The New Heirloom Garden: Designs, Recipes, and Plants for Cooks Who Love to Garden

—from the Introduction Whether you have a small plot of land just outside your kitchen door or a wide-open field waiting to be tamed, you have an opportunity to honor the past and discover the future through long-lost plant varieties that are full of flavor, fragrance, and old-fashioned charm. By digging deeper into their history, you’ll learn why saving and planting heirloom seeds are key to the past, the present, and the future of our food gardens. In award-winning food and garden writer Ellen Ecker Ogden guides you to designing and harvesting from your own kitchen garden, with expert advice, twelve themed garden designs, and sensible tips for a successful harvest. Each design includes an illustrated layout based on a historical garden with a detailed plant key featuring the best-tasting heirloom vegetables you can grow. Discover the unique stories behind the fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers that have been growing in gardens for centuries, and why seed saving is vital to maintain food diversity. An avid cook, Ellen attended cooking school in Italy and Ireland, and shares her 60 best garden-to-table recipes, organized by plant family, making it easy to learn how to substitute with what is growing seasonally and regionally. With a range of soups, salads, entrées, and desserts, you’ll revel in delicious fare that includes cold and making this book a must-have for cooks who love to garden.