In the French Kitchen Garden: The Joys of Cultivating a Potager

by Georgeanne Brennan, Melissa Sweet (Illustrator)

The tradition of the kitchen garden, or potager, has for centuries been a cornerstone of the French country way of life-a year-round communion between the kitchen and the garden culminating in simple, gratifying meals prepared fresh with the flavors of the season. Taking up where the very popular Potager left off, In the French Kitchen Garden is a lovingly written, beautifully illustrated guide to cultivating a potager. Georgeanne Brennan imparts her passion for the potager while offering advice on adapting a kitchen garden to any climate or space. Punctuated with impromptu recipes for delicious dishes incorporating the fresh produce of each season, this book encourages everyone to adopt ?the creative, relaxed style of the French country cook.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Food, Cooking, Reference

120 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1998

About the author

Georgeanne Brennan, born and raised in Southern California, is the author of the James Beard Award winning cookbook, The Food and Flavors of Haute Provence, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals award for her book, Aperitif, among numerous others, including her best-selling memoir, A Pig in Provence, about her years raising goats and pigs and making cheese in France in the 1970s. She’s divided her life for many years between her modest home in Provence, where she learned to make French style aperitifs, and a small farm in Winters, CA. She co-founded the pioneering seed company, Le Marche Seeds International, an important source for emerging organic market growers, in the 1980s. In the 1990s she conducted week-long Culinary Vacations in Provence. In 2014 she founded the on-line store lavierustic.com. She and her work have been featured in numerous publications including the New York Times, Food and Wine Magazine, InStyle, Vogue and many others. She has a bachelor’s degree in History and English from San Diego State University and master’s degree in History from UC San Diego.

Reviews

[Aly Abell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was published some time ago but I was glad to come upon a used copy. It is a great book from which to draw inspiration for year-around vegetable gardens. The particulars such as planting time will vary according to where you live, so this book must be supplemented by a gardening calendar from a local extension office or some other source of local gardening information. But Brennan's book give many great ideas about how to grow a productive garden in whatever space you have available. The illustrations are attractive, and the book is interesting to read cover to cover. There are even simple recipes scattered throughout the book, to give you ideas about how to use all the vegetables you will be growing!

[Marj · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to grow a French Kitchen Garden this Spring. In the midst of a cold, cold winter here in Utah, I found such lovely relaxation and enjoyment in this read.

I want to partake of "The Joys of Cultivating a Potager". Even the pictures (illustrations) engaged me--especially the simple garden diagrams. Georganne's writer's voice truly spoke to my gardener soul...her love of everything French garden was so enjoyable to read. "With warm insight, humor, and great advice for adapting the kitchen garden to any environment" I am sold!

And it has RECIPES! I can't imagine anything more wonderful!

My gardener friends: You NEED to read this book!

[Anie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very pleasant little book -- a good way to think of continually cycling crops through a garden, and it's an easy, non-intimidating introduction to kitchen gardens for a new gardener. The illustrations are very pretty as well.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was beautiful, simple, and gave so much great information. I can't wait to get my bigger better kitchen garden started

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant year-long cross section of a cozy lifestyle.