5 comments about The Compleat Squash: A Passionate Grower's Guide to Pumpkins, Squashes, and Gourds.

1. This book is beautiful to look at, has a great deal of interesting history, useful gardening information, and some good recipes. Also it is inspirational, makes you want to source the rarer seeds and get out there with the spade. I don't know how much of this information is readily available in America, but here in Britain, where growing squash still mostly means butternut or Jack o' Lantern, the book is a revelation.
   
   Highly recommended



2. This is a very visually attractive book, with superb photographs, but this is not just for the coffee table. For the devotee who grows pumpkins, all the information needed is there, down to conditions and seed sources for an amazing selection of varieties. For the cook, there are some unusual recipes, but also the eating quality of each type of pumpkin. Essential,this. Some are delicious, others vile. Lots of historical and other info & stories too. Pumpkins are my passion. I grew them, I eat them and now I paint them. It was great to get this book and know there are other squash nutters out there.



3. At this time, this is the most comprehensive volume on the Cucurbita genus. A good personal narrative, coupled with sublime photography. My only quibbles are that none of the images show cut open fruit, to give a view of the flesh and cavity. Secondly, that quite a number of internationally known cultivars are not mentioned. Nevertheless, an absolute "must have" for pumpkin and squash devotee.



4. The Compleat Squash: A Passionate Grower's Guide to Pumpkins, Squashes, and Gourds What a great book. Good information about the squash family and recipes that are to die for. She will introduce you to a new world of a great vegetable. This book will become a family heirloom.



5. I love this book -- sometimes I think it spends more time off the bookshelf being thumbed through than resting on it. Here you have practically everything you need to grow squashes - what the squashes are best used for, some history of the various varieties, selecting seeds, growing and harvesting tips, and (extremely useful!)commercial sources of most of the seeds(many of which you can find easily online), all nicely organized by which Cucurbita species they belong to. (The growing guide to gourds is for C. pepo gourds, not Lagenaria species, and so the title is certainly appropriate growing C. pepo gourds, of which there are many) And recipes too -- so useful! Goldman is extremely helpful in pointing out the virtues and flaws of each variety for eating (though she tries some I wouldn't dare -- brave woman). The photographs are so beautiful as to be absolutely seductive -- watch out, you too will be saying to yourself 'I must grow that pumpkin/squash/gourd/whatever'. Then you too will be seeking out the seed suppliers, tenderly planting your new seeds and now in late summer, seeing them beginning to mature, turning into the fruit promised in the gorgeous photographs, murmur to yourself 'You are so beautiful, Sucrine du Berry. And Winter Luxury, you are the most elegantly lovely pumpkin I have ever seen..."

5 comments about Site Engineering for Landscape Architects.

1. This is a great book to have on your shelf. Kept referring to it for my Site Technology classes and I know I'll be referring to it in the future. I found it very helpful and clearly written. Would highly recommend it.



2. I was a bit tentative when I started to use this text. The book has some minor editing problems, but if your desire is to really understand site design with an emphasis on drainage and grading plan design this text does the trick and does it well. I would recommend this book to any Jr. land development designer/engineer as a must have reference.



3. Site Engineering is a difficult subject for many landscape students and designers, yet it is a very important aspect of landscape architecture. As a landscape architect, you probably do not have to produce a grading plan (it can be done by a civil engineer), but you do need to have some basic site engineering knowledge to be able to coordinate your work with civil and other consultants. You do need to be able to read and visualize an ALTA survey map, or a grading plan; you do need to be able to understand what a concave or convex landform is, what a swale or ridge is, how to read contour or spot elevations, etc.
   
   "Site Engineering for Landscape Architects" will give you a very comprehensive knowledge of site engineering. It covers contours and form (constructing a section, contour signature and landform, characteristic of contour lines), interpolation and slope, grading constraints, grading design and process, earthwork, grading landform and architecture, storm water management, the methods to determine the rates and volumes of storm water runoff, natural resources conservation services, required detention storage, designing and sizing storm water management system, horizontal road alignment, vertical road alignment, and various case studies. It is so comprehensive that you can probably do a civil engineer's work after your read it. My suggestion is to buy this book, and look through it to have a general idea of what it covers and know where to find the information when you need it later. You can also look through the portions that you already know and focus on reading the portions that you are not very familiar with and improve your site engineering knowledge.
   
   "Site Engineering for Landscape Architects" has 352 pages and many line drawings and interior black-and-white photos. It is a great site engineering reference book for architects, landscape architects, urban planners, and engineers.



4. I am a first-year BLA student, and this text is required for an introductory course in site grading and drainage. This book is very difficult for me to read and understand. Descriptions of calculations are very poorly presented in paragraph narrative, which is mind-numbing to read and comprehend. If the calculations were presented in a step-by-step format, like a math text, they would be dramatically more clear and understandable. I agree with a previous reviewer, as well, that the layout is dysfunctional because the text and corresponding graphics are not on facing pages. This problem is particularly annoying, considering that landscape architecture is a design profession that emphasizes legibility in graphics and presentation material. I would welcome anyone's recommendations for a text that explains this subject in a more helpful way.



5. I bought this book to help me better understand how to do grading, evaluate contours, etc. All well and good. I begin doing the problems at the end of a chapter, and there is no answer key anywhere in the book. Can't find any reference to answers anywhere.
   
   I would have rated the book higher but for this little issue.

5 comments about Smith & Hawken: 100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden.

1. Enjoyed the book enough to buy another to give to my tomato-growing son. Also hooked me to the point of buying three other tomato books from Amazon. The author posts regularly on various tomato websites. Great photographs. For the price that Amazon sells this book - you cannot go wrong.



2. Wonderful book written by Dr Carolyn Male. If you don't own or have not read this book, then you really are found lacking in life!



3. I received this book as a gift, after my small 4-plant tomato plot fared disastrously last summer. 1 of the 4 plants produced decent tomatoes, while the rest died unceremoniously. This year, following the recommendations in this book, my 4 plants are all doing great, and I already have little tomatoes-to-be on 3 of the 4. For that reason alone I would recommend this book. I wish some of the planting and tending suggestions were a little clearer; you have to piece some of them together for yourself. Nevertheless, just two of the express recommendations on their own have made a world of difference for me.
   
   The photographs and descriptions of the different heirloom varieties are fantastic, and will inspire you to pick out some different and unusual tomatoes for your garden. You don't have to be a tomato fanatic to enjoy and learn from this book.



4. I love thumbing through this book. I buy most of my seeds from Seed Savers Exchange so it is especially fun because several of the varieties I was already growing, are featured in this book. Plus I have been inspired to try a few more. Well laid out. Beautiful book.



5. I have a small greenhouse and sell organic heirloom tomato plants. This book is my tomato bible! I am growing many of the plants she lists. Some I already knew about, some will be new this year, based on the information in this book. In addition, this book contains the simplest and clearest instructions I have found for saving seeds.
   
   Her pictures - well, they are REAL! What a concept! Instead of pictures of these pristine tomatoes that were probably airbrushed, the pictures of her cherry tomatoes show a little crack here and there, and she unabashedly shows scarring and other blemishes. She shows top views, bottom views, and each picture shows a cut tomato so one can see the flesh. For a tomato grower like me, this is great information.
   
   Her descriptions are frank, and since I was already growing some of these tomatoes myself, I know they are honest. You ever notice how the descriptions of the tomatoes in the catalogs imply that EVERY tomato is the BEST tomato? Dr. Male tells it like it is! In fact, she describes some of them having some faults, but has listed them for other reasons. (We agree - Amish Paste? Ho-hum. But historically significant and in spite of its faults, a very popular tomato.)
   
   If you are a tomato aficionado, then you must add this book to your library! I will have a copy at my booth at the farmers market - and I bet it will be dog-eared by the end of the tomato season! I may have to buy another!

5 comments about The Essential Garden Design Workbook.

1. I am using this book as a textbook for a Garden Design class. I have several years of garden design experience and have many more years of gardening experience. This book explains the design process in an easy to understand and inspiring way. I have found that it addresses planting and design in subtley different ways that jog my mind to be more creative. It is well written, well designed and very informative.



2. I have been looking for a garden design book for some time that would be heavy on how to lay out the design professionally on paper. This book goes through the progression of the design process and shows each step in the process. It has been extremely helpful in my designing of a three acre property.



3. This book covers all phases of garden design, from original research, obtaining the owner's requirements, site survey sketch, checklist and inventory, to conceptual diagrams, presentation plans, theme plan, preliminary garden layout plan and final planting plans.
   
   It discusses space, light, proportion and scale, color plates, ground plane, vertical plane, overhead plane, materials, texture, principles of planting design, planting styles, practical considerations, seasonal effects, and rendering techniques for various plans. It also has a plant list and plant hardiness zones at the end. This is one of few books that actually discuss the design aspect of gardens / landscaping. Very practical!



4. Whether you're a landscape designer or hands-on gardener, this is an excellent step-by-step workbook. There are many such guidebooks on the market but this is the most comprehensive. It's packed with sketches to illustrate each point the author makes and offers a space-planning system for anyone suffering moments of 'writer's block.' Having worked as a landscape desginer for many years, I pick up this book regularly and rediscover something new each time.



5. Very good book! This is a must have book for a beginner landscape design. A lot of examples to understand a process of garden design. I would most definitely recommend this book!!

3 comments about Gardening in Your Greenhouse (Greenhouse Basics , No 2).

1. Most books on Greenhouse Gardening focus on the building of the greenhouse itself and don't spend enough time talking about the gardening process. This is a great book for a person who moves into a new home and already has a greenhouse. This book is an excellent education in greenhouse gardening.



2. I am extremely happy with this book- very informative for a beginner. The book came new & very quick!!



3. Okay, I am new to gardening. If I want to learn about something new, I read a bunch of books on the subject before I begin. So after reading over a dozen books on vegetables, herbs, gardening, seed saving and botany, I got Mark Freeman's "Gardening in your Greenhouse." It answered all the questions that had been on my mind and gave me advice I didn't realize I needed until after I read it. I provided me with the information and confidence I needed to start planting all those seeds I had bought. A great reference for the novice and experienced gardener.

5 comments about How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table.

1. I've heard that the juice of a really good peach will run down your arms all the way to your elbows. One acturally did make it almost to my elbows the other day. Not the kind of peaches you most often find in a supermarket, with only one peach in many having any juice or flavor.
   
   The question is, "How do you select and store fresh fruits and vegies to insure the mzxium excllence in taste and texture?" The answers are found in Russ Parsons' well written book, "How To Pick a Peach." He classisfies each fruit and vegetable by season and not only tells you how to pick the best ones, but also how to store and prepare them. Russ also gives you several simple receipies for using each fruit and vegetable.
   
   Some fragile vegies such as peas, corn and green beans should be eaten right after they are purchased. Some vegies, such as potatoes, onions, tomatoes and winter squash should never be refrigerated. When refrigerated the starch in potatoes turns to sugar and they lose flavor. This was new to me.
   
   He gives an intersting short history of each fruit and vegie. He also gives a history of industrial farming and the cost of compromise when big farmers take over the production of our porduce, which I really enjoyed. Now that I have read "How To Pick a Peach" it will make a valuable referance tool.



2. As others have mentioned, this book is a nice reference and fun to read. I have tried only a few recipes, but they have all been WONDERFUL. To me, they give the ideal kinds of insights for simple ways to prepare food more effectively which can be extrapolated beyond the exact recipe. After trying the beet/cuc/feta salad, and not having much experience with beets, I continued to make a cold beet salad for my 3yearold all summer, at her request! Also, after preparing eggplant in ways I was accustomed and accepting that my daughter didn't like it, I tried his recipe for steamed eggplant (go figure!) and again my 3yearold loved it! (So did I. It's now my favorite eggplant preparation as well.)



3. This book has a few interesting chapters but overall it misses the mark. Each chapter describes a different fruit or vegetable along with a few recipes. Any food lover will be disappointed and not learn much.



4. 
   Great food always starts with great ingredients. According to my teachers at the Culinary Institute, the aspiring home cook can make delicious foods simply by picking great ingredients and then not making mistakes in cooking them. The CIA spends a great deal of time focusing on quality.
   
   My paperback copy of How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table by Russ Parsons captures much of that information in a very handy volume. Parsons is a staff writer and the former food editor for "The Los Angeles Times." His approach is similar to that of Harold McGee (see On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, for example): direct, practical, informed and very readable.
   
   Parsons recognizes the reality of many grocery aisles: "tomatoes that taste like cotton; peaches that will never drip; strawberries that could bend a fork." He has written short chapters on fruits and vegetables from apples to winter squash, together with over a hundred recipes. His writing shines: "With its overlapping rows of hard prickly petals, [an artichoke] seems only one step removed from a stick with a nail stuck in it."
   
   The book covers 42 categories of fruits and vegetables arranged by season. The organization is a little confusing, but the excellent Index makes navigation easy and accurate. The index is particularly helpful in distinguishing the several biographies of the ingredients and the practical hints to choosing high quality ingredients.
   
   Parson's recipe for parsnip soup is particularly good and representative of his style:
   
   "This is a somewhat plainer version of a recipe by the San Francisco chef Jeremiah Tower. (He garnishes his version with shaved white truffles.) It's also really, really good with sour cream.
   
   Ingredients
   1 lb. parsnips
   1 Tbsp. butter
   1 onion, chopped
   1 medium boiling potato, peeled and diced
   ~ Salt
   3½ cups water, plus more if needed
   1 sprig tarragon
   1 sprig parsley
   ¼ cup sour cream
   
   Steps
   
   1. Working lightly with a vegetable peeler, peel the parsnips, then cut off the bottoms and tops. Continuing to use the vegetable peeler, cut away and save the rest of each parsnip down to its woody core, catching the thin slices in a wide pot. The color of the vegetable will change from creamy white to ivory when you get to the core. Discard the core.
   
   2. Add the butter, onion, potato, and 1 teaspoon salt to the pot, along with cup water. Place the pot over low heat, cover it tightly, and cook slowly, "sweating" the vegetables until they begin to become tender, about 15 minutes. Stir from time to time to keep the vegetables from sticking and scorching. If necessary, add a little more water.
   
   3. Add the tarragon and parsley and continue to sweat for another 5 minutes. Add 3 cups water, increase the heat to medium, and cook, uncovered, until the vegetables are completely tender, about 10 minutes.
   
   4. Discard the tarragon and parsley sprigs and, using a slotted spoon, transfer as much as you can of the solids from the pot to a blender. With the lid of the blender removed, pulse to chop the vegetables. If necessary, add a little water. Once the vegetables are chopped, blend on the lowest speed and gradually work your way up to the highest. At first the vegetables will jump up the sides, but then they'll subside and remain at much the same level no matter the speed of the blender. With the motor running, add the rest of the liquid and any vegetables left over in the pot and purée until completely smooth.
   
   5. Wipe out the pot to remove any bits of vegetables, then pour the puréed soup back into it. Heat through over low heat. Taste for salt.
   
   6. Beat the sour cream with a spoon to soften it. Divide the soup among four warmed soup bowls, drizzle in a bit of sour cream in a decorative pattern, and serve.
   
   And here are a couple of samples of Parson's hints on finding great ingredients:
   
   A good watermelon should "sound hollow when thumped lightly." The reason: large cavities form inside the ripened fruit. An additional personal hint: if you buy a watermelon already cut, perhaps covered with clear plastic wrap, pick watermelons with large cavities, not the ones that are smooth and completely flat.
   
   When selecting citrus and tomatoes, go for items that feel heavy for their size; lighter ones will have lost moisture and have a pulpy mouth feel.
   
   "Mature fruit that hung on the tree long enough to develop the sugar will have a distinctive orange cast . . . trust your nose: fruit that is ripe and delicious will always smell that way." In particular, "When you buy [peaches] at the right time of year, however, when the local farmers have filled the markets with them, these fragrant treasures go for pennies. They'll even be cheap enough that you can afford to buy the very best. And that's the time you want to pick a peach."
   
   Altogether, I found this a very handy book to refresh my memory of what constitutes excellent ingredients, particularly handy in the paperback size when shopping.
   
   
   Robert C. Ross 2008



5. This book is very interesting. Thank God for NPR or we wouldn't hear about all the great books.

5 comments about In A Mexican Garden: Courtyards, Pools, and Open-Air Living Rooms.

1. I love the pictures and ideas presented, but after 2 days, the binding had pulled away from the pages!! I think that is flaw that needs fixing.



2. I love this book! The beautiful photographs give the reader great ideas on how to design and decorate.



3. I was very surprise whith the quality of the presentation and the beautiful pictures. Excellent!!



4. This book is an explosion of beautiful colours on every page! It is filled with beautiful photographs of Mexican outdoor living and the commentary is concise but clear, enabling the reader to copy the ideas found in the book. I intend to use the book to create my own Mexican/Spanish style courtyard.



5. This is a great book for ideas on designing your own Mexican style garden and as in my case designing an Adobe Dollhouse and courtyard.

5 comments about The Unlikely Lavender Queen: A Memoir of Unexpected Blossoming.

1. I Had the pleasure of meeting Jeannie Ralston at the Los Poblanos Lavender Festival in Albuquerque. A friend had told me Jeannie's story, and I found it so intriguing that I bought her book on the spot. I could hardly wait to read it. Coincidentally, I was reading a mystery novel about lavender in the Texas hill country, a perfect segue! Her willingness to relocate with her husband, her acceptance of moving into a barn being remodeled... warts and all, this woman is very committed to her marriage. Her struggle to have children made the birth of her sons poignant. I grieved with Jeannie and her family over the loss of their beloved pets. Getting into lavender farming... what a dream! And she left it all. For something better. I loved this book; I treasure it!



2. I picked up this book hoping to read about my homestate of Texas and one person's account of living in the Hill Country. What I discovered was a wonderful book that everyone can learn from. Jeannie Ralton's takes us through her adjustment to life in rural Texas, after having lived in Manhattan. I could certainly relate to her transition, having moved to rurual Vermont from Texas several years ago. But you don't have to have made that type of move to learn from this book how not only to survive in unfamiliar territory, but how to actually thrive. I hope there's a sequel, as I'm curious how she is doing in Mexico and where life will take her. This is also a great book club book, as it will provide a good discussion on life's transitions, how to cope, how to manage marital strife during a transition and how to bloom when it feels like you will wither and die.



3. Having lived in New York City after college and subsequently spending too much time in Texas, I totally related to this book. I couldn't put it down and read it in two nights! It was a great read!



4. Let's face it- there alot of authors who proclaim to be great writers, but really stink. As a vigorous book lover, I read with all my friends in my book club and we tend to tear apart authors's that want to inspire women, but really put us to sleep.
   
   That's why, I have to share with everyone, the book that satisfies my hunger, so much, that I want more and more. The Unlikely Lavender Queen- a must read for women, that takes the reader on amazing adventures. So many of us, can't fathom, being like Elizabeth Gilbert, in Eat, Pray and Love and running away somewhere to find ourselves.
   
   That's why, YEAH, I loved indulging in Jeannie's adventures- you go girl! Books clubs, great conversation book over tea & chocolate, well at least, that's we have in my book club. Off for Unlikely Lavender Queen, www.jeannieralston.com - she rocks! Gotta tell all your girlfriends about this book.
   
   Laura Grivner



5. As I was reading this I felt there were so many echoes of what I've experienced as a woman--for instance, the really hard work of making necessary compromises within a marriage. Talking about this is an important aspect of understanding what relationships are about and I don't think people really give this enough thought. I know my parents didn't talk to me about it and how it's a part of making a marriage work. Plus, the message that comes out is that when you give something you get something and that's a fundamental element to growth.
   But beyond the message, the book is a great read, with a strong, compelling narrative. There are wonderful metaphors through out, and the best one is the overarching metaphor for the author's journey--taking a parched piece of land and creating a field of beautiful flowers. I think that any woman not living in a suburban bubble could completely identify.

5 comments about PERMACULTURE: A Designers' Manual.

1. ...and probably one of the most fun to read. I read the first 8 chapters while working on a permaculture site on Isla Ometepe in Nicaragua, and ordered it immediately upon returning home.
   
   Bill Mollison carefully and beautifully lays out the theory and practice of Permaculture (permanent agriculture). Permaculture is a holistic design system that sustainably envisions, creates, and organizes the spaces that we as humans inhabit on this planet. It takes everything that I feel is good for the world-Green architecture, local food, water conservation, renewable energy, organic agriculture, etc.-and wraps them into one cohesive scheme for planning the spaces and manner in which we live.
   
   For more information, check out the Permaculture Research Institute's page at www.permaculture.org.au, especially the quick video "Greening the Desert", which is an excellent introduction.



2. The information presented in this book is worth a semester of agriculture, chemistry, and geography classes.
   
   I was initially set back when I went looking for a copy of this classic and discovered that there wasn't a recent printing available and all of the ones on the market were over $100 at the time. Still, I wanted to learn about Permaculture and everyone said that this was the place to start.
   
   I am extremely happy with my decision to buck up and fork over my money. This text is the source from which all others on the topic are written and they pale in comparison.
   
   If you are someone who is looking to homestead, or currently doing so, this book will help you plan your own gardens, manage your land as a whole, and be able to assist others in the community.
   
   Lastly, the book is a nice hardcover, the pages are thick for a tome of this size, and the print is nice and dark. The copy in front of me has been well thumbed, tossed around, and shelved on many occassions and is still holding up nicely. Only the corners are dinged up a little.



3. I bought this book many years ago and still find myself going back and re-reading it over and over. If you're new to the Permaculture thought process you will be knocked off your horse with the common-sense, integrated approach to gardening and farming systems. I attribute this book and the thoughts provoked by it as the catalyst in seeking integrations and aggregation on many different fronts. This will always be one of the books I will treasure. I wore off the cover and have punched holes in all the pages and keep it in a three-ring binder.



4. Bill Mollison represents the most successful attempt to mainstream practical home-scale sustainable design principles. I found myself needing to do an enormous amount of supplementary research to actually understand what bill was talking about, but to explain them in depth here would have taken away from the thrust of the book - which is mainly to show you example after example (many on every page) at sustainable principles of design put into practice.
   
   The book remains the best book on sustainability written to date. There are some aspects of his system that are lacking that I will briefly draw attention to. Understand that I deeply appreciate his genius, but I want to just mention that these other things need to be integrated into his system to be fully fully sustainable.
   
   1) He doesn't pay enough attention to seed saving and plant breeding. A loss of seed diversity and a re-invigoration of seed savers is essential to truly sustainable self-sufficient design.
   
   See:
   Seed to Seed - by Suzanne Ashworth and Kent Whealy
   Breed your own Vegetable Varieties - by Carol Deppe
   
   2) He very rarely mentions the role mushrooms and fungi can play in sustainability.
   
   See:
   Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World by Paul Stamets
   
   3) He doesn't stress the science behind it enough, which is fine, but leaves you asking sometimes... how do we know this is really ecologically sound? How can I NOT imitate mr. mollison but still create an ecologically sound system? Basically, Mollison's proscriptions are incredibly scientifically informed but not always scientifically explicit.
   
   See:
   Plant Ecophysiological Ecology
   New Dimensions in Agro-Ecology
   Smallholders, Householders: farm families and the ecology of intensive sustainable agriculture - by Rober Netting
   
   4) In relation to the first point, he also doesn't stress the role that evolution plays in sustainability. This is a very complicated problem, see book.
   
   See:
   Evolutionary Conservation Biology.
   
   These are not really criticism so much as signs of slight conceptual anal retentiveness on my part... Also please don't forget mollison's OTHER books which are incredible as well, especially the permaculture book of ferment and human nutrition.



5. Mollison must be credited with promotion of the concept of Permaculture and this book is a world-wide view with enough examples to stimulate the thinking of a designer in any climate. It would be the bible for anyone working as an ecological designer on a worldwide scale. This tome includes not only a wealth of information but Mollison's personal views are given at every opportunity as well. With the breadth of his knowledge it can sometimes be helpful. That said, it is not an easy read. Mollison assumes familiarity with terminology from many disciplines, but with a scientific background it makes it all the more credible.
   
   However, since its publication, there are other books for specific climate types that provide more detail. For those living in temperate climates, particularly the NE US, Dave Jacke/Eric Toensmeier's Edible Forest Gardens is more focused. If you live and plan to practice permaculture in only such climates, it should be sufficient. For the tropics, see [...] for a manual.

5 comments about Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide.

1. This books shows, in an easy to understand format-in my opinion-a person how to identify wild edible plants that they can harvest (some even in their own backyard). It shows photos of the plants, tells you if there is a poisonous look alike plant, how to identify them, common locations of the plants, and how to prepare them for a meal. If someone wants to learn more about eating plants that grow in the wild, this book is the one I think should be in their library.



2. My only regret about this book is that it isn't longer!

   The plants are organized by season, and every plant has a small map to show what regions it grows in. There is a very nice, good sized picture of each plant, and most of them are in color. Information is also provided about harvesting, how to prepare the plant, and poisonous look alikes, if any.

   The plants are listed by their common names, but the latin names are listed as well. Plants can be located by either name in the index.

   If you are interested in edible wild plants, this book is a great value for a reasonable price.




3. This is the best purchase I have made with regards to edible wild plants. It is well organized with keys for quick referencing, details on where in the country to look and at what season merely with a glance at a table so you need not wade through the details to locate specific information on what is available at the time you are planning to search. You'll see all your target plants in a given season and where to locate them. The color photos are all great.



4. This is the best book I have found for identification, uses and preparation of wild edibles. The photos and seasonal guide is very helpful as well as the poisonous look-a-likes list.



5. This book is a good field guide to edible plants in North America, but it has some black and white pictures.
   It tells you how to prepare the plants, but nothing on there medicinal properties. Wich is the reason I bought it so I guess Im out of luck on that one.