Fruit and Vegetable Books

Maybe it's a little too long? Maybe the text (like many books of this genre, it just lists the words, nothing else) isn't captivating enough? Perhaps it's the illustrations? I just don't know.

I do like that there's a guide in the back explaining the history of every bit of produce listed in this book (this book only mentions plant foods, so it's great for veg*ns), with a pronunciation guide.

Just wish the girls liked it as much as I do. I knocked off a star for that.

This book was a terrific find and our first introduction to the world of Lois Ehlert's illustrations. She beautifully illustrates fruits and vegetables as the alphabet marches forward. I began reading the oversized boardbook version to my baby son when he could only enjoy the visual play...then I used it to help introduce new fruits and vegetables into his diet and now we use the words for practicing new syllables, and building vocabulary. In contrast to others, I love that the fruits and veggies are a less realistic, a little abstract or stylized. I get to point out the real ones in contrast and he begins to use his imagination to associate the two. He happily brings it to me to read or to point out whatever new word he wants to learn. Babies and children have preferences just like adults. I wouldn't judge a book because my son wasn't interested...it could become his favourite in another month or it might not. I do know that through this book and my son's enjoyment of it, I have been interested in more of Elhert's books and building our library for when his interests expand since she has demonstrated such a delightful way of exploring a subject.

Everywhere we turn we find Lois Ehlert books. From our local library to our boys' school book bag, Lois' books keep popping up. As I write this, our twin 4 year old boys are downstairs with their daddy getting ready for sleep while they guess away with enthusiasm at the contents of Eating for Alphabet book, all fruits and veggies. The illustrations are wonderful; the large type is perfect for children who are learning their letters and words. What is best about several of this inspired writer's books is the focus on growing the foods we eat and imparting that to our kids. Our boys' first choice is Lois' Vegetable Soup book. Eating the Alphabet is a close second. In this crazy, over-processed world, all of Lois' books are fun, inspired and offer the gift of a much easier and simple-pleasure world for our children to enjoy and cherish.

This book is great for infants on up! It is bright and introduces fruits and vegetables not always encountered in baby food. Our toddler is now learning her alphabet and it is perfect! It also has given her ideas of new things to try.

My son will read just about anything. He devours books. But not this book. This is probably the only book on our bookshelf that has never requested we look at or read. This book has no text, just watercolor paintings of the fruits and veggies. But the images are not all that easy to differeniate from one another. If, like an infant, you had not yet experienced this produce, I think that you would be unlikely to link the pictures in the book with the real thing in the grocery store or garden. I was disappointed with this book, as is my son, apparently.

The print style and layout are perfect for the busy person.
The indexing and arrangement by diseases make it easy to use.
The content is relevant and very useful for everyone.
I'd like all of my loved ones to each have a copy for quick, easy reference.

Fairly similar to another juicing book I own -- but they are both great. It has good ideas and good info on the food.

The information in this book is brief and well stated. It's a good start for those interested in a healthier lifestyle.

I thought that I would like this book given the reviews that I read, but after getting it I relaized that the information seemed very dated. The copyright of book is 1992. Some of the information on specific health issues has changed or doesn't take into account some current science on the issues. There is more that is understood about digestive health almost 10 years later and far more interesting reads. I returned it to Amazon.

If a person WANTS to get well - at all costs except another Doctor's visit, this book is invaluable. I was looking forward to the next 40 years in misery fighting chronic pain. This book was a great help in discovering what I needed to do to stop the cycle. I'm still sticking with green juice until I know for sure everything I can or cannot tolerate, but there is definitely a light at the end of my tunnel! I've been seriously jucing since January 6th and I have been able to get off all meds. Green juice actually nips my migraines in the bud and have not had one develop since January 6th.

Being my first book on mushroom cultivation (not to mention the mushroom industry), this book was really awesome. The book is quite technical yet easy to understand. The amount of information is just right for a beginner like me, to have an indepth understanding of mushrooms. It is a MUST read for all mushrooms enthusiast!

I was very pleased with the prompt service and timely delivery. I received the book ahead of time to present as a gift. Thank you

Wow... I Am Very Impressed By The Content Of This Book... Very Comprehensive... Everything You Need To Know About Mushroom Cultivation Is There; Home Or Commercial... It's No Wonder Why They Call It "The Bible."

This book does give you a lot of basic information. However, "Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms" would probably be a better choice if you intend on trying to grow mushrooms.

Im very new to cultivating mushrooms at home. I tried many different approaches and information found on the web about the subject, but had many dissapointments. After I read this book I am now aware of the many bad turns you can take that will drive you mad. Now I am very happy, everything is going onroad, thanks to Paul Stamets and his knowledge. This book is a MUST buy for anyone interested in growing mushrooms in small or big scale.

The book has only 50 recipes and most of them call for ginger or celery or parsley that I hate. I could find only 3-4 recipes that sounded good to me. I saw the book in a store and liked that it had nutrition information for juices. Not every book has that. But the recipes themselves suck if you do not like ginger or celery.

The variety of juices specific for each disease is what I like best.

The book is good and lots of easy recipes and great tips on how to prepare things to be juiced. The only problem is the book was written quite a long time ago and the juicers he recommends have long been discontinued. I researched other juicers by the same brand names of the ones he liked, but the on-line reviews of other juicers from those very same companies were often quite bad. Apparently companies who make juicers occasionally hit the jackpot and make a fantastic model once in a while, but their other models are not very good. Then, of course, as all companies do, they "improve" the fantastic model and mess it up completely, and it ends up being not very good at all. Why companies feel compelled to change a very good thing just for the heck of it I don't know, but many products are ruined after a couple years by being discontinued and replaced with a new model that is not half as good. So the book is very good to learn about juicing, but you're on your own to find a current, good brand of juicer.

Hey--I am not a vegetarian, but sure appreciated this book for its multiple qualities and useful info:
a. recipes--main reason I got, combo ones as well as those under individual fruits and vegetables: even teenage son likes "Cruciferous Surprise" (even has broccoli and cabbage, and the surprise ingredient which "soothes" the flavor), which tastes better than its green color, and "Better Red than Dead" (carrot, beet and sweet potato) builds up sun protection, etcetc.. innovative, tasty
b. fruit and vegetable individual listings, such as carrots,apple, broccoli, listing nutritional components,vitamins, calories, benefits, as well as good tasty combinations for each
c. benefits of juicing, nutritional primer/info--this may be where some other readers were left cold, as they did not embrace what they perceived as author's vegetarian perspective/agenda. It is handy to read about why juicing (in combination with other food consumption) can be more beneficial than just munching raw or cooked veggies. Well, I am not a vegetarian, and sure still like meat and chocolate!...but one can take what one wants from the book, as in other matters in life. There is a section on juice fasting, as well, for those interested.
Of the several juicing books I had, I wound up actually using this repeatedly, and have given several copies, new and used when I can find them, away over the past couple of years.

I love this book. Then again, I love most of the books that I have on juicing. What I like most is the nutritional information presented on the fruits and vegetables in here. I had a limited palate for fruits and vegetables before I ever started juicing. Then I read a Christian health book that promoted juicing and detoxification. I did a serious detox program along with juicing and had dramatic results a couple of years ago. It really made me realize that I was neglecting my health by neglecting nutrition. Later I purchased this book because I wanted more recipes. This book has about 50 and I've tried about 30 of them. What I love about this juicing book is that I can find all of the ingredients where I live. Other juicing books like Gary Null's sound great, but I can't find half of the ingredients he lists. The other less than favorable reviews are also correct in stating that this author slants toward a vegetarian lifestyle and organic fruits and vegetables. Another reviewer also pointed out that several recipes call for ginger and celery which is also true. But you could easily substitute fennel for celery and something else for ginger or don't add the ginger. I am not a vegan but I have no problem with the author's views on those issues. I just wanted to learn more about what I was actually juicing, and the information presented in this book along with a few others, convinced me that juicing is definitely worth the time and investment for good health. I'm not a health nut but I don't trust the quick fix vitamin industry. As someone who is 40 years old, I cannot absorb many vitamins in pill form so I rely on juicing when I feel sluggish or depressed and it always helps me. The key for me having a variety of recipes available so I don't get bored. If you want to incorporate juicing into your lifestyle, I very much doubt that just one juicing book will address all of your problems or issues or have every favorite recipe. That is why I advocate buying more than one book on the subject. Also, look up recipes on the Internet and try those first before you invest in some books. And when you buy the books, either buy them brand new so you can return them if you don't like them, or buy them used from others really cheap.

Very well written, easy read and very informative. Everything you would ever need to know to grow your own mushrooms!

Very comprehensive with a lot of detail about any kind of mushroom you could immagine! It's a great book to keep in your Garden library and refer to if you have any questions about growing mushrooms. It's applicable to the beginner and the experienced mushroom grower and will satisfy the science geeks that are interested in fungi. I think it's so informative that I've featured it on my new blog about mushroom growing: www.howtogrowmushrooms.wordpress.com

I liked the video very much. It is informative, fun and easy to follow.
I would recomend the video to people who want to grow mushrooms as hobby and learn to do new projects at home.

The title says it all. This is regarded as an invaluable resource for anyone with an interest in raising mushrooms (on any scale), and I can only agree. This book is meant on some level to complement The Mushroom Cultivator, which is referenced occasionally. For example when discussing pests and contaminants, only the vectors and generalities are discussed; the reader is directed to The Mushroom Cultivator for in depth coverage. That's my next purchase after a trial run with growing some enokitakes.

This book is definitely not a beginners book, but The Mushroom Cultivator is. This book would be step two in your mycological life goal because it focuses more on the advanced techniques and an industrial approach growing mushrooms. I would recommend this book and every other book by Paul Stamets no questions asked.

Extremely helpful! Just moved to a new home and wanted to start my plants off right. This book helped me not only in the selection of my plants, but where on my property it is best to plant them, and how to properly plant them. I also learned the correct ways of pruning and fertilizing each plant. I have found this book to be an invaluable tool to a begining backyard gardener.

The Backyard Orchardist: A Complete Guide to Growing Fruit Trees in the Home GardenI found this book very thorough and informative for someone just learning about growing fruit and nut trees at home. It answered very nearly every one of my questions.

I have about 5 books on fruit trees and this is by far the best and most comprehensive. Only drawback is that they don't use real pictures.

I bought this book because I wanted to learn to care for the fruit trees and plants in my yard. This book looks like it has a lot of good information but honestly unless you are really good at gardening it is very wordy. I don't think I will sit and read it but I will probably use it as a reference book.

After killing a peach tree and three cherry trees, I decided I better try to find out what I did wrong.

This book is pointing the error of my ways. It has all I need to know.

This book is for anyone who enjoys the backstory of recipes or food in general. It is an easy read and the recipes I have tried are wonderful!

I loved the way Amanda paints her world in words. The intricate way the garden and the kitchen dance with the seasons. I lived in Europe and consider my creative outlet my cooking and learned in Europe that shopping is a daily thing to be looked forward to. Only then will you know what will be on the dinner table. Nowadays you can get anything anytime. If you do this you lose the rhythm of the season and the foods. And the anticipation that comes with waiting until your favorite veggies appear in their newness. So in winter it's roots and herbs that last the seasons, and slow braising of meats. Spring is the bright sprightly asapargus and new greens. The soul soars. Ok I'm going overboard. But if you love to cook and feel the rhythms of life this book is for you.

Amanda Hesser is well known for her excellent food columns in the NY Times. A few years ago she spent 12 months working as cook for Anne Willan at the Chateau du Fey, a seventeenth century estate located in Burgundy, France.

This book is a narrative cookbook - part novel, part cookbook, part local history. It revolves around a year in the chateau garden, lovingly tended by the elderly, reticent Monsieur Milbert. We learn of his traditional gardening methods and way of life, read interesting snippets of folk lore and get a feel for the surrounding countryside. As the produce is grown, the cook (Amanda) devises recipes that best use the fresh, seasonal ingredients she is so lucky to have at hand. For her too, it is a time of learning about the seasons in the garden and the origins of the food she uses.

'The Cook and the Gardener' is a nice big hardback, my edition has 632 pages. It's very attractively laid out in earth tones, decorated throughout with sepia illustrations on good quality smooth, creamy paper. There is a little seasonal fruit or vegetable drawing at the top of each page, which makes you feel that each page is special. There are no photos but there are a few blank end papers which you could use for jotting down notes.

The book is divided into seasons and then there is a chapter for each month, starting with spring and the month of March. Each chapter starts with a few pages telling us what is happening in the garden and what M. Milbert is up to. Following this are about 20 indexed recipes for each month, many with introductory notes. These notes include anecdotes about shopping in the local markets, stories about the ingredients used in the recipes, cooking tips, gardening lore, serving suggestions and information on buying, storing and preparing produce. Most of the recipes look enticing and there is a good mixture of simple, traditional and modern recipes as well as basics such as stocks, sauces and preserves. Many of the recipes use fresh herbs and are influenced by Hesser's experience cooking in other countries such as Italy - olive oil, for example, often replaces butter. The recipes are inspired by the produce she found in Burgundy, rather than being traditional Burgundian cuisine.

The recipe for pumpkin soup in this book is fantastic, and it is forever being requested by friends and family. The flavor base is a lovely reduction of white wine and leeks. Other recipes that caught my eye include asparagus with tarragon vinaigrette, baby potatoes in hazelnut oil, green beans with cracked black pepper, sweet chestnut soup, pancetta-rosemary rolls, roast duck, peach marmalade, apple-walnut batard, sautéed figs with honey cream and dark chocolate rosemary soufflé. There are recipe for everyday ingredients such as chard, brussel sprouts, zucchini and cabbage, as well as recipes using uncommon ingredients such as purslane, persimmon and gooseberries. Whether you already like using fruit and vegetables as a delicious focus for a meal, or are interested in doing so for health reasons, this book has a lot of appeal. There are about 240 recipes all up.

Because of the chatty style, the recipes often start in the middle of a page and go over several pages, which is not ideal for cooking, especially as the book is too thick to fit into an average cookbook stand. There are no pictures of any of the recipes - the illustrations are all of the produce, the garden, the people or the local surrounds.

On the negative side, I felt that the author was actually looking down on M. Milbert - not about his wonderful gardening knowledge, but in regard to his personal habits, personality, hygiene and lifestyle. I don't think she meant this to show through, but it did. What is more, she did this while simultaneously exploiting him as a marketable character. Without the Milberts, the book could not have been written. I have to say that was the one thing in this book that struck a discordant note to me. In all other ways I really enjoyed it.

If you are interested in the Willans and their culinary school, please note that although the book is set on their estate, they are never mentioned. This does not detract in any way from the book.

This book is recommended for anyone who enjoys food writing, gardening, has in interest in France or enjoys cooking with fresh produce.

I love this book- I love all things french, gardening, and cooking. This was delightful and has been the source of many wonderful seasonal meals. I love Hesser's style and sense of fun.

`The Cook and the Gardner' by the young culinary journalist who has added a thoroughly enjoyable chronicle of seasonal cooking and gardening to that very small niche of books joining horticulture with gastronomy. The only other recent volume in this very small corner of culinary writing is `The Arrows Cookbook', a work dealing with the vegetable and herb garden attached to a three season Maine restaurant.

Like some other recent books on French life, this book develops a picture of a disappearing phenomenon, the chateau kitchen garden in rural France, tended by a dedicated gardener living on the premises. The chateau and garden is in Burgundy, owned by the renowned Anne Willen, the culinary schoolmistress of La Varenne Pratique. Oddly enough, Madame Willen never appears in this story and her works are cited less frequently than authors with a more historical bent, led by references to works by Elizabeth David. Willen appears primarily as the author's employer. The author's mentor, rather, is the Italian culinary authority, Nancy Harmon Jenkins. It is completely fitting with the antiquity of the context that most references in the book's exceptional bibliography are to works in French and Italian which were published in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The cook of the book's title is the author, herself. The gardener of the book is the garrulous, elderly (mid seventies) Monsieur Milbert who, with his wife, occupies the chateau's gatehouse and who works the chateau's traditional walled garden which appears to be a square of 50 meters or more to a side. The author's story begins in early spring and spans four full seasons at the Burgundy chateau kitchen where her `day job' is responsibility for meals served at the chateau for up to sixteen people at a sitting.

Monsieur Milbert on the face of it is a stock Hollywood movie character. He is very slow to warm to the young American interloper, in spite of the fact that they are colleagues in the employ of the same house. Eventually, of course, he begins working with Ms. Hesser and shares with her his thinkings on horticultural matters as she helps him with various tasks to work her way into his good graces. Unlike the Hollywood character, Monsieur Milbert never really breaks from his very, very provincial mindset. The gardener's horticultural practice is the oddest mix of superstition and practical experience. Almost every aspect of planting is governed by phases of the moon. Almost every expectation about future weather is based on a totally unscientific observation of unconnected phenomena. On the other hand, planting, pruning, weeding, and cultivating is based on sound wisdom gained from personal observation and hundreds of years of accumulated experience.

The culinary material in the book is ordered entirely by the season and by the location. In spite of the culinary pedigree of the landlord, the style of cooking appears to be derived less from `haute cuisine' than from `la cuisine Regionale'. The first clue is that there are very few references to drinking wine in the book. The only references to wine are as traditional ingredients to soups and braises. A sure sign that we are in Burgundy and not Provence is the fact that there are simply no recipes or even any references to eggplant.

Each season has its own section and introduction. For each season, there are recipes that are distinctive of the entire season. One of the most novel sets of recipes within this schema is the four seasonal recipes for stock. Spring opens with a stock based on beef bones. Summer contributes a vegetable stock. Autumn weighs in with a poultry stock (with a strict warning to not mix duck parts with other fowl). Winter completes the year with a return to a stock based on beef bones. On the matter of stocks, I am really happy to see Ms. Hesser rail against the stockpot as garbage collector for any odd piece of leftover gristle.

Within each season are three chapters on the three months in that season. Each month is represented by about a dozen recipes. Appropriate to the garden at the center of the story, most recipes are vegetarian and many meat dishes are based on chicken, game fowl, and rabbit. There are virtually no recipes for seafood, although there is some North African influence in the appearance of salt preserved lemons. The chapters also spend a lot of time with the kind of culinary work you would expect in a rural farm kitchen. A lot of space is dedicated to making preserves, pickles, and comfits. True to the very provincial environment, space is also dedicated to unusual fruits such as medlar and persimmon.

This is a culinary work which is meant to be read from cover to cover. If you have your own kitchen garden in US horticultural zones four through seven, you are bound to find the suggestions doubly enriching. If you are tied to a city apartment, you will still find plenty to enjoy. There is much to learn about cooking, but the real gold is in the battle between the French gardener and his neophyte cook comrade against the elements, to harvest truly magnificent seasonal vegetables.

A classic culinary read. Some advanced methods, but lots to learn from.

This is interesting and amusing to look through ONCE. I wish instead of buying it I just took it out of a library. I had hoped I'd get loads of ideas to add on a plate of food gifts or something but there was nothing much to learn here except for the fact that Black eyed beans make good "eyes". The great photography sold this book. I passed it on to my daughter who is more artistic than I. With just a little inspiration she will do some great pumpkin carvings ETC. However, if you're not born with artistic abilities don't expect it from this book. The real point of the book is for the author to make money.., mission accomplished!

Don't think for a moment that the insane food presentation ideas in this book are only meant to delight children; adults I've entertained become hysterical when served okra lizards or pigs carved from citrus fruits. Two caveats if you try any of these techniques: choose the right sized knife, and make sure it is sharp. Another good idea is to have spare food on hand; you'll ruin an attempt or two for sure as you slice your way up the learning curve.

Food writer Elliot Essman's other reviews and food articles are available at www.stylegourmet.com

A friend of mine gave me a copy of this book a few months back. I'd flipped through it a couple of time, but I finally got around to reading it cover to cover today. It's a fast read ... the edition I have is only 109 pages, and most of them are photos. I finished it during a 1 hour workout at the gym earlier today.

The author basically takes the approach of looking at various fruits and vegetables like a rorschach diagram ... selecting oddly shaped examples and looking at them from all different angles, while looking for standouts that display some unusual inner character or expressiveness - and then, with only a few minor cuts and tweaks, turns them into living art.

It's a very clever book, and some of the results that the author achieves are extraordinary. I was particularly impressed with the author's pumpkin carving ability.

In any case, this book is more about making art than it is about carving food ... the produce is just the photographic subject.

Nits ?

I thought the author dealt with the subject a bit too briefly and narrowly. Although the book is 109 pages, 90% of that page count is mostly photos ... the book can be read in well under 1 hour. I'd like to have seem more page count devoted to discussion and things like carving technique.

I'd also have like to see the author include some examples taking a less ultra-simple and ultra-minimalist course ... by doing some more extensive carving and alteration. Things like carving melons, and cutting interesting & amusing garnishes for parties. Such material could have taken the book a bit out of the land of avante garde whimsy, and into the realm of practical home entertaining.

Still, for what it is, the book is very enjoyable. It's still coffee table fodder, to be sure, but enjoyable none the less.

If you have never had the pleasure of flipping through the pages of this book, then buy it today! At first glance, it is merely a whimsical, albeit beautiful, series of photos. However, upon closer inspection, the expressions on the faces really start to come across. And, yes, I'm talking about produce! This is a great book to put on your coffee table and share with your friends.

Excellent, although it may have been directed toward children, it is a great source of information and pictures for catering and decorating food tables. I use it all the time and marvel at how I now look at fruit and vegetables prior to buying.

This book is a wonderful collection of healing
drinks and energizing fuel for the body.
It specifically outlines drinks for each particular
ailment and juice recipes to remedy the problem.
Why pop a pill you cannot digest like eating a rock
when you can enjoy a fresh homemade juice drink to
awaken your soul and tantalize your tastebuds.
This is an excellent book which I have recommended
to several people who juice for their health and
enjoyment. Enjoy life....a pill is no fun.

I have to agree with an earlier review by Giancarlo Croce about this book's usefulness...it really has none. The dietary advice is way out of date and there are no real practical recipes. I will just toss this book.

This is unit is the ideal machine for really big and quick jobs. Its powerfull motor can handle just about anything you toss in there. A bit on the noisy side, but well worth it because of the speed.

This is one of the best juice books I've come across in my thirty years of juicing. The recipes are innovative, easy and delicious. If you are planning any kind of cleanse (fast) get this book first. It will make the process more enjoyable and productive.

The folksy advice and complicated concoctions in this book seem to be more fantasy than reality. They call for more ingredients than you'd find in any grocery store, and in order to make these juicy refreshments, you have to have a wide variety of juices on hand. Not to mention a dozen appliances for blending, chopping, squeezing and processing the ingredients they way the book describes.

I was hoping for something that said "juice 2 apples, a stalk of celery and a bannana." But this book says something like, "blend 1.5 oz. apple juice, 3/4 oz. of celery juice, and 3/4 oz of banana juice." It doesn't suggest how much of each fruit you need on hand to make the desired amount. It doesn't even focus on Juicing, which is why I bought it.

Looks cute on the bookshelf, and that's where it will stay. UN-USED.

Excellent illustrations (pictures and charts) to help define a kitchen garden. Could be more practical for small home gardens.

This book is lovely and inspirational and full of good ideas. I do not have time for such an elaborate garden but I have planted mine using many of their ideas an it is beautiful and functional.

For a couple minutes you may marvel at this book, and then you'll quickly realize it's full of repetition of a theme -- same style, same border plants, sameness throughout. Worse than that, however, is the fact that if you even bothered to lay one of these out it would look just right for only a week or so before you wanted to pick something but decided against it so as not to throw off the symmetry, or worse one part of your composition died away and made the rest useless. Gardening is hard enough work without resorting to this. I have a pretty kitchen garden thanks to borders of allyssum and gravel paths, but it's not as insane as this where I would constantly be dismayed it was dying or wanted to pick something (heaven forbid). There are many books on pretty kitchen gardens. This is a book for people who want to achieve something surreal that will ultimately make them miserable very shortly thereafter. Stop by my house. I'll give you this book for free. Worthless. Sameness. Boring. Useless.

The Gertleys' book concentrates on the design styles for a kitchen garden, based on the parterre de broderie, which achieved its ultimate glory at Versailles. They use a series of simple geometric shapes to achieve their parterre gardens as their designs become increasingly complex. They derive design inspiration from Celtic knots, Japanese crests, and quilt patterns.

Their designs are inspirational to view however, their gardens are very demanding of their creators. The designs might raise or fall on the placement of a radish and are not especially functional. I am a cook first, gardener second, and artist last when it comes to potagers.

Their methodology requires far more nitty-gritty planning than suits my preferred approach. It often appears at counter purposes to a kitchen garden that is meant to supply the table since it is so meticulously groomed and cared for and harvested with such additional planning in order not to destroy the patterns made by the vegetables.

The book's approach is much like Charlie Tuna asking; "Do you want tunas with good taste? Or, do you want tuna dat tastes good?"

I admire the design talent and illustrations if not the philosophy.

This book is wonderful! I wanted to make our garden area look more landscaped and put together rather than having the plants look sloppy. This book gives wonderful pictures and ideas for making it work. It also gives descriptions of types of plants to use as well as edible flowers. It works for the mini garden as well as the large garden areas. I recommend this book to all vegetable gardeners who want more than a tomato plant here or there!