KG Bookshelf: June 2011

Getting down to it

Down To Earth is the perfect title for this book which is an easy guide to growing your own vegetables successfully.

Very easy to use and packed with some great photos, this book starts with basic introductions on ‘Looking after your patch’, soil, compost and planting and ‘A rough guide of what to do and when to do it in your vegetable patch’, and also includes basic principles of organic gardening and necessary gardening equipment.

It then deals with each vegetable in alphabetical order with straightforward instructions on growing, a little bit about the crop, storage, recipes and some interesting facts and handy tips.

Very ‘down to earth’ and easy to follow, this book will make gardening simple for those who want to grow their own; and will be a useful and enjoyable read for the more experienced too.

Down To Earth, written by Madeleine Cardozo, who has also taken the photographs, is published by Haxnicks Ltd in hardback, priced £14.99.

ISBN: 978-0-9566379-0-1

Who is it for?

A good straightforward book for the beginner with enough interest to tempt the more experienced too.

Cook for friends and family

Special meals for entertaining or indeed treating the family to something new and exciting are cooked-up in this book – Food for Friends – by the creators of one of Britain’s landmark meat-free restaurants, Jane and Ramin Mostowfi. A love for food spurred this couple to leave their corporate careers and move to Brighton to establish the book’s namesake restaurant, celebrating the finest of seasonal produce and fresh ingredients in their cruelty-free cooking with added flair. This cooking companion contains modern everyday and occasion dishes such as a gorgeous sweet potato, garlic and rosemary gratin with red pepper sauce or Mediterranean vegetables served with rocket and pine nut pesto, based on the restaurant’s daily specials and seasonal menu. Whether cooking for pleasure or to cater for special dietary requirements (with dairy and gluten-free recipes highlighted) there truly is something for everyone.

Food for Friends, by Jane and Ramin Mostowfi is published by Infinite Ideas, priced £16.99.

ISBN: 978-1-906821-54-8

Who is it for?

Anyone looking for an adaptable approach to cooking using seasonal produce.

Growing veg in containers

Original ways to create a living garden in a limited space or a concrete jungle are explored in this guide called Vegetables in Pots. It covers growing a variety of root vegetables, leafy crops, herbs and fruits in containers.

Working with nature author Deborah

Schneebeli-Morrell provides ideas to enhance windowsills, balconies, patios and terraces with vibrant growing containers. Also including advice on how to select seed varieties, transfer seedlings using the paper-potting method and produce comfrey liquid (useful for feeding tomatoes, peppers and courgettes) this book is irresistible.

As many of us strive to move away from processed and packaged food Deborah shows that eating organically is possible to achieve with inventive planting, intercropping and making the most of any empty spot in the garden. ‘Feed the soil not the plant’ is her approach, which if the results shown in this book are anything to go by, is certainly a smart move.

From spinach grown in shopping baskets, chillies in olive oil cans, broad beans in coconut sacks and salad grown in washing-up bowls, an array of rich and colourful produce is possible and better still, affordable.

Vegetable in Pots By Deborah Schneebeli-Morrell is published by Cico Books priced £12.99.

ISBN: 978-1-907563-09-6

Who is it for?

Those looking to maximise their growing space.

For more reviews, see this months issue, available to buy online!