Have a vegetable garden? Then you’ll love these 5 cookbooks.

The point of starting a vegetable garden is of course to reap the benefits, aka eat the food you grow. Anyone who grows their own food will know the special feeling of putting together a meal with produce that comes from their own raised beds. To go from seed to plant to plate is an amazing process. And with more and more people starting to grow their own food, there are a growing number of garden related cookbooks.

But let’s be honest: these are inspiring books even if you don’t have the space to garden (or if your space is tiny). Ultimately they are celebrations of local and seasonal food, something we could all be eating more of.

1. “Carina Contini’s Kitchen Garden Cookbook” by Carina Contini

Part gardener’s journal, part family memoir, part cookbook, “Kitchen Garden Cookbook” will appeal to gardeners and food lovers of all kinds. It’s organized by month, which means that even in the seemingly dreary root vegetable overdose of the winter, you’ll still be able to to find some cooking inspiration.

2. “Kitchen Garden Experts: 20 Celebrated Chefs and Their Head Gardeners” by Cinead McTernan

Ever wonder how food goes from garden to table in the restaurants of chefs who are working hard to incorporate food grown on site? “Kitchen Garden Experts” brings us into the world of UK chefs and their gardeners, a book that’s as much about the products that are grown as the people that grow them.

3. “From Seed to Skillet” by Jimmie Williams

In “From Seed to Skillet” you actually get a gardening guide and cookbook in one. Learning the art of growing and cooking vegetables from his grandmother, a South Carolina native from a traditional Gullah community whose members were descendents of Caribbean slaves, his book serves as a guide to building your own vegetable garden and putting it to good use. Gardening guides and recipes abound.

4. “Grow Cook Eat” by Willi Galloway

Just because you love good food doesn’t mean you know how to garden. And just because you love to garden, doesn’t necessarily mean that you feel like a master in the kitchen. “Grow Cook Eat” is the book to fill that void. The book is devoted to cultivating fresh, gourmet food, ensuring that everyone has the skills to grow their own, but also that they know what to do with them.

5. “The Gardener and the Grill” by by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig

Who said that all you could do with a grill was meat? “The Gardener and the Grill” is for gardeners who believe in the power of the vegetable. With more than 100 vegetarian recipes, it’s the perfect summer guide to good eating. You could also kindly give it to the grill aficionado in your life to prove that vegetables do have a place over the coals.

Related on EcoSalon

5 Tips for Starting Your Own Urban Garden (Even if it’s Teeny Tiny)

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The 10 Easiest Vegetables to Grow at Home

Images: Anna Brones, Frances Lincoln, Chronicle Books, Sasquatch Books, Running Press

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Thinking about starting a garden but want to keep it simple? It doesn’t get much easier than the Sprout plantable pencil from Democratech.

Starting a garden can be a daunting task if you’ve never tried it before. That’s why I’m in love with any gardening gadgets and tools that can simplify the process. Normally I don’t go for the “set it and forget it” lifestyle, but when it comes to gardening, I’m all ears.

I’ve always loved a good writing implement. Even though I spent most of my time pounding away on a laptop keyboard, I still brainstorm and make to-do lists on paper, so pens and pencils are necessities. Now I’ve discovered that my favorite pencil can also be a strategic tool for starting a garden (and I don’t just mean in the planning stages)!

The Sprout from Democratech is a plantable pencil. Made out of sustainably grown cedar, the pencil conceals a hollow chamber that contains a water-activated seed capsule. As the pencil is used and sharpened and used again, the stub slowly transforms into a ready-to-plant seed pod. When it comes time for starting a garden, just shove it base-down into some soil. When the base is submerged in soil and watered, its capsule will break down, freeing the seeds!

Sprout comes in many different varieties: basil, calendula, cherry tomato, cilantro, dill, marigold, mint, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Sprout multipacks of herbs and flowers are also available. If you’ve got a house (or perhaps a classroom) full of kids who use pencils all the time, these plantable pencils are the perfect way to demonstrate the concepts of sustainable design, recycling/upcycling, and of course, the joys of starting a garden!

And don’t worry about eating foods that sprout out of a used pencil: the Sprout is 100 percent non-toxic and made right here in America.

Find Sprout around the world at these retailers, or purchase Sprout Pencil Herb Packs for $19.95 on Amazon.

Related on EcoSalon

UrbMat: A One-Step Tool For Growing Vegetables

4 Indoor Growing Gadgets For Lazy Gardeners

The 10 Easiest Vegetables to Grow At Home

Images via Democratech

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Earlier this year, I started my first container vegetable garden. I have peppers and spinach coming along and some bright red grape tomatoes that I think are ready to pick – or are they? Even though they are red, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s time to pick them and add them to a salad just yet. Since I’m a novice gardener, I need to learn (and want to share) tricks for harvesting your vegetable garden at the perfect time. Gardening can be easy, we promise.

Cucumber: If you’re growing fresh slicing cucumbers, wait until they reach about seven to nine inches long and are a bright dark green color. They should be firm and smooth. When you harvest, be sure to leave a short stem on each one. You’ll need to check and pick cucumbers daily when they’re ready.

Leaf Lettuce: Once your plant has grown to about 4 inches in height, harvest the outer leaves, while allowing the inner leaves to grow. You can keep reaping the benefits of your lettuce plants all summer long.

Spinach: When leaves are four to six inches long, cut them off at the base. You want to do this before you see a flower stalk start to shoot up amongst your leaves. After you harvest, new leaves will grow in their place so you’ll have more spinach later.

Eggplant: Eggplant is one fruit that should be harvested when it’s slightly immature – experts say this leads to better flavor. Look for firm, shiny eggplants that are bright purple to black in color. Don’t pull your eggplants off the plant — cut them instead.

Summer Squash: This is one veggie that you want to pick young. Keep a close eye on summer squash, checking it daily even. Test the skin to see if it’s tender enough to poke your fingernail through – that’s a good indication that it’s time to pick. If you’re growing zucchini, ripe ones are typically between four and eight inches long and about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.

Beets: Once you see beet shoulders popping out of the soil line, you can harvest them whenever they look like the size you like to eat.

Tomatoes: Should you pick them when red? Yes, but make sure they’re fully colored and slightly soft. Some green thumbs suggest waiting five to eight days after the tomatoes turn red. If you’re new to gardening, be sure to check their firmness daily. They can become soft quickly if overripe. The best way to pick? Twist and pull from the vine.

Onions: You might think onions are a bigger challenge because they’re hiding beneath the soil. However, they’re relatively easy to harvest. Watch for the top to ripen and fall over. Then, dig them out and allow them to dry in the sun. Be sure to harvest before the frost.

Carrots: These veggies can be tricky since it’s hard to know how long they are when they’re in the ground. Watch for orange tops of the carrots to appear at the soil line. When the diameter looks appropriate for the variety you’re growing, don’t stress about how long it might be, just pull one out of the ground to see if the length is good. If so, go ahead and harvest. But there’s no harm in pulling your carrots out later in the season long after they’re ripe – some experts swear a light frost gives the veggies a sweeter flavor.

Sweet Peppers: Pick your green peppers when they reach full size and feel firm. Red, orange or yellow peppers take an extra two or three weeks. They should remain on the plant until they turn the appropriate color.

Radishes: You don’t want radishes to get over ripe because they’ll get tough and woody – and they mature quickly so watch out! Once you see the tops of the bulbs showing at the soil line, pull them.

Peas: Don’t wait for your peas to develop seeds fully. Pick them when the pods look and feel full? They’ll be sweeter if you harvest them before they plump all the way. Too hard to tell? The best way to determine if you should pick your peas is by tasting one for sweetness.

Are you an expert in picking veggies at the right time? Have you grown sweet and flavorful harvests worth bragging about? Tell us in the comments below.

Images: Kelly1878, me’nthedogs, Arlington County, Gare and Kitty, Lizard10979

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If you’ve got a green thumb but are burdened with a dark, shadowy yard, then you need to check out this clever idea. One of the brainiacs over at Instructables devised an easy way to make a mobile vegetable cart so you can chase the sun around your backyard to give your seedlings all the light they need.

You don’t have to be a master builder to put this cart together. Run to the local home improvement store and grab some plywood, wood screws, wheels, axles, and a few other goodies. The detailed post gives you exact measurements of the materials you’ll need and step-by-step directions on how to put the cart together.

Once assembled, don’t fill the bed of the cart with 25 bags of potting soil – it will be too heavy too move. Instead, take a cue from the designer who recommends, “a layer of lucerne, a layer of fertilizer, a layer of pea straw, a layer of fertilizer, a layer of dirt, and compost a layer…” and so on.

If the sunlight in your growing area is a moving target, this is a great solution for dealing with it. Mobile vegetable carts are also a terrific idea if you’re the kind of person who likes to mix up the look of her backyard on a whim. Put together a couple of these bad boys and go nuts “redecorating” the next time your landscaping starts to bore you.

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If you’ve started a vegetable or herb garden, it’s important to keep your sage separate from your cilantro and to know your tomato plant from your pepper plant. And if you’re a beginner gardener, that may be harder than it sounds. Luckily, a crop of Etsy designers have created so clever and gorgeous re-purposed plant markers, which add a little fun, along with function, among your greenery.

Upcycled Garden Markers from Mon Petit Chou Boutique

Vintage silver-plated cocktail and shrimp forks come together with reclaimed copper beautifully in these upcycled garden markers shown above. While the handmade markers are nothing less than polished, each one boasts one-of-a-kind charm as the artist bends, hammers and torches vintage silverware and customizes the plant names to make a perfect set for your garden.

Eco-Friendly Rustic Garden Markers from a Remark You Made

Brilliantly crafted from fallen branches, these twig-like rustic garden markers will blend into your garden seamlessly. Each stick is sanded smooth by hand with a flat carved spot for labeling your plants. You can write in the herbs and veggies yourself, or have the artist customize them for you.

Old Silver Spoon Garden Markers from Daisy Chestnut

Made from vintage spoons that are silver-plated and adorned with illustrated labels, these garden markers are so adorable you hate to have them hiding behind your greens! The Connecticut-based Etsy artist illustrates and colors each vegetable and herb label by hand using archival ink and a finish that’s moisture and UV-resistant made to last in the garden. Buy by the veggie or choose a set customized to your needs.

Chalkboard Garden Plant Markers from Bradens Grace

You can change the names on these chalkboard plant markers as often as you like – annually, seasonally or when your crops don’t survive and need replacing – so you don’t have to constantly buy new ones. If writing with chalk outside where rain and H2O from your watering can could wash away your labels worries you, this Etsy seller swears by chalkboard markers that are longer lasting than regular chalk.

Fused Glass Plant Markers from Pane in the Grass

Starting with a base of recycled knives and forks and topped with colored glass rectangles, these markers add a splash of color to your garden and color-coding makes it easy to tell the difference between your lettuce and arugula from far away. For $20 you’ll get a set of six with the herbs, vegetables or even inspirational quotes of your choosing. Plant names are fused onto the glass so you don’t have to worry about the printing coming off.

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I just moved into a new apartment where the previous owner raved about growing all kinds of vegetables on the terrace. He left his pots behind so I could do the same. Confession: I’ve never grown something edible in my life. Here’s hoping some good gardening karma got left behind too, because this year, I’m determined to grow a container garden of vegetables that will (fingers-crossed) yield the delicious result of fresh salsa. Luckily, all the ingredients needed for salsa are easy to grow – cherry tomatoes, onions, sweet peppers and cilantro.

About a week before you’re ready to plant your salsa garden outside, create a mini indoor greenhouse by filling a few old take-out containers or plastic salad or tomato containers halfway to the top with potting soil and plant your seeds inside. Cover them and wait for the first signs of growth. When your seeds sprout, plant the seedlings outside in pots or a garden following the spacing guidelines on the packets. Once outside, follow these tips to ensure each veggie grows well enough to earn a spot in your salsa (and doesn’t expose your less-than-green thumb).

Cherry Tomatoes:

Any kind of tomato will work as a base for salsa, but for novices cherry tomatoes are the easiest to grow. A large pot that holds 4 to 6 gallons of soil is best. The only other thing you’ll need is a simple bamboo stick or a tomato coil so as your seedling grows taller it will have something to lean on.

Onions:

You’ll need to keep your onions well-watered, and in the middle of summer you should see the bulbs start to form. Watch a video to learn how to harvest onions when the tops have fallen over.

Sweet Peppers:

Your pot of peppers should be kept moist, but never so watered that the plant is drowning. Once the peppers reach full size you can pick them and start cooking. However, the longer you let them ripen on the plant the sweeter they’ll be. If your pepper plant makes it through the summer bring it inside to keep it alive during the winter.

Cilantro:

In general, herbs are a lazy gardener’s dream because they’re easy to grow. Choose a pot or patch 18-inches wide and keep it in full sun, or light shade on the hottest days. Once your herb gets growing you can cut the leaves weekly for your salsa.

Image: jplust

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