The question is will they buy the book?!!
It’s my favorite new saying…and I do love a good toss away line – America is in the midst of a vegetable Zeitgeist!!! Everyone wants to grow their own food – you’d think we’d invented the notion.
Many thanks to the following early reviews of my latest book ‘Growing Your Own Vegetables‘ (Sasquatch Books, May 2009, $17.95) like they say – “available wherever fine books are sold”
You might find the nostalgic look but up-to-date advice in “Growing Your Own Vegetables” (Sasquatch Books, $17.95) a little confusing. That’s because it’s a pullout piece from the best-selling “Encyclopedia of Country Living Guide” by Carla Emery. Local designer (and former owner of Fremont Gardens Nursery) Lorene Edwards Forkner does a fine, detailed job of updating and revision. The theme is self-reliance, the tone is practical, and the advice is no-thrills specific. Forkner’s enthusiasm and savvy on every aspect of growing vegetables, from crop rotation to rutabagas, shines through the 1970s format and drawings.
From Valerie Easton, Seattle Times, Pacific Northwest – Plant Life, Sunday 5/10/09
And this from the Tampa Bay Review:
From the bestselling “Encyclopedia of Country Living” comes a helpful, easy-to-read book of tips for maintaining a successful home garden of any size. Authors Carla Emery and Lorene Edwards Forkner cover planning, layout, and care and feeding, and include a guide to specific vegetables. The authors’ “10 Secrets” for making the most of a small garden include smart ideas, such as planting fast-maturing vegetables between slower-maturing ones that will later spread (i.e., radishes between squashes) and planting tall crops on the north end of the garden so they don’t shade other plants. The softcover book has black-and-white illustrations and publishes this month (Sasquatch Books, $17.95).
..and the total vanity shot from my good friend and garden/design writer extraordinaire, Debra Prinzing:
I am so proud of my gal-pal Lorene Edwards Forkner and her latest book, Growing Your Own Vegetables (Sasquatch Books, 2009, $17.95).
An inspiring and essential compendium of vegetables and herbs to grow in your own backyard, GYOV is the first in Sasquatch’s series of single-topic references inspired by the late Carla Emery’s The Encyclopedia of Country Living.
If you came of age in the 1970s, you’ll remember this huge Yellow Pages-like tome. More than 600,000 copies have (and continue to be) sold over the years, even though Carla passed away in 2005.
It’s a good thing that Lorene was a back-to-the-earth gal long before modern-day foodies who are just discovering the joys and benefits of tending to their own edible plants.
She writes confidently and lovingly about all the great veggie and herb crops that have grown in her potager over the years. In GYOV’s 180 pages, Lorene’s lively, conversational tone makes the idea of planting and tending one’s own food sources sound easy and achievable. There’s no right or wrong here, just an enthusiasm that says, “Come on, you can do it, just try!”
You can read the whole lovely, gushing review here (Growing Your Own Vegetables with Lorene Edwards Forkner) along with a Q&A interview Debra & I conducted last week.
True confessions, heart on my sleeve? I owe a tremendous debt of loving gratitude to this wonderful woman who is my own personal career coach, best friend and fellow garden writer all rolled into one!
And the beat goes on. This weekend I’ll reveal “10 secrets to getting the most from a small vegetable garden” at Ravenna Gardens, University Village, Saturday 5/16 at 11am. Even folks with more than “small” gardens want to know how to make their plot live large!
Sunday, 5/17, I’ll be signing books and talking gardens at UrbanWeeds. This “modern garden shop” in the Fremont neighborhood serves a young, hip crowd just learning the joys of growing their own food. Sheesh, I feel like an elder states-woman of the vegetable kingdom!
Life is busy. More importantly, the garden is burgeoning: we’ve harvested broccoli raabe, arugula, Asian braising greens, mint, and parsley. The peas are blooming and the ‘french breakfast’ radishes are almost sized up enough to butter the baguettes! Life is good and delicious!
Related posts:
- Growing Your Own Vegetables goes public! Well, yesterday was the first book signing for Growing… ...
- Growing Your Own Vegetables is here!!! Or at least my advance copy of it is at...
- Makin’ Hay Hay…I mean, Hey! I’m the Guest Writer for the...
- Small Vegetable Garden? 10 secrets you need to know… Make use of semi-shaded areas unsuitable for tomatoes or...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Congrats on all the good press and fun events. Your calendar is packed! You deserve all the accolades. Happy harvesting and I’m glad you think the clematis looks better!
I just could’t bear to hack off all that new growth. Fingers crossed that the rocks do the trick. I’ll be sooooooooooo happy if it works, thanks again for that great advice!!
Karen’s last blog post..Clematis Rehab