75 Exciting Vegetables for Your Garden

I predict that this book will become a collectors item for every gardener. It is beautifully written and matched with equal illustrations. I noticed that Jack Staub has recently authored a new book "75 Remarkable Fruits For Your Garden" and I just received it. It is another winner.

Food lovers and gardeners alike should seek out this delightful book. He tells how 75 of our edible plants came into use, what's special about certain varieties and how to easily prepare them. Staub's genuine love of unusual vegetables and melons shines through in this beautiful little book. The water color illustrations are exacting and lovely. Suspect it is a book that will one day become a collector's favorite.

I do not have a green thumb. Over the years of failing to keep even the most hardy houseplants alive, I've figured out why with my husband's help. He is an avid gardener, green thumb extraordinaire. It's not that much of a mystery, really, why his plants thrive and mine dry up and shrink to nothing. It's just that plants and gardens take work, plain and simple. I've just been too lazy because gardening doesn't excite me. Well, I think I may have found a way to keep myself in the garden! Not long ago I was reading a children's magazine which talked about planting a completely purple garden, and I thought, yeah, that's the ticket! How fun! Well, this book is the grown-up version of that idea. The pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations are gorgeous, and each of the 75 physically beautiful vegetables featured includes a couple pages detailing its interesting history, nutritional content, and growing instructions. What a way to make gardening fun! This book isn't just for amateurish types like myself looking for external incentives to get out into the garden. My husband, an experienced gardener, learned a few things, too. How do these unique vegetables sound? Artichoke "Violetto de Romagna," Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch Kale, Giant Red Celery, Purple Calabash Tomato, Sunburst Squash, and Zebra Hybrid Eggplant, just to name a few! Definitely a book worth adding to your collection.

I love this book and its illustrations by Ellen Sheppard Buchert that could be used for decorative framed pictures throughout your house. Jack Staub's stylish and elegant writing is eminently readable, a real page turner about the evolution and history of vegetables. Recipes included are simply delicious and deliciously simple.

I have watched Jack's gardens for over the decades and he is a master. I am so happy to have this book to follow an expert.