Oriental Vegetables - Book review

In the run up to the holiday season I’m going to take a quick look at some new and recent books that will make great gifts. I’m not going to waste your time on books that are below average, I’ll only be telling you about those that are really good.

First off: Oriental Vegetables – The Complete Guide for the Gardening Cook by Joy Larkcom.

This thoroughly revised paperback edition of her classic book is a triumph of diligent research and practical experience and all expressed in her trademark style in which a vast wealth of information is made easily readable.

One of the reasons that many of these tasty and easy-to-grow vegetables are in every supermarket and on every plate is because Joy went to China to study them, grew them herself in Europe (zone 8) then popularised a Western way to produce them easily in the garden. She explains the distinctions, recommends varieties, and describes how to grow and harvest them. These wonderful flavours (the book includes plenty of recipes) – not to mention the ornamental value of so many – should be in every garden and every kitchen. No colour pictures, but vast quantities of wisdom and comprehensive lists of seed suppliers in both Britain and North America. Great value.

Joy Larkcom is the recipient of the British Garden Writers’ Guild Liftetime Achievement Award.

Buy Oriental Vegetables in Britain

Pre-order Oriental Vegetables in North America for delivery in February 2008