Moosewood Restaurant Kitchen Garden: Creative Gardening for the Adventurous Cook

by David P. Hirsch

It happens every season but still inspires awe-tiny plants emerge from quarter-inch seeds and grow to five feet tall in a matter of weeks. The physical and sensual satisfaction of nurturing a garden is surpassed only by the pleasures of preparing and eating the fruits of your labor.In The Moosewood Restaurant Kitchen Garden, long-time Moosewood Collective member David Hirsch shares his expertise on growing, harvesting, and cooking with more than 75 vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers. This completely revised, comprehensive guide to culinary gardening also features information on heirloom varieties (many of which aren'¬?t available in local markets), basic gardening techniques, and practical ideas to help new and experienced gardeners design their plots. Including culinary tips for simple vegetable and herb preparations as well as 70 recipes, The Moosewood Restaurant Kitchen Garden will inspire home cooks to make full use of their backyard harvests, taking homegrown seasonal food to a delicious and bountiful new level.The ideal companion to gardening for the kitchen from Moosewood Collective member David Hirsch.Culinary tips and charming anecdotes accompany discussions of each fruit, vegetable, and herb.Thanks to the proliferation of sustainable, organic farming over the last 20 storied years, and with ongoing support from famous foodies like Alice Waters, the general population is becoming increasingly knowledgeable about the benefits of organic foods and increasingly appreciative of local harvests.Previous edition sold 80,000 copies.

Genres: Cookbooks, Gardening, Cooking, Reference, Food, Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 1992

Reviews

[Carolyn Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cool gardening book, emphasizing the usefulness and comparative ease of growing an old-fashioned kitchen garden.

The first part of the book is a series of growing guides for vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers. Next is one of my favorite parts, a section on garden design. It goes into site selection, orientation, maintenance, and landscaping as well. The styles range from an enclosed formal arrangement to a decorative, yet functional yard bed, to container gardening on the patio. Some styles even incorporate fruit trees. Next is a section for gardening techniques, including a brief troubleshooting guide for plant woes.

Lastly, as you would expect in a book from a restaurant, is a brief section of recipes to put your newly grown produce to work in. As well as telling you basic methods of preparation, there are some lovely ideas in here. I especially liked the ideas for the herbal tea mixes and the blueberry lemon tart.

This book also includes resources for obtaining various seeds/plants, a zone map, and a bibliography of other gardening and preparation books. All in all, a very fun read, especially if you're like me and have more than a slight yen to become a homesteader.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource for gardening AND cooking. This one has earned its space in my kitchen.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A This book made me so jealous of those who have gardens. Even if you don't own a garden, it still teaches you a lot about eating, cooking, and local gardening. A lot of yummy recipes in the book, along with tons of great recipe tips. I love Moosewood. I really want to visit it and eat their yummilicious food!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of great info about food gardening, even with some less conventional plants and herbs. Good recipes, too. This was a good addition to my gardening reference collection, filling in some gaps left by other books.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't gotten much novel reading done this month because I've been gorging myself on how-to gardening books from the public library (and putting them into practice). This is probably my favorite so far -- lots of great tips on individual plant care and also garden design.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a somewhat lazy urban gardener w/ small plot who likes to pick what she needs from her yard and add it to maybe not so local stuff, it's very helpful and inspiring. I have grown and eaten things I never thought I would.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book got me really excited. I really like the garden layouts they have AND the descriptions of the herbs and the edible flowers. Violets and roses are edible! That's pretty amazing. They aren't just pretty to look at!

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

this will show you how to create a garden in any environment-from a pot of oregano on your windowsill, to building your own greenhouse.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun book from the cooks at Moosewood. It also includes a great section on herbs and gardening.

[Tráese · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love to cook you gotta get your hands on this rockin' book!

-bon appetit

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

...i'm absolutely giddy thinking about next year's raised beds now! simply cannot wait to begin our veggie and herb garden...

[Eric Hines]

food & cooking

[Michelle Ginther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mine has copyright 1992, but I'm sure it's the same