book does more than just enough. Highly recommend to seasoned gardeners and experimenting cooks.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a helpful book!

A lot of the information is fairly straightforward, but I like the helpful tips like using a soil thermometer to determine soil temperature.

The recipes are a fun addition to this book. It follows common foods from seedling to the plate. The recipes themselves are a bit more complicated than I would cook on a week night, but it's fun to look through and use to plan a garden.

Overall it's a helpful guide for new gardeners and those looking to branch out.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a good format with the basics and useful tips on growing just about anything you can think of---a page or two for each one. One or two interesting and tempting recipes as well as general cooking tips follow the growing info, so the book carries you through from planting to eating. The photographs do a good job of illustrating the recipes and more.

[Kristie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book I wish I'd had at the beginning of my backyard garden journey. Not only does the author include specific growing tips that took me years to learn, the recipes are realistic to what a backyard grower would need and could make.

[Londi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a super helpful book on how to grow, cook, and eat produce from your garden. I am so excited to try some of the recipes in here. It's also given me a better idea on what I should be growing in my garden as we expand it.

[Derek Blochlinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good book in the way it tells you the best ways to plant, sow and recipes on how to cook your haul. It includes herbs also.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an interesting way to highlight gardening. Lots of useful info and enticing recipes. And beautiful photos and layout.

[Barbara Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book from harvest to table.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book , I found lots of good info. Tried out a few recipes.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

The gardening was definitely stronger than the cooking. I felt like many of the recipes had been done in the past in other cookbooks. But it did make me anxious for spring and warmer weather!

[Christy Copeland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book!!

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not being a professional gardener I found "Grow Cook Eat" a great resource to get started. The book is easy to access and has plenty of information that makes my other books in the same area obsolete. I have the paper back version and was worried that it might break fast with frequent use due to its size, but no problems so far.
"Grow Cook Eat" starts out with 'Gardening Fundamentals' where you learn about the quality of the soil in your garden, how to plant seasonally and extend your garden over the year and tips and techniques on how to water. The following eight chapters teach you about how to grow herbs, greens, legumes, squash, cabbage, roots, warm-season vegetables and finally fruit. Each plants gets its own mini-chapter detailing how to plant, grow, harvest and store it, always ending with cooking ideas and one detailed recipe. Even though I don't have a proper garden, I use it as resource for my balcony garden. Example of success: I finally managed to sustain my basil over a long period, harvest plenty and have grown them to a size unimaginable before.

If you want to get a feel for the information you'll receive in the book, check out one of her videos on eHow: https://youtu.be/NtVXAZGdy2o This one is about growing radishes.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic gardening book. I've long enjoyed Willi's website, digginfood.com, and I also love her on A Dry Rain podcast, and this book did not disappoint. Lots of excellent planting/caretaking adviee (including when to water certain plants which I always seem to need guidance with) and ideas on how to eat what you grow in all stages of their lifecycle. The recipes all look good and aren't complicated, but I espeically am looking forward to trying:
Mustard Green Turnovers
Swiss Chard Quesdillas
Spicy Roasted Snap Beans with Raita
Cucumber Wedges with Chile and Lime
Butternut Squash Tacos with Spicy Black Beans
and most especially - Tartines with Gruyere and Radish Greens (I can't stop looking at the photo:))
Very recommended.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The recipes are quite delightful, but the gardening information is by no means beginner-friendly. Take this tidbit from the section on strawberries: "At the end of summer, dig up annual plantings and plant new strawberries in a different location. Encourage June-bearing varieties to produce more buds for the following season by renovating the plants one week after they stop bearing fruit: grasp the strawberry foliage in one hand and, using scissors, cut the leaves off 1 inch above the crown."

Um. If I knew how to do any of that, I wouldn't need this book in the first place. Listen, I was raised by city people, and this stuff is not intuitive for me. If someone can suggest a dumbed-down version of this book, I'd be extremely grateful.

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The photos in this book are just beautiful, and there is a lot of handy information too. It goes over some basics of gardening and composting and then breaks it down by plant families to focus on the best ways to grow and plant the various herbs, fruits, and veggies. Each plant highlighted also gets explanation of storage, recommended varieties, and a featured recipe. Another nice feature is that Galloway shares the different parts of the plant you can eat beyond what you see in the grocery store. It is nice to have ideas on how not to waste, even when thinning veggies, since many of them can be eaten in baby forms. A very nice read.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grow, Eat, Cook is perfect if you are wondering what to do with your abundant harvest. It is organized by vegetable so look up is easy. Galloway provides information on everything from when to pick to what parts of the plant are edible including the not so obvious - like peas, there's more to peas than you think. Plus she has food prep and storage tips and recipes. Not complicated recipes with tons of ingreadients to shop for, but recipe ideas you can build on. I love that. I don't collect cookbooks and wouldn't normally read one in bed before going to sleep but Galloway is so enthusiastic about her garden, I enjoyed her commentary.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the title suggests, this is a manual for growing your own food and enjoying the nutrition from it's preparation. After a chapter on gardening essentials which includes potential problems and pest control, you will learn how to harvest, freeze, dry, store or use some basic foods. There are more edible parts to most plants than I ever realized. And did I mention the gorgeous pictures! At least 50 tantalizing recipes. I would keep this book another two weeks (I've had it for six) but someone else is requesting it from the library reservation service. Highly recommend for the vegetable and herb gardener.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great resource for vegetable and herb gardening. I can see myself going back to it repeatedly, for it shares practical, very doable ideas for keeping my vegetable garden happy. Additional, I've known things like radish seeds and squash blossoms are edible, but now I feel inspired to try them.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a beginner gardener, I was attracted to this book because of the BEAUTIFUL photos. It is easily readable, and doesn't expect you to come into it knowing a lot about gardening. I didn't read it cover to cover but I really liked learning from each page that I did read. The recipes--probably more complicated than I'm interested in doing, but still a lovely, useful book.

[Linda Harkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like vegetable gardening, you'll love this book! After a brief chapter on gardening fundamentals, Galloway presents planting, growing, harvesting, storing, and cooking tips for herbs, greens, legumes, squash, cabbage, roots/tubers, warm-season veggies, and fruit. It is a well-organized book with lovely photographs and delicious recipes. The ones I've tried are delicious, at least.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simple growing and harvesting instructions. Basic recipes. Good for beginning gardeners and cooks. Not every recipe is pictured, but the ones shown are beautifully photographed, as are the vegetables.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

EXCELLENT!!! I was impressed with the information provided and the recipes were actually something I might eat (I hate it when its weird stuff). I checked this book out from the library, but its now on my "must have" book list. I'll be picking it up soon to plan for spring sowing.

[Bill Thorness · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes me hungry. It has great, easy recipes and mouth-watering photos. But Willi (full disclosure: a friend of mine) also offers practical tips for growing the vegetables used in the recipes. An all-around useful book that can make a cook out of a gardener, and a gardener out of a cook!

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you buy one cookbook this year, make it this one! Part gardening guide, part cookbook, it brings together the farm-to-table movement through beautiful pictures, delicious and simple recipes, with no-nonsense guides to planting , growing and harvesting.

I will treasure this book forever.