A Garden of Recipes: Planting, Growing, Cooking (ISBN 0688159737)

Amazon.com Review:
Gardening and cooking are the perfect complements to one another, and Cynthia Gibson has united the two joyfully in a beautifully designed and illustrated book of simple planting instructions and more than 70 recipes. The suggested vegetables and flowers can be planted either in the ground or in pots, and varietal suggestions are given for both. The book is divided into seven appealing sections. "The Hors d'Oeuvres Garden" contains eight vegetables that combine well with herb pestos and cheeses. "The Soup Garden" produces everything from a hearty vegetable stew to a delicate oak leaf lettuce soup. "The Salad Garden" includes plants for both summer and winter salads; some of these are mouthwateringly unusual, like the Hot Bangkok Beanery Salad and the Chilled Grilled Onion Salad. "The Herb Bakery Garden" consists of both perennial herbs (which grow best in the ground) and annuals, which are perfect kitchen-windowsill potted plants. The Basil Popovers and Mint Cornsticks, among others, will make herb gardeners remember why they love their plants. "The Brunch, Lunch and Dinner Garden" is filled with eggplant, zucchini, sorrel, and other vegetables that make up light, healthy, satisfying meals. (A warning: these are not quickie recipes--sorrel gnocchi, for example, takes two hours to make--but the classic fresh ingredients will produce a dish worth waiting for.) "The Edible Flower Garden" has the most unusual recipes; Steamed Sunflower Buds with Dill and Nasturtium-Filled Nasturtiums--which also contain cream cheese and teriyaki sauce--may not be everyone's cup of tea, but imagining the brilliance of Bachelor's Button Florets and Tomato Salad is enough to make converts to the concept. "The Dessert Garden" is filled to bursting with ripe fruits and berries that, as Gibson says, will "give the gardener a bit of a challenge and the cook an exciting time." A Garden of Recipes will be the joy of any gardener-cook's bookshelf.

what a win!:
charming prose and beautiful artwork, a winning combination. ms. gibson serves another bounty of beauty that is fast, easy ,creative and fun to work with. a fine feast for body and soul. i look forward to seeing what ms. gibson serves us next.

quick and elegant food preparation:
fun recipes and lovely drawings. good food that`s beautiful to look at, and the recipes are straightforward and easy. nice to buy for yourself, or as a present.

A gardener's delight, a cook's piece de resistance:
This beautifully illustrated and thoughtfully written book is a delight for gardeners and panders neither to the accomplished nor patronizes the beginner. It is a treasure for cooks and will be as useful to children as it will be to their mothers and grandmothers. A wonderful and esthetically pleasing gift for the gardeners or cooks on your list, it will undoubtedly be handed down from mother to daughter. Especially helpful from this talented author and artist are the symbols to guide us through from the garden to the kitchen to the table. The illustrations are a feast for the senses, and no, they should not be torn out and framed, tempting as that may be. It is about time this Renaissance woman came out with a successor to A Botanical Touch.

Cooking, gardening and art - what better combination?:
I've never seen a book quite like this one. It has wonderful, uncomplicated recipes, garden diagrams and suggestions for growing the raw ingredients (including flowers!), and charming, lovely artwork (I, like a previous reviewer, would also like to know if posters will be available). There is a wide range of home-grown ingredients, and fortunately all, with very few exceptions, will grow here in Montana, which, with our short growing season and temperature extremes, is usually the forgotten stepchild in garden books. I especially like the suggestions for garden layouts and instructions for planting and nurturing and the way the reader is taken from seeds to table. This is an inspirational guidebook for old and new gardeners alike - I bought one for me and one for my beginning-gardener/chef daughter. I can't wait to try the "Golden Calendula Custard with Raspberry Puree" and "Arf! Parsley Dog Biscuits".

Delicious and delightful:
This book was a birthday gift. It's a breath of fresh air all around and truly delightful to read: witty, encouraging, personal. I love the illustrations. And the recipes are fun, simple, and delicious. I could easily keep this book with my favorite garden titles, but have decided to let Cynthia Gibson's writings have a permanent spot in my kitchen, along with Alice (Waters) and Julia (Child). I can recommend this book highly to anyone who loves fresh and original writing, food, and ideas for the garden.