Fresh Grown: Essential Guide to Use, Store, and Make the Most of Your Vegetables

by Andrea Kristin

“This book, and the way Andrea and her family live and contribute to the world, is vital for humanity. People have lost their connection with how to grow, source, and prepare healthful food. Andrea uses her knowledge of vegetables, skills as a photographer, and abilities as a cook to provide the essential mentorship needed to overcome these barriers. With their youth and passion, they give me hope for the future." —KAREN ANDERSON, founder and president of Alberta Food Tours and Taste Canada, World Gourmand and IPPY award-winning cookbook author

“Andrea’s book offers something for everyone. It is a wealth of expertise on knowing, growing, harvesting and preserving vegetables with gorgeous photos that transport you to the farm. I’m excited to refer to it this growing season! Its organization is both intuitive and practical, making it easy to navigate. With the simple garden-to-plate approach, readers are guided not only to grow but also appreciate and enjoy the delicious, nutritious bounty of their gardens.” —JENNA HOBBS, founder of The Homegrown Sourcebook

“There is no better person to share the beauty of farm-to-table than Andrea. Her beautiful photography takes you straight to the farm, and she proves that seasonal eating doesn’t need to be complicated. Whether you are a newbie gardener, experienced green thumb, or farmers market junkie, Fresh Grown offers practical tips for enjoying the goodness of garden veggies all year long!” —ERIN WALKER, Canadian food photographer and recipe developer, creator of A Little Salt

Andrea Kristin and her husband have been growing vegetables on their organic market garden farm outside Edmonton, Alberta, for nearly a decade. They sell at farmers markets and feed their local community through their thriving CSA program (@greyarrowfarm). In this book, Andrea draws from her wealth of firsthand knowledge to walk the reader graciously through all the ways to use, store, and enjoy your vegetables. She shares a bounty of insightful information, including which parts of each plant are edible, how to use them, what to do with your excess, and the various ways to preserve each one– including freezing, waterbath canning, pressure canning, dehydrating, fermenting, and pickling– to last throughout the year.

Written, photographed, and designed by Andrea, this book is filled with firsthand imagery and knowledge direct from the farm. It is an essential guide for every home gardener, homesteader, CSA member, farmer’s market frequenter– and anyone wanting to use and enjoy their vegetables to the fullest. Featuring over 50 types of vegetables (with applications for far more), from asparagus to zucchini and everything in between, it will help you reap maximum benefits, stretch your dollars, and make it all go farther than you ever thought possible while deepening your appreciation for nature’s delicious bounty.

Filled with: beautiful images, staple recipes, cooking + storage tips, preservation guides, meal inspiration, and creative uses. This is truly an invaluable resource for anyone wanting to fully enjoy their fresh produce!

Genres: Food, Cookbooks, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

Published June 20, 2024

About the author

Andrea Kristin is an artist, author, and farmer who lives in the Central Alberta prairies with her husband and children on their organic market garden farm, affectionately known as Grey Arrow Farm. Every summer, they feed delicious vegetables to local families in their community through their thriving CSA program. She actively shares about their farm life, recipes, and veggie tips through her blog and social media pages, where people follow along for homegrown inspiration.

With nearly a decade of experience running their market garden and feeding her own family, Andrea brings a wealth of firsthand knowledge to her beautifully designed and photographed book Fresh Grown. Her engaging writing and stunning photography transport readers straight to the farm, making it easy for both novice and seasoned gardeners to appreciate and enjoy the bountiful harvest of their own gardens.

BLOG: Here In The Midst
FARM: my link text
SOCIAL: Grey Arrow Farm

Reviews

[Reader Views · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Fresh Grown: Essential Guide to Use, Store, and Make the Most of Your Vegetables,” is a comprehensive and practical guide that will provide readers with the knowledge and skills to learn how to make the most of their vegetable harvests. It is written and photographed by Andrea Kristin, whose family has their own organic vegetable farm. Andrea Kristin writes in a friendly manner which makes me feel like I am talking to a friend rather than reading an intimidating gardening book. In this amazing book she organizes over one hundred types of produce by roots, stems, leaves, bulbs, flowers, fruits, and seeds.

One of the standout features of this book is that it emphasizes sustainability and it maximizes the use of every part of the vegetable. I love how Kristin shows us creative ways we can use our vegetables. She divides it into sections with a wide variety of topics including proper storage techniques to prolong freshness and cooking methods to enhance the flavor. The storage methods include freezing, canning, dehydrating, fermenting, and pickling. The recipes look delicious and easy to follow. I think readers of all skill levels will be able to easily follow the directions. The photographs are in vivid color and inspiring. There are also some delicious-looking recipes that I cannot wait to try.

I have been interested in getting back to growing my own produce. When I lived in a vineyard, I had a large garden. There is nothing better than homegrown produce, especially, tomatoes and garlic! Unfortunately, except when I made marinara sauce, we only ate everything fresh. I had no clue about ways to store it, and now I can’t wait to learn. In addition to trying new vegetables, like garlic scapes, celeriac, and rutabaga roots, I am looking forward to learning how to work with those I am already familiar with. I loved pickled vegetables, yet have never tried to make them myself. Everything I need to know is laid out in this book, in a way that I can easily follow. Our grocery stores are so filled with processed foods, that I think we have started forgetting about what fresh, wholesome food tastes like. This book gives us an opportunity to get our diets back to how we should be eating.

Overall, Andrea Kristin’s “Fresh Grown” is a must-have resource for anyone looking to make the most of their vegetable harvest. With its wealth of information, practical advice, and delicious recipes, this book will inspire readers to get more creative in the kitchen and in turn eat healthier. It will also make an excellent gift for aspiring gardeners, homesteaders, and cooks.

[Karen Siddall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gorgeously illustrated guide will teach new cooks and inspire those more experienced to expand the uses of vegetables in their menus.

Fresh Grown by author Andrea Kristin is a new how-to guide for making the most of your hard-earned vegetables, whether you’re growing your own or perusing the produce section of your local grocery store. I think I love everything about this book, from its gorgeous photos (coffee table quality presentation), informative content, and even its well-organized and clean page design. I foresee giving this book to a number of family members for Christmas in a couple of months.

The book focuses on a large variety of vegetables and explains what parts are edible and how they are normally prepared, how to store them for maximum freshness before cooking, and how to keep excess amounts useful long-term. Methods include freezing, canning, dehydrating, fermenting, and pickling. I particularly liked how the author grouped the vegetables by the part of the plant that is going to be harvested for consumption: roots, stems, leaves, bulbs, flowers, fruits, and seeds. For example, peas are found in the “Seeds” section. (And yes, while some can be categorized in more than one way, they are discussed under their most prevalent part.) Several less popular vegetables (at least here in my region) are included, so if you have ever wondered what a fava bean was, you’ll find your answer here. (Go ahead, uncork a nice chianti now.)

I recommend FRESH GROWN to, as the author put it so well, “the veggie lover + veggie curious and anyone wanting to explore the world of fresh grown.”

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.

[Cheryl Malandrinos · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for resources to help you use, store, and make the most of your fresh vegetables, then you need to grab a copy of Fresh Grown by Andrea Kristin.

Filled with stunning photography, this organic cooking book is a fabulous help if you are starting from scratch to create a Farm-to-Table lifestyle. Andrea and her husband Denis started their organic market garden farm and were thrilled to share it with their community. And they found members of their community often asked how best to use, store, and preserve the vegetables from their shares. Fresh Grown compiles that information into one handy place to make it easier for you.

Fresh Grown is filled with helpful tips, a list of staple items in Andrea's kitchen, various ways to preserve your vegetables with important tips to improve your success, and an abundance of yummy-looking recipes. The book is broken down into a variety of sections, like one for root vegetables and another for leafy vegetables. This allows for ease in finding what you need. There is also a handy "Vegetable Index" at the end in case you are searching for information on a particular vegetable. The digital copy I have employs hyperlinks, which makes it easy for me choose one of my favorite vegetables, like beets, and go directly to that page.

I'm so thrilled by how in-depth Fresh Grown is and can't wait to use it with this year's tiny harvest from our yard.

Highly recommended!

[Nada Loughead · Rating 5 out of 5]

See my review at https://canadiancookbooks.ca/fresh-gr...