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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A BURRIED TREASURE...LITERALLY.,
This review is from: Unusual vegetables: Something new for this year's garden (Hardcover)
I am a person who has many hobbies, hobbies which cover quite a bit of ground. There really is no common theme with my little occupations other than the fact that they please me. Some of the activities help financially, others cost a fortune and I receive absolutely no financial gain what so ever...much like pounding money down a rat hole. Some of the activities help others while others draw strange looks and comments from family, friends and acquaintances. One pastime that I have avidly pursued for years is `junking.' Yes, I am one of those strange people you see at the city dump scuffing about with a cane mumbling to themselves. I always take all my dogs along as they enjoy rat catching while I mine for treasure. I have on numerous occasions even done my share of dumpster diving, and I still love, even at my advanced age, to pack the grandsons up in the truck at 3:00 a.m. in the morning and hit the water hazards at the local golf courses, diving for golf balls. Trespassing? Most certainly, but it feeds the little bit of pirate blood I have flowing in my veins. Besides, I figure that at least half of the flipping balls we find were hit there by me. Lord, I hate water hazards. Besides even that, the dues our local country club charges me are obscene and their restaurant is not all that good...gotta get the most out of my hard earned dollars you know.
Our countryside here in the Ozarks is spattered with a plethora of dump sites. Almost all of them are quite illegal and they are a true pox on the land, but many have been active sites for years and years. (some that I visit date back well over 100 years). Some people are lazy; others are too cheap to dispose of the `stuff' in a proper manner. Some are simply slobs. Be that as it may, I know where many of these sites are located and make my regular rounds. Anytime my wife desires an upgrade on our furnishing...off I go. I collect a vast amount of really good stuff, usually on a monthly basis. Most of this wonderful treasure is stashed in one of my barns or sheds. Twice a year, always when I am gone, my wife will hire local teens with a truck and have them haul my hoard to the local landfill. It has been a battle between us for 47 years now. I am loosing, but I am persistent! Her attitude bewilders me. Why am I writing of this, and what on earth does it have to do with the book being reviewed here? Well, this book; Unusual Vegetables, was found buried in a box of Reader's Digest Condensed Books which I found at one of the `private dumps' I mentioned above. I find a lot of books and magazines in my digging, and sometimes I am lucky enough to uncover a true gem. (Did you know that the number one types of book found in most dumps are Reader's Digest? Did you know that the number one magazine found is a toss-up between Penthouse and Playboy? I have spent hours reading Hefner's Philosophy over the years, setting on piles of garbage as my wife will now allow these publications near our digs. I always felt that it was a shame I could not take the pictures home and leave the philosophy where I found it). Anyway, I found this wonderful book, and indeed it is a nice one! Rodale Press published this rather large work in 1978 and it certainly has aged well. The book is 442 pages of pure plant lore. The editors have chosen over 74 plants, all fit to eat, and given us one of the most comprehensive looks at the delights I have ever seen. They give us their history, what they are used for, how to grow them and suggestions as to how to cook them. Sea Kale, Sorrel, Jeruslame artichoke, Jicama, borage, cardoon, kohlrabi...the list goes one and on. While some of these plants grow wild, almost all of them can and should be cultivated in the home garden. Each plant has at least four pages devoted to it along with beautiful black and white sketches...rather large sketches which are very well executed. Odd little facts are presented; trivia really, but all quite useful. This work also includes a number of appendix which include seed sources for vegetables mentioned in the book (I spot checked this list and even after all these years, most of these companies are still in business.), seasonal planting guides for each plant, optimum climate conditions for each plant, making the best use of your garden and food values for each plant. If you love gardening or love the study of plants or are just into trivia, then this is a very nice addition to your bookshelf...or if the book smells a bit musty; keep in on the back porch like I do mine. Don Blankenship The Ozarks
5.0 out of 5 stars
curious and interesting,
This review is from: Unusual vegetables: Something new for this year's garden (Hardcover)
i own a copy of this book. here are all the vegetables listed in this book:
amaranth bamboo basella asparagus bean fava bean horticultural bean purple bush bean romano bean scarlet runner bean soybean borage asian brassicas:chinese cabbage,michihli,and bok choy broccoli raab domestic burdock salad burnet nopal and prickly pear cacti cardoon purple cauliflower/purple broccoli celeriac celtuce chayote chicory collards comfrey coriander corn salad cowpea the cresses:winter cres,garden cres,and watercres chinese cucumber dandelion daylily japanese eggplant florence fennel garlic and elephant garlic good king henry ground cherry horseradish jerusalem artichoke jicama kale and flowering kale kohlrabi leek luffa martynia mustard and mustard spinach nasturtium nettle okra egyptian onion and welsh onion orach hamburg parsley asparagus pea and sugar pea peanut popcorn sweet potato lady godiva pumpkin purslane winter radishes,rhubarb,rocket,salsify,scorzonera,sea kale, shallot,shungiku,skirret,sorrel,new zealand spinach,spagetti- squash and... tomatillo. each vegetable is explained fully. i found it a nice read all about "rare" vegetables or plants. anyone with an interest in gardening or horticulture would enjoy reading this book. it is a unique addition to any garden library.
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