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Publication Date: May 19, 2008 | Age Range: 5 - 8 years
Grow It, Cook It is the children's cookbook that starts with the seed of a good idea. More than a cookbook, this innovative book offers a fresh approach to healthy eating by getting children involved in food right from the start. Children will learn that when they eat a carrot, they're biting into a root; salads are made up of leaves; and berries are the fruit and seeds of plants, encouraging an early appreciation of food and its origins.
The recipes in the book take the homegrown fruits, vegetables, and herbs and use a variety of cooking methods and store-bought ingredients to transform them into truly homemade meals. All the "crops" can be grown in pots, so young chefs don't even need a large garden to enjoy Grow It, Cook It.
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This wide-reaching title combines instructions for growing edible plants with recipes based on the harvest. The spreads, formatted in the publisher’s signature combination of numerous, high-quality color photos and small text paragraphs, begin with overviews of plants’ growth cycles and gardening basics, from soil to containers to pests. The book then moves on to pages focused on individual fruits and vegetables, each discussion followed by a related recipe or project. Such a wide agenda leaves little room for sufficient information to guide children through the intricate process of raising plants in their particular climate. The lush photos of ripening vegetables, though, will spark children’s curiosity and inspire them to learn more. Some recipes include specific suggestions for adult supervision, but most children will need help anyway as they prepare the delicious, often sophisticated culinary treats, such as small pumpkin tarts. An attractive introduction to both gardening and healthy meals, this title will be welcomed by adults seeking hands-on resources that discuss where food comes from. Grades 3-6. --Gillian Engberg
Review
Photographic guidance for growing garden vegetables (and a few fruits) in containers is followed by recipes using what has been grown, like carrot and orange muffins. It s a nifty idea, though the estimated growing times don t allow for different climate zones or cultivated strains. Some of the writing has an even more self-consciously dumbed-down air than that in most how-to books for children. But the instructional photo sequences get down to business sensibly enough, and the whole visual experience implicitly suggests the connection between freshness and flavor. --New York Times
Growing up in Buffalo, New York, Jill was an extremely picky eater. Many factors contributed to her finicky approach to eating. She barely ate any meat (after being tricked into eating ground bear meat as a six year old by her grandmother) and she didn't even try rice until she was twenty years old (as her Vietnam veteran father had an aversion to it). Young Jill made up her mind to eat only foods that were simple and familiar. She avoided trying anything new, and this habit stuck.
As an adult in the corporate world and attending business lunches, Jill often found herself eyeing the children's menu because of her pickiness and limited palate. Seeing other people enjoy food she never even tried, Jill realized that expanding her food horizons beyond grilled cheese and pizza was a good idea. So, she learned to cook.
So excited by new foods, Jill formed Picky Eaters, a company which gave cooking instruction to children in the metropolitan Washington, DC area. Quickly growing a large clientele, Jill became part owner of a cooking school and gave countless classes for social, school and scout groups. Jill also shared her knowledge and passion for food with adults as through cooking classes.
A natural born teacher, whether teaching cooking or middle school and high school English, as she did for many years, Jill's special talent is breaking complex ideas into fundamentals that can be easily understood and practiced until mastered. At the school where Jill taught for six years, she introduced the course Jewish Culture Through Cooking, which became the beginnings of her first cookbook, The Jewish Holidays Cookbook (DK, 2008). Additionally, Jill provided consulting on Grow It, Cook It (DK, 2008) and wrote the foreword to the book. Jill has also designed and taught countless children's cooking classes for private cooking schools, public school districts, and major corporations. Jill is an experienced spokesperson and presenter, and has cooked on demonstration stages at large public events. Her most recent project is launching a children's magazine about food called INGREDIENT.
For more information, visit www.teachkidstocook.com.
This book is a wonderful resource for families interested in growing fresh food and finding a yummy way to prepare it. We love the beautiful pictures and the simple layout. The information about how each plant grows was very helpful for our small home garden, and was simple enough for our children to understand too. The recipes are awesome - I wanted to try each one as soon as I read it! They are wholesome, simple, and delicious. I think our favorite is the "carrot and orange muffins".
Overall, I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to learn about gardening and cooking with children.
This is a really great family book for fun and learning about food and gardening. Colorfully illustrated, this book shows fruits and veggies, how to grow them, and then fun recipes to make together.
Grow It, Cook It isn't just for people with lots of yard space either. It shows growing out of pots too. And even if you don't grow your own food, its really education for kids regarding HOW their favorite foods grow. The recipes are a great addition to any family all on their own.
My sister in-law had one and I promptly ran out and got one for our family after flipping through it. Such a great book!
