Grocery Gardening

Grocery Gardening: Planting, Preparing and Preserving

Fresh Food

by Jean Ann Van Krevelen
with Amanda Thomsen, Robin Ripley, and Teresa O'Connor

255 pages
Cool Springs Press, 2010
List price: $19.95

This book is the complete package.  Starting with the basic how-tos that even new gardeners can easily understand, and taking it all the way through harvest, preparing the food in
delicious ways, and preserving the fruits and vegetables for future use - what more could you ask?

Edible gardening is the new American pastime, though millions have been doing it for decades - centuries, for that matter.  Perhaps never since the days of Victory Gardens in the 1940s though, has "growing your own" been so popular.  But many of today's new gardeners did not grow up learning what it takes to put your own food on the table.

Jean Ann and her co-authors have done a superb job of providing a manual that gives essential information without getting bogged down in details that might make all of this seem daunting.  The material is presented in a logical, graphically beautiful way that invites novices to give it a go and infuses new energy into the more seasoned gardener's experience.

There's a sense of anticipation brewing as you soak up the general planting, growing, and harvesting sections, and for good reason. In the next and largest section of the book, the real fun begins.  Each fruit or vegetable is given its own "file," with tips on selecting varieties and their specific growing needs.

Several easy-to-prepare recipes are provided for each, such as Herbed Cucumber Salad, Thai Basil Fried Rice and Shepherd's Pie with Carrot and Sweet Potato Topping.  Personally, I can't wait to make the Cantaloupe Blackberry Smoothie.  There are over 135 recipes in all.

The fascinating thing about this book is how it came to be.  Its four authors have never met in real life.  They encountered each other online through Twitter.  As they discussed various aspects of gardening and cooking, the idea for collaboration on a book was born, and Grocery Gardening was the result.  Even more amazing is that it was written in 60 days.

If that isn't enough, this book has done yet one more thing. It has inspired this gardener and garden book reviewer that hates to cook, to actually try some of the recipes, and that is no small feat.



Jean Ann Van Krevelen is one of the most influential gardening communicators in the country. Follow her on Twitter @JeanAnnVK or on her blog, Gardener to Farmer.

Amanda Thomsen is a garden designer and contributing editor and writer for Horticulture magazine's website and blogs.  She can be found on Twitter @kissmyaster and on her blog, Kiss My Aster.





Robin Ripley is a writer, prolific cook, and a garden speaker in great demand. Find her on Twitter @robinripley or on her blog, Bumblebee Blog.





Teresa O'Conner is a Master Gardener and garden writer who reaches thousands of readers through her articles she writes for for national publications. Teresa can be reached on Twitter @seasonalwisdom and on her blog Seasonal Wisdom.


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The publication being reviewed in this blog post was the sole compensation for reviewing the product. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like it, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that, too.