A Potted History of Vegetables by Lorraine Harrison

Today's book recommendation: A Potted History of Vegetables by Lorraine Harrison

First of all, let me say that I'm a HUGE fan of Lorraine Harrison. I believe I have all of her books. She is just a fantastic garden writer - and I can't tell you how lovely it is to sit down on a cold winter's day with Lorraine Harrison and skim through a book like A Potted History of Vegetables.

Lorraine has this quality to her writing that makes me feel like I am reading a piece of art, and Lorraine specializes in something I admire so much, which is giving us the little hidden gems and factoids that are often buried in garden history. 

I love what the Editor of Hortus, David Wheeler, wrote in the forward of her book:

My father grew lush fruit and vegetables for a hungry family in our garden during the privations following the Second World War, and ever since I have taken a keen interest in the history, provenance, cultivation, and eating of home-grown food—evenwhenworkinginLondon, where my "garden" was a single north-facing window box—growing, I recall, some excellent French tarragon. Alas, there was no Lorraine Harrison to guide me in those days, but gardeners finding themselves similarly lusting after fresh vegetables will glean much from these pages.

A Potted History of Vegetables reacquaints the reader with the origins and nature of the world's produce. Combining beautiful reproductions of the most exceptional nineteenth-century botanical illustrations with a collection of fascinating facts and extraordinary histories, the book immerses you in the incredible world of vegetables.

You can get a used copy and support the show, using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for under $1.