The Food Lover's Garden: Growing, Cooking, and Eating Well

by Jenni Blackmore

"Your 'one stop shop' for everything from seed to plate . . . This book will leave you . . . ready to launch your own journey to food self-sufficiency." ―Lisa Kivirist, author Soil Sisters Put off by the origin-unknown, not-so-fresh, pesticide-laden herbs at the grocery store? Hungry for delicious high-quality vegetables and looking to have some control over where your food comes from? Foodie meets novice gardener in this deliciously accessible, easy-to-use guide to planting, growing, harvesting, cooking, and preserving 20+ popular, easy-to-grow vegetables and herbs. Taking the first-time gardener from growing to cooking delicious, nutritious, and affordable meals using these herbs and vegetables, this book is a celebration of food in all its stages. The Food Lover's Garden guides you From the humble potato to pungent garlic to the beauty of the beet, classic vegetables take a delicious turn with innovative cooking recipes. Truly food for all seasons and palates. Foodies, novice gardeners, urban homesteaders, and supporters of sustainable living―take back your right to high-quality food with The Food Lover's Garden . "The crisp photographs, lushly painted illustrations, and delicious text lead the reader from the garden to the kitchen and pantry with anticipation of culinary delight."―Darrell E. Frey, author of Bioshelter Market Garden

Genres: Gardening, Cookbooks

224 pages, Paperback

Published March 31, 2017

Reviews

[Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very basic book for very beginners or even people contemplating whether or not they should grow food. The informality of the writing makes you feel like you're having a meandering conversation with a knowledgeable neighbor rather than reading a book by an expert, which was charming at first, but felt a lot like a waste of time after a while. I kept wanting to say, "Just the facts, ma'am." Everything just lightly touches on the surface of her subjects, and the book would be a third the size if she didn't make jokes, share her opinions, and relate full paragraph stories, like how she thought she invented potato and leek strata and then discovered other people in the world made it, too, so ingredient combining must be intuitive. Well, yes, but potatoes and leeks have been paired together for centuries, like tomatoes and basil, so I wouldn't ever have assumed I invented caprese salad because I used them together with mozzarella before realizing people have been doing it for ages. It could have benefited a lot from including many more recipes, but it fell flat there as well.

I think what makes this book different is it was light on history and science and heavy on conversational information. No charts, no descriptions of how tomatoes have changed since they were bred to be edible, no chemical combinations of fertilizer, no long sermons on composting, and no background on anything other than her own experiences with things. Which is probably more inviting to some than others.

If you want clear, step-by-step instructions on prepping soil, choosing vegetable varieties, when to start planting in your zone, what to plant together, how much to water each different plant, when things will ripen for harvest, and then heaps of recipes for the bounty you grow, you're barking up the wrong tree. Consult Mother Earth News or many other really well-written instructional guides that are out there. This one seems to exist just to make you comfortable with the idea of coming over to the side of growing foods. However, if you're reading it at all, you're probably already there.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good resource for growing and preparing your own herbs and vegetables.

Features some interesting recipes like Rhubarb Chutney and Blackcurrant Sweet Pickle.

[Abby Stopka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book for people interested in learning more about gardening and what to do with the produce and stuff that you grow.

[Rhonda Lomazow · Rating 5 out of 5]

For everyone who wants to eat healthy food here is the perfect step by step guide to starting your own garden on to enjoying the benefits of it in your kitchen.