Summary

No book has ever made it so easy for the gardener-cook to get the most from fresh veg, herbs, and leaves.

No book has ever made it so easy for the gardener-cook to get the most from fresh veg, herbs, and leaves. Britain's favourite gardener, Carol Klein, considers every stage in the process - from harvesting through storing to cooking. In the first chapter, on gardening, she demonstrates how and when to harvest each plant to get the best flavour while encouraging growth for next year (for instance, use a small fork when unearthing your roots and you'll protect the worms who will give you great soil for next year; leave onions on the soil to dry out before transporting them into the house for storage). This is followed by four seasonal chapters, each covering approx 10 veg, leaves, and herbs. For each food she details all the parts of the plant you can eat, how to cook the food when its young, how to cook older specimens, and how to store it (usually on the plant or in the soil), enabling you to enjoy all sorts of ingredients you could never find in a shop. Plus there are over 80 fresh and easy recipes, enabling you to make the most of your seasonal produce.