Seed to Table: A Seasonal Guide to Organically Growing, Cooking, and Preserving Food at Home

by Luay Ghafari

“Luay makes growing your own food, even if just a small amount, into an achievable endeavor.”— Niki Irving of Flourish Flower Farm, flower farmer, florist, author of Growing Flowers #1 Best Seller in Organic Gardening Learn to garden in any space with Seed to Table , grow and cook nutrient-dense foods to take your gardening and cooking to the next level! Gardening, cooking, and eating done right! Seed to Table focuses on how to feed your family with nutritious foods from your own outdoor, home and/or kitchen garden. Whether you live in a city or in the country, this book gives you tools on effective growing techniques, seed starting methods, and garden maintenance.  Organic gardening for every individual style! Have fun while you create your own gardening system whether it be for a container garden or a kitchen garden. Try out big and small garden ideas to stock up your fridge with delicious fruits, vegetables, and herbs to grow your self-sufficiency. Maximize your minimal or large space with impactful practices that are perfect for anyone on a sustainability and self-sufficiency journey. Inside Seed to Table, you’ll If you're looking for books on urban gardening or gardening in any space, add this book to your collection! If you liked Plants-Only Kitchen , Holistic Homesteading , or Raised-Bed Gardening for Beginners , then you’ll love Seed to Table .

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

330 pages, Hardcover

Published June 13, 2023

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic gardening book! It covers everything from planning your garden, growing food, starting from seed, harvesting, preserving, and cooking. It is so rare to see all these topics covered so thoroughly in one book. The way the book is organized is very helpful - there are chapters on specific topics, including a chapter of recipes. In the crop guide there are pages for each specific crop with tips, common issues, storage tips, and even a handy "growing difficulty level." I love that the chapter about planning your garden is followed by a chapter about different growing techniques like in containers, raised beds, etc. This is really a fantastic, all-around gardening book that covers so much information but still in a readable, easy to use way. I would HIGHLY recommend this one!

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cookbook plus a gardening book. Bonus! Luay Ghafari, blogger at Urban Farm and Kitchen, created Seed to Table from his experiences and to expand from his blog. (QR codes abound that lead to more in-depth information on his website.)
He appropriately starts the Garden-to-Table conversation by focusing, wisely, on tomatoes. There is absolutely nothing better than a warm tomato from one's own garden.

This is a basic and practical book. Be aware it is not a survivalist or one that promotes complete self-sufficiency. "Take one look at your fridge and pantry and you'll know right away that growing 100% of your food is probably not a realistic goal" (25). Again, wisely, he asks these questions when planning on gardening:

Do you have to grow it? Think of the amount of space you have and what it can yield.
Will it thrive?
Will it save you money?
Do you even like it?
Can you preserve it?
How versatile is it?
I totally agree with this evaluation before you even order seeds, especially the preserving part.

Along with being a practical resource, it's also a pretty basic guide. Seasonal sections, or crop guides, include detailed descriptions and tips on growing. There's at least two pages per vegetable variety that outlines spaces that are suitable like containers or balconies. Finally, there's a list of his favorite varieties and recipes.

I honestly skimmed the crop guide section but I did make notes of his preferred varieties. Chapter 3, "Garden-to-Table Recipes & Preservation Techniques" was my favorite. He breaks this chapter into herby libations, snacks & dips, salads, pestos & sauces, larger dishes, side dishes, condiments, and preservation. There's not an enormous amount of recipes (around 4-5 each) but I was impressed. Again, they're practical and obtainable.

Chapters 4- 8 involves garden basics like planning, techniques, soil fundamentals, planting guides, seed starting, maintenance and "seasonal extension and winterization." Good information but pretty basic. It was a good refresher for me and I did pick up a few tips.

Let's revisit the recipes. I thought they were good for using up garden produce. I loved the "Pestos & Sauces" section. I know pesto can be made of most herbs but I loved the combos like peas with pistachios for spring, basil and walnut for summer, and kale and almonds for fall. Ghafari also includes a roasted tomato sauce recipe. Trust me, this is the absolute best way to get all the flavor out of your home grown tomatoes. I've been doing this for years. It's also great to throw in herbs and peppers to the mix.

The herb blends and mixes are good recipes, too.

Is this the most earthshattering cookbook (or gardening book) I've read. No. But, it's a good starting point if you want to focus on your own garden-to-table experiences.

[Andi Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and actually didn’t skim anything (unless you count the recipes, which I haven’t made). Gardening, cooking and preserving are all congruent, it made sense these things were all together in one place. The only downside: not surprisingly, this book is kind of large, it makes it hard to just pick up and flip through as a reference, and it would be really useful if it were smaller and more portable. That said, there are QR codes where you can access more information, recipes, etc. Definitely worth a library check out, probably worth buying if you’re beginning to grow your own food (or want to)…

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an enjoying this book. It’s an interesting combination of gardening and recipes. It’s a great resource for a beginner gardener or someone who wants to learn how to be more self sufficient.

[Alanna Husch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good and thorough book that combines gardening information and a cook book. Super thorough with gorgeous photography.

[Shaheen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It covers everything in a very logical and smart way. It gave me a method to plan my gardening. Simply a brilliant book and the recipes are divine!