"A book is a garden, an orchard, a storehouse, a party, a company by the way, a counselor, a multitude of counselors." ~ Charles Baudelaire
Having only started gardening in the last few years, I am still a beginner gardener with much to learn and improve on. The first place I turn to when I need inspiration is to books. In today's excess of technology, sometimes it is nice to just unwind with an old-fashioned book to lead you in the right direction and inspire you to create something wonderful.
One of my favorite little gardening books to peruse is In the French Kitchen Garden: The Joys of Cultivating a Potager by Georgeanne Brennan and Melissa Sweet. This charmingly illustrated book outlines each season, highlighting crops that can flourish if climate permits along with stories from the author's time in the French countryside where she first discovered the luxury of having a year-round kitchen garden. It is a lovely book to settle down with when you begin to plan your own garden.
Cookbooks offer additional guidance for garden planning. If you find a particular vegetable that you think you would enjoy, add it to your planting list. The Farm to Table Cookbook: discover the joys of seasonal organic cooking by Parragon organizes recipes based on each season so that you are aware of which items have recently been harvested and are ready to devour. With this categorization, you can garner ideas for your own seasonal planting or for your shopping at your local farmers' market. Farm to Table offers elegant seasonal recipes to impress your guests.
Books can lead us on journeys to create a new way of living, teaching us that if we are merely willing to open our minds, we too shall grow.
Happy Reading!
Rebecca
