A Gardener's Notebook » Books

What I’m Reading…Fermentation is your friend

Douglas E. Welch — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods by Sandor Ellix Katz

Description from Amazon.com…

“Bread. Cheese. Wine. Beer. Coffee. Chocolate. Most people consume fermented foods and drinks every day. For thousands of years, humans have enjoyed the distinctive flavors and nutrition resulting from the transformative power of microscopic bacteria and fungi. Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods is the first cookbook to widely explore the culinary magic of fermentation.”Fermentation has been an important journey of discovery for me,” writes author Sandor Ellix Katz. “I invite you to join me along this effervescent path, well trodden for thousands of years yet largely forgotten in our time and place, bypassed by the superhighway of industrial food production.” The flavours of fermentation are compelling and complex, quite literally alive. This book takes readers on a whirlwind trip through the wide world of fermentation, providing readers with basic and delicious recipes-some familiar, others exotic-that are easy to make at home.”

What I’m Reading…Fermentation is your friend is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Elsewhere: Books: 100 books about the world around us: Nature, science, math, and applied crafts.

Douglas E. Welch — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Lots of great ideas here for reading online, from your library or buying. I am adding a lot of these books to my To Read list at GoodReads.com, too.

100 books about the world around us: Nature, science, math, and applied crafts.

Sometimes a book is the best way to visit a place, idea, or possibility. Max wants to know how everything- from the hen to a house to a volcano- works. So the world is our oyster. I used an asterisk to indicate the books which can be found for free online. Because so many great and marvel-inducing things can be found for free online.

A Child’s Story of the Animal World by Edward G. Huey

A Practical Guide for the Amateur Naturalist by Gerald Durrell

A Weaver’s Garden: Growing Plants for Natural Dyes and Fibers by Rita Buchanan

See entire list

Elsewhere: Books: 100 books about the world around us: Nature, science, math, and applied crafts. is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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What are your favorite gardening catalogs? Send me a link…or a copy!

Douglas E. Welch — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Everyone knows that the dark days of Winter is when gardeners turn to gardening and seed catalogs to fill their gardening fantasies.

How about sharing your favorite catalogs with the readers of A Gardener’s Notebook?

Leave a comment on this post with a link to your favorite catalog and where people might order their own copy. Web catalogs work well, too, so link them up, too.

I look forward to seeing the wealth of information, products and shear, unadulterated, garden fantasies you know. Send them along quick so everyone can get the benefit of them before Winter ends.

What are your favorite gardening catalogs? Send me a link…or a copy! is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Giveaway: Melissa’s Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce book

Douglas E. Welch — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 20:38:46 +0000

I have a copy of this book to give away and the contest will run for the next 2 weeks. You can enter with a comment here on the blog post, following the @gardenersnotebk twitter account or Liking the AGN page on Facebook.

You can read my review of this book in this blog post and see more information and reviews on Amazon.com

Giveaway: Melissa’s Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce book is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Book Review: Garden of Secrets Past by Anthony Eglin

Douglas E. Welch — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 21:19:36 +0000

Book Review: Garden of Secrets Past by Anthony Eglin: An English Garden Mystery
Minotaur Books, 2011

I have been a big fan of Anthony Eglin’s books since reading the first English Garden Mystery, The Blue Rose. He caught me immediately with his protagonist, Lawrence Kingston, who was a learned and avid gardener as well as a bit of a sleuth in the traditional English model. I considered Lawrence Kingston a bit of a garden-digging Hercule Poirot. Sure, he doesn’t get things right all the time and he is often a bit naive about the personal danger he places himself in, but he loves the hunt like a faithful hound who never strays from the scent. Of course, in these books the scent is more likely to be from a beautiful rose or fragrant lily than that of a fox.

In Garden of Secrets Past, Eglin steps up the mystery several notches with the inclusion of even more shady characters, a secret code and a bit of a love interest for, no longer young, Kingston. He also expands our knowledge of Kingston’s relationship with his his friend, Andrew, who looks staged to become a sidekick in the vein of Poirot’s Captain Hastings or Miss Marples various friends and relations that accompany her on her mysteries.

While the gardening information is a bit light in this episode of the English Garden Mystery series, the mystery is top-notch. Sure, the story revolves around a major garden, but we don’t get lessons in Water Lily propagation or the reasons why a blue rose is basically impossible. It mattered little in the end, though, as the mystery pulled me through the book quite quickly. Despite reading it on a vacation in Sicily, between family visits, long meals and excursions, I finished the book in about 4 days. I caught myself, several times, reading long after I should have retired for the night while I looked for that final twist or clue that would make everything clear. To me, this is the best judge of the quality of any book. You should never really want to put it down.

It is good to see the character of Kingston developing a bit of a “history” as the book continue. Where before people took little notice of the gardening academic, now his reputation proceeds him with both police and those he is interviewing and questioning. I like seeing the growth in the character and his reputation, just as I would in a real person.

As I have said in past reviews of Eglin’s books, the combination of gardening with mystery suits me perfectly. I love both and to find a place where they are seamlessly merged is a bit of reading nirvana. I look forward to the next episode in Lawrence Kingston’s career.

I was provided an advanced review copy of this book from the publisher, but the opinions here are expressly my own.

Book Review: Garden of Secrets Past by Anthony Eglin is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Book Giveaway Winner!

Douglas E. Welch — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 18:15:20 +0000

A winner has been chosen in our book giveaway contest for March. Facebook Fan Page member Minibox Farm has been selected randomly from the list of members from the Gardener’s Notebook Fan Page.

Join the Fan Page and watch the blog here for upcoming giveaways.

Review: Melissa’s Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce by Cathy Thomas

Book Giveaway Winner! is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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What I’m Reading… Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It by Karen Solomon

Douglas E. Welch — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:00:00 +0000

You don’t have to be a proponent of survivalist training to understand the joys of preserving what food you are giving so you can enjoy it later, usually when the food would not be available otherwise. Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It runs the gamut of preserved foods. The title says it all and then you add in salad dressing recipes, beverages, candy and more.

As with most food books I read, this one has many paper markers sticking out of the binding. There are many things I plan on trying, given half a chance. The section on making your own butter and cheese caught my eye immediately. I have been exploring making my own cordials and hard cider, so a little cheese to go along with them would be a great next steps. Of course, as harvest time arrives this year, I will be well prepared to save some of the abundant fruit for those long Winter nights in the form of jams and jellys.

Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It by Karen Solomon from Amazon.com

I first heard of this book from Eric Rochow over at Gardenfork.tv. He followed some of the recipes for making his own cheeses.

How to make cheese, ricotta cheese, queso blanco: Gardenfork.tv

Product Description from Amazon.com

Do you relish the joys of hot toast spread with your own homemade butter and jam? Love to dazzle your friends with jars and tins of choice goodies–all created by you? The kitchen is a paradise for crafty cooks, and whether you’re a newcomer to the realm of amateur artisanal edibles or a seasoned food crafter on the prowl for your next batch of appetizing challenges, Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It has recipes galore for you (75, to be exact).

Projects range from perfect pantry staples (Butter, Crackers, Pasta) to festive giftables (Toasted Walnut Brandy, Lemon Curd, Peanut Butter Cups); some give quick gratification (Mayonnaise, Rumkirschen, Potato Chips), while others reward patience (Gravlax, Ricotta Salata, Kimchee). Practical prep-ahead and storage instructions accompany each recipe, several give variations (like Caramelized Onion and Thyme Butter–yum), and most share ideas on how to use it, serve it, and give it away.

Complete with color photographs and the accumulated wisdom of author Karen Solomon’s years of food crafting, Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It is your one-stop resource for turning your culinary inspiration into a pantry full of hand-labeled, better-than-store-bought creations

Karen Solomon is a food and lifestyle writer and veteran culinary tinkerer and food crafter. She is the author of The Cheap Bastard’s Guide to San Francisco, a contributor to San Francisco magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle, and a former editor and columnist for the San Francisco Bay Guardian. She has also contributed to Chow! San Francisco Bay Area, the SF Zagat Guide, and dozens of Bay Area and national publications. She lives with her partner, son, and food-focused dachshund in (you guessed it) San Francisco, California. Reach her at www.ksolomon.com.

What I’m Reading… Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It by Karen Solomon is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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What I’m Reading…The Wild Garden by William Robinson

Douglas E. Welch — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:00:00 +0000

This is a new edition of Robinson’s Fifth Edition of 1895 edition along with extensive expanded material. There is a long commentary on the original work and dozens of amazing photographs illustrating Robinson’s concepts on “The Wild Garden.” The new material, including the lovely photographs, are by Rick Darke.

I have what is best described as a woodland garden here and there are some excellent ideas to be applied here.

The Wild Garden: Expanded Edition from Amazon.com

Product Description from Amazon.com

William Robinson’s revolutionary book, The Wild Garden, envisioned an authentically naturalistic approach to gardening that is more vital today than ever before. First published in 1870, The Wild Garden evolved through many editions and remained in print through the remainder of the author’s lifetime (1838–1935). In the book, Robinson issued a forceful challenge to the prevailing style of the day, which relied upon tender plants arranged in rigidly geometrical designs. In sharp contrast, Robinson advocated for the use of hardy, locally adapted native and exotic plants arranged according to local growing conditions. Robinson’s vision was inspired by his first-hand observations of natural habitats in Europe and North America, and he put his ideas into practice in his own garden at Gravetye Manor in West Sussex. The Wild Garden was ground-breaking and hugely influential in its day, and is stunningly relevant to twenty-first century gardeners and landscape stewards seeking to adopt sustainable design and management practices.

In addition to the complete original text and illustrations from the fifth edition of 1895, this expanded edition includes new chapters and 125 color photographs by award-winning photographer and landscape consultant Rick Darke. His new material places wild gardening in modern context, underscoring Robinson’s importance in the evolution of ecological design and illustrating an inspiring diversity of contemporary wild gardens.

The potent combination presented here makes this new edition of a timeless classic an essential resource for all who wish to know how we have arrived at our present understanding of gardens and what opportunities lie ahead. As will be immediately clear to anyone who leafs through this book, Robinson’s urgent message continues to resonate.

What I’m Reading…The Wild Garden by William Robinson is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Elsewhere Online: The Dry Garden: ‘Reimagining the California Lawn’

Douglas E. Welch — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 20:11:10 +0000

I will try and catch up with the authors as they make their tour nearby.

I could use a lot of advice like this in sprucing up my own garden.

Seen in The Dry Garden: ‘Reimagining the California Lawn’ from L.A. at Home by Craig Nakano

Maybe you want to remove your lawn. Maybe you want to shrink it to make way for flowers, food plants or a shade tree. Maybe you don’t know what you want. A new book written by three of California’s most knowledgeable horticulturists lays out options.

It would be disingenuous to treat “Reimagining the California Lawn: Water-Conserving Plants, Practices, and Designs” like any other garden book. It’s not. The authors have close to rock-star status in California horticulture, something they possessed even before the publication of their first book in 2005, “California Native Plants for the Garden.”

Read the entire article

Reimagining the California Lawn at Amazon.com

Elsewhere Online: The Dry Garden: ‘Reimagining the California Lawn’ is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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A Gardener's Notebook » Books

What I’m Reading…Fermentation is your friend

Elsewhere: Books: 100 books about the world around us: Nature, science, math, and applied crafts.

Top Gardeners Notebook posts for 2011

What are your favorite gardening catalogs? Send me a link…or a copy!

Giveaway: Melissa’s Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce book

Book Review: Garden of Secrets Past by Anthony Eglin

Book Giveaway Winner!

What I’m Reading… Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It by Karen Solomon

What I’m Reading…The Wild Garden by William Robinson

Elsewhere Online: The Dry Garden: ‘Reimagining the California Lawn’