Covers all the "ins" and "outs" of tomato growing, from planting and harvesting to fertilizing and caging, in a guide that comes complete with a review of tomatoes of all shapes, colors, and sizes

Covers all the "ins" and "outs" of tomato growing, from planting and harvesting to fertilizing and caging, in a guide that comes complete with a review of tomatoes of all shapes, colors, and sizes

* Features a variety of heirloom vegetables appealing to gourmands and gardeners alike * Growing heirloom plants is the ultimate way to eat local * Scarlet nantes get a lot more looks than the standard orange carrot Exploring the need for heirloom plants in the twenty-first century, Edible Heirlooms takes a look at the history and vitality of the heirloom plant, from Russian Red Kale to January King Cabbage. This informative guide collects 26 edible heirloom plants best suited to gardeners in the maritime West-from British Columbia to the San Francisco Bay area -- and provides information on species variety, growing tips, plant history and suggested uses. Chapters contain instructions on how to save your own seeds, and suggestions for starting a seed exchange among friends or a community garden in your neighborhood.

In Tomatoes, Miriam Rubin gives this staple of southern gardens the passionate portrait it deserves, exploring the tomato's rich history in southern culture and inspiring home cooks to fully enjoy these summer fruits in all their glorious variety. Rubin, a prominent food writer and tomato connoisseur, provides fifty vibrant recipes as well as wisdom about how to choose tomatoes and which tomato is right for which dish. Tomatoes includes recipes that celebrate the down-home, inventive, and contemporary, such as Stand-over-the-Sink Tomato Sandwiches, Spiced Green Tomato Crumb Cake, Green Tomato and Pork Tenderloin Biscuit Pie, and Tomato and Golden Raisin Chutney. Rubin also offers useful cooking tips, lively lessons on history, cultivation, and preserving, and variations for year-round enjoyment of the tomato.

A garden of delight-and healthy, economical eating. In The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Heirloom Vegetables, readers will learn the rewards of growing heirlooms; find hundreds of descriptions and histories of a variety of available vegetables and find out how to make pollination work. ?Helps readers grow and eat locally, reduce or eliminate pesticides and additives, and save money along the way ?Includes step-by-step instructions for harvesting, drying, cleaning, and storing heirloom seeds ?For economical reasons-as well as concern for the environment and personal health-the popularity of gardening has grown in recent years

Saving seeds to plant for next year's crop has been key to survival around the globe for millennia. However, the twentieth century witnessed a grand takeover of seed producers by multinational companies aiming to select varieties ideal for mechanical harvest, long-distance transportation, and long shelf life. With the rise of the Slow Food and farm-to-table movements in recent years, the farmers and home gardeners who have been quietly persisting in the age-old habit of conserving heirloom plants are finally receiving credit for their vital role in preserving both good taste and the world's rich food heritage. Kentucky Heirloom Seeds: Growing, Eating, Saving is an evocative exploration of the seed saver's art and the practice of sustainable agriculture. Bill Best and Dobree Adams begin by tracing the roots of the tradition in the state to a 700-year-old Native American farming village in north central Kentucky. Best shares tips for planting and growing beans and describes his family's favorite varieties for the table. Featuring interviews with many people who have worked to preserve heirloom varieties, this book vividly documents the social relevance of the rituals of sowing, cultivating, eating, saving, and sharing.

Growing your own vegetables has never looked, or tasted, so good. Are heirloom vegetables more difficult to grow than conventional hybrids? The Beginner's Guide to Growing Heirloom Vegetables debunks this myth by highlighting the 100 heirloom vegetables that are the easiest to grow and the tastiest to eat. Marie Iannotti makes it simple for beginning gardeners to jump on the heirloom trend by presenting an edited list based on years of gardening trial and error. Her plant criteria is threefold: The 100 plants must be amazing to eat, bring something unique to the table, and—most importantly—they have to be unfussy and easy to grow. Her list includes garden favorites like the meaty and mellow 'Lacinato' Kale, the underused and earthy 'Turkish Orange' Eggplant, and the unexpected sweetness of 'Apollo' Arugula.

Every spring, thousands of self-described "'maniacs" gather for a series of multi-day garden events for the largest tomato seedling sale in the nation: Tomatomania! CEOs and soccer moms, grandmothers and hipsters, hardcore gardeners and eager first-timers—folks from every walk of life unite to celebrate this energetic rite of spring and their shared love of tomatoes. In this practical and fun guide, Tomatomania! owner Scott Daigre provides a peek into his Ojai, California, tomato patch and details a "reality gardening" approach to growing the world's favorite summer treat. Tomatomania! walks readers through every step of the tomato gardening process, from the earliest planning stages to those final satisfying kitchen table moments of the season. Including 20 simple yet unique recipes and numerous kitchen tips to get the most out of your tomato harvest, this comprehensive guide to growing and cooking with tomatoes will turn you, too, into a proud 'maniac!

Heirloom vegetables, herbs, and fruits are back in favor as gardeners and food lovers seek more nutritious and flavorful edibles. The unusual varieties of heirloom seeds still available today produce edibles that provide a mouthful of flavor unlike anything ever experienced from hybrid varieties. Heirloom Flavor features eighteen types of heirloom edibles and is enriched with beautiful full-color photographs, interesting stories, and fascinating history. Includes recipes and cooking tips, how-to-grow tips, and how-to-select at Farmer's Markets. A "must have" for foodies and cooks.

The Tao of Vegetable Gardening explores the practical methods as well as the deeper essence of gardening. In her latest book, groundbreaking garden writer Carol Deppe (The Resilient Gardener, Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties) focuses on some of the most popular home garden vegetables—tomatoes, green beans, peas, and leafy greens—and through them illustrates the key principles and practices that gardeners need to know to successfully plant and grow just about any food crop. Deppe’s work has long been inspired and informed by the philosophy and wisdom of Tao Te Ching, the 2,500-year-old work attributed to Chinese sage Lao Tzu and the most translated book in the world after the Bible. The Tao of Vegetable Gardening is organized into chapters that echo fundamental Taoist concepts: Balance, Flexibility, Honoring the Essential Nature (your own and that of your plants), Effortless Effort, Non-Doing, and even Non-Knowing. Yet the book also offers a wealth of specific and valuable garden advice on topics as diverse as: • The Eat-All Greens Garden, a labor- and space-efficient way to provide all the greens a family can eat, freeze, and dry—all on a tiny piece of land suitable for small-scale and urban gardeners. • The growing problem of late blight and the future of heirloom tomatoes—and what gardeners can do to avoid problems, and even create new resistant varieties. • Establishing a Do-It-Yourself Seed Bank, including information on preparing seeds for long-term storage and how to “dehybridize” hybrids. • Twenty-four good places to not plant a tree, and thirty-seven good reasons for not planting various vegetables. Designed for gardeners of all levels, from beginners to experienced growers, The Tao of Vegetable Gardening provides a unique frame of reference: a window to the world of nature, in the garden and in ourselves.