Grow it! Cook it! : The Beginner's Guide to Producing your Own Food

201 Pages·2007·2.4 MB·English

by  Gray

Grow it! Cook it!
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Grow it! Cook it!
The beginner’s guide to producing your own food
Linda Gray
Published by Spring Hill Spring Hill is an imprint of How To Books Ltd Spring Hill House, Spring Hill
Road, Begbroke, Oxford, OX5 1RX, United Kingdom Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]
[email protected]
www.howtobooks.co.uk
How To Books greatly reduce the carbon footprint of their books by sourcing their typesetting and printing
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All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or stored in an information retrieval system
(other than for the purposes of review), without the express permission of the Publisher given in writing.
The right of Linda Gray to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
© 2012 Linda Gray
First edition 2009
Reprinted 2009
Second edition 2012
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the
British Library ISBN: 978 1 905862 78 8
Produced for How To Books by Deer Park Productions, Tavistock Illustrations by Rebecca Peacock
Typeset by TW Typesetting, Plymouth, Devon Printed and bound in Great Britain by Bell & Bain Ltd,
Glasgow NOTE: The material contained in this book is set out in good faith for general guidance and no
liability can be accepted for loss or expense incurred as a result of relying in particular circumstances on
statements made in this book. Laws and regulations may be complex and liable to change, and readers
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CONTENTS
Introduction
1 The Salad Bowl
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Cucumber
Peppers
Onions
2 Down to Roots
Carrots
Beetroot
Parsnips
Salsify
Potatoes
3 Everyday Veg
Peas
Beans
Broccoli
Asparagus
Courgettes
4 Herb Corner
Basil
Bay
Chives
Coriander
Fennel
Garlic
Mint
Oregano
Parsley
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme
5 Fruity Treats
Strawberries
Blackberries
Blackcurrants
Raspberries
Lemons
6 Delicious Blooms
Dandelions
Marigolds
Nasturtiums
Roses
Violets
7 The Store Cupboard
Bottling
Preserving
Freezing
Drying
8 Gardening Tips and Tricks
Planning
Tools
Soil preparation
Maintenance
Themes
Resources and Further Reading
Index
INTRODUCTION
Producing your own food and other household groceries is not only extremely
rewarding but, in times of economic and environment changes, a must!
Gardening has, until recent years, been a way of life and a necessary
commitment if families were to survive and grow. Nature provides everything
the human body requires to survive, and cultivating some of those natural
products in our own back garden will not only produce the best food on the
planet for our loved ones, it is also economical and environmentally friendly.
Chemicals don’t have to be used to produce perfectly shaped strawberries, petrol
is not required to drive into your back garden to collect your food and, not only
that, as you are exercising and getting a dose of fresh air every day, gym
subscriptions and doctors visits will be a thing of the past.
Many crops can be produced in containers and in a relatively small space with a
little pre-planning and organising. And many of these crops can be employed in
different ways. Herbs are perfect for collecting brownie points for your culinary
skills. They can also treat minor ailments and prevent colds and flu. Rather than
getting a cold virus and passing it round and round the household, refuse to
allow it into the house in the first place, by keeping healthy and strong. No more
vitamin supplements or cold remedies to buy!
Grow It! Cook It! provides all the information you need to keep your family and
friends healthy and enjoying life to the full. Gardening is more than a hobby, it’s
a way of life and needn’t mean back ache and boring garden chores. Even
without a garden, many plants can be grown in containers, on a balcony and
indoors.
Get those wellies on and produce the best groceries in the world for your family
and friends – and keep fit and healthy while you’re doing it. Grow It! Cook It!
will reduce your shopping bill, remove the supermarket stress, and take you and
your family into a healthier future.
CHAPTER 1
THE SALAD BOWL
A bowl of mixed salad is one of the healthiest, easiest and tastiest meals you can
prepare for you and your family. Kids don’t always appreciate green leafy
vegetables, but chopped lettuce stirred into a bowl of colourful peppers and
tomatoes always goes down a treat!
Growing salad ingredients couldn’t be easier and many can be grown indoors, in
a conservatory or even a window box, as well as outside in a traditional garden.
If you have a conservatory or greenhouse, salad can be grown almost all year
round – although, as it’s eaten raw and often cold, other veggies can be eaten
during the cooler months of the year. Eating seasonally is a good rule of thumb
when balancing a healthy diet.
This chapter covers five main ingredients of a nutritious and delicious salad
bowl:
tomatoes
lettuce
cucumber