Easy Growing: Organic Herbs and Edible Flowers from Small Spaces [Paperback]

Gayla Trail (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 7, 2012

Growing a handful of herbs and edible flowers adds sparkle to dozens of meals year-round. Fortunately for us, these plants are not fussy. They’re simple to grow and will fit into any space you can provide, including a crack in a broken patio stone, the step next to your front door, or a windowsill. In Easy Growing, Gayla Trail—author of Grow Great Grub and creator of the top online gardening community, YouGrowGirl.com—shares the tips, ideas, and know-how you need to raise delicious organic edibles wherever you can squeeze in a planter.
 
Herbs give big rewards with a small amount of work—even the most inexperienced, space-strapped gardener will have success. This handbook includes:


   • Guidance on choosing the right plants, designing dazzling in-ground gardens and striking edible containers, and growing herbs indoors year-round
   • Ins and outs of growing fifty different plants and hundreds of varieties, from warm and aromatic Mojito mint to peppery nasturtium flowers, from fruity lemon verbena to exotic cinnamon basil, and more
   • Handy tricks for winterizing plants and extending the outdoor growing period
   • Simple recipes for cooking with and preserving your harvest: Herb-Encrusted Goat Cheese; Homegrown Bloody Mary Mix; Lavender Shortbread; Orange, Rosemary, and Honey Ice Cream
   • Upcycling projects based on reusable materials
 
Perfect for novice gardeners and longtime enthusiasts looking for inspiration, Easy Growing is a fun, power-packed resource for creating a delicious herb garden anywhere.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Featured Recipe: Chive Blossom Vinegar

Chive blossoms are a short-term crop that come and go in the spring before you can bat an eyelash. Capturing their mild chive flavor in a good-quality vinegar is the perfect way to enjoy them well past their season.

Makes 1 cup

• 1 cup chive blossoms
• 1 cup white wine or white Vinegar

1. Harvest the chive blossoms in the spring just after they open. To prepare the chive blossoms, snip off the stems and gently jostle them in a bowl of cool water to remove all dirt and debris. Pile the wet blossoms into the center of a clean, dry kitchen towel, pull up all of the corners to create a sack, and shake vigorously until the blossoms are dry.
2. Stuff a clean pint-sized Mason jar with the clean blossoms.
3. In a small saucepan, gently warm the vinegar over medium-low heat. Do not bring to a boil. Pour the vinegar over the blossoms, making sure to submerge them completely.
4. Once the liquid has cooled, cover the jar with a lid made of nonreactive material such as glass. Alternatively, protect a metal canning lid by first placing a square of waxed paper between the jar and the lid.
5. Store in a cool, dark cupboard for a week or two and strain into a second, clean or sterilized jar when the vinegar suits your taste buds.

Variations

Frankly, all herbal vinegars are delicious--experiment with several edible flowers, leaves, and seeds and keep a medley of flavors on hand.

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Review

"Easy Growing: Organic Herbs and Edible Flowers for Small Spaces is a scrumptious book. Blogger Gayla Trail, author of You Grow Girl and Grow Great Grub, knows what to share and how to show it so that anyone—from beginners to experienced gardeners—will want to dig right in."
- BookPage

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter; Original edition (February 7, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307886875
• ISBN-13: 978-0307886873
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.7 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #40 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > By Technique > Container Gardening
  • #49 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > Herbs
  • #73 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > Flowers

More About the Author

Gayla Trail is a writer, photographer, and graphic designer with a background in the Fine Arts, cultural criticism, and ecology. She is the creator of the popular gardening project, YouGrowGirl.com and the author of three books on gardening: You Grow Girl: The Groundbreaking Guide to Gardening, Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces, and "Easy Growing: Organic Herbs and Edible Flowers from Small Spaces as well as an in-demand gardening personality and spokesperson with a focus on urban gardening, growing food, sustainable living, and community. Her work as a writer and photographer has appeared in the New York Times; O, the Oprah Magazine; ReadyMade; Domino; Budget Living; and more.

Gayla's love for gardening began with parsley seeds planted in a Styrofoam cup when she was five years old. Inspired by the potato plants her grandmother grew in a bucket on her senior centre's fire escape, Gayla has always gardened in whatever space she had available, including a hot and exposed building rooftop, a community plot, windowsills, shared yard space, fire escapes, a concrete parking pad, stoop steps, and a small urban backyard.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative and inspiring February 25, 2012

By Carol E.

Format:Paperback

Gayla Trail's newest book "Easy Growing: Organic Herbs and Edible Flowers from Small Spaces" is a pleasurable read, especially in the throes of Winter. I'll admit to being drawn to any good gardening book, but this one has a couple points in its favor to push it to the top of your "wish list."

First off, if you love edible flowers like I do, or just want to plant flowers that aren't poisonous to your children or pets, this book has great recommendations. It includes information on what to plant, how the different flowers (& herbs) taste and some recipes for how to use them. Besides all of this- I love that it's written from an American perspective since most books on edible flowers these days seem to come from Britain. Nothing against the Brits, but I want to know what grows well here (and I don't want to have to convert things from Metric.)

The second point in the books' favor relates to her rating system for projects. Approximately the first half of the book covers gardening basics. Chapters 4-7 include a variety of projects which are rated for difficulty. This is a boon to both beginner gardeners and experienced gardeners alike. Start with something simple.

Pictures throughout the book show what the plants should look like at maturity, and I am impressed that each recipe has an accompanying picture as well. Over all, the book is a good investment of your $20. This is not just another gardening book to fill your shelf, it's a beautiful handbook to use again and again.

You can learn more about Gayla Trail, and gardening, at her website: www.easy-growing.com

This review was originally posted on [...]

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book! February 20, 2012

By P. L. Stern

Format:Paperback

This is a great book; I've been gardening for years and found this to be full of useful information. Great photos really help identify plants! The author is very clear on what parts of each plant is edible, provides a lot of "how to" tips, and includes some fabulous recipes - pesto anyone? Full of ideas on how to choose the right varieties, grow an herb garden practically anywhere, shows you what to look for when you suspect garden pests, and provides harvesting info. Love this book!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Upbeat and informative May 10, 2012

By Joanne of Joanneunleashed website VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Anyone can begin growing herbs and edible flowers year-round by following the advice found in Easy Growing by Gayla Trail, a book filled with photographs and helpful hints from an experienced and passionate gardener. The book is divided into three sections:

Section One: Growing an Herb Garden. This section provides concise instructions on the basics of growing: preparing pots, soil requirements, growing in the ground, air flow, heat, water, sunlight, drainage, fertilizer, aesthetics, pests, diseases, choosing herbs, keeping weedy plants under control, seasonal maintenance, starting from seed, cloning, growing under lights, extending the season, and preparing for dormancy.

Section Two: The Plants. In this section Trail describes the uses and particular needs of 29 of her most indispensable plant families and some species within that family. For example, under the family moist soil umbellifers, she includes chervil, lovage, and parsley. Each plant description includes a legend indicating the plant's growing requirements and which part of the plant is edible.

Section Three: Keeping Stock: Gather, Preserve, Eat. So what do you do with all those herbs and flowers you've grown? This section discusses using and preserving the bounty and includes several recipes, such as sorrel and potato soup, chive blossom vinegar, and orange rosemary and honey ice cream. Yum!

Easy Growing is a great guide that will help you decide which herbs and edible flowers you want to grow within the space you have available and how to bring them successfully to harvest.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.