Home as Your Own Creation

I’m writing a book!

I’ve been waiting almost my whole life to say that sentence. I’ve always wanted to write a book. When I was a kid I typed stories on my mom’s super awesome word processor machine. I majored in English in college. And I’ve daydreamed for years about writing a book about vegetable gardening. A book that is beautiful, and useful, and fun to read. And now I’m doing it!

“The Book” (as it is referred to in out house) is being published by Sasquatch Books and it is tentatively titled Grow. Cook. Eat: A Food Lover’s Guide to Kitchen Gardening. The basic idea behind the book is this: as a gardener you have access to really amazing, gourmet-quality food. Think heirloom tomatoes, purple tomatillos, garlic scapes, green coriander seed, radish tops, tender baby green beans, and squash blossoms. My goal is to help readers explore the diversity of food in their gardens, discover when and what to harvest, and use that food in the kitchen. So, the book is organized into individual guides for 50 vegetables, herbs, and small fruit and it has very specific growing, harvesting, and storage advice, plus each guide has a recipe and cooking tips.

Like all good things, this book is a collaboration and I am lucky enough to be working with a wonderful editor, Susan Roxborough, and the very talented photographer, Jim Henkens. Jim and I have been hard at work photographing the book this summer and I can tell you one thing: it is going to be gorgeous. Last week we shot photos for the cover and it was so fun. My friend Rachel, who is a talented stylist and owns Finch & Thistle Event Design, came to the shoot and helped everything just look lovely. Plus, she told jokes so I smiled for the camera (you can check out her behind the scenes shots here).

The book will be published in January 2012, which seems like a long way off, but I’m sure it will be here before we know it!

Similar Posts:

• Time for a Change
• Book Friday: Empire of Space
• the exquisite book: live drawing event @ rare device.
• Talking Up A Storm