The Curious Kitchen Gardener

November 1, 2024
Ziedrich, who writes her blog, A Gardener's Table, from her home in Oregon's Willamette Valley, presents an utterly charming hybrid of gardening best practices and culinary smarts in this listing of underutilized but entirely approachable ingredients, including violets, radishes, angelica, bamboo, wild strawberries, chicory, Egyptian walking onions, sorrel, artichokes, lavender, and garlic chives. Each of the more than 30 entries is six to eight pages long, features gorgeous color photos, explains culinary origins, offers growing tips, shares health benefits, and gives cooking advice. Each entry also includes one detailed and flavorful recipe, like violet jelly, ham and radish soup with leek broth, chicory coffee, lavender lemonade, and green sorrel soup. Mmmmm. Another winner from Timber Press.

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January 1, 2025

Ziedrich (The Joy of Pickling) introduces readers to uncommon plants and novel culinary uses. In her quest to expand readers' gardening and culinary experiences, she introduces readers to a variety of fruits and vegetables, including honeyberries (or blue-fruited honeysuckle), orach (a hardy substitute for spinach), and oca (a bumpy pink tuber that's an alternative to yams or potatoes). Many of the plants Ziedrich discusses will be familiar to gardeners, such as radishes and walnuts, but she proposes using parts of the plants in unexpected ways. However, many of the book's suggestions are not terribly surprising, such as using grape leaves or bamboo in cooking or chicory for coffee. There's a chapter decided to each type of plant, which provides growing information, care instructions, and a recipe. (Note that some of the recipes assume that readers have specialized equipment, such as a jelly bag.) The text is accompanied by close-up, colorful photographs. VERDICT Perhaps this will be the nudge that less-confident cooks will need to try something new. Recommended for readers seeking new options in both their gardens and their kitchens.--Judy Poyer

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