All New Square Foot Gardening Cookbook

If you have even a passing interest in vegetable gardening, you’re probably familiar with the term square foot gardening.  Originally coined by Mel Bartholomew in his best selling Square Foot Gardening books, it’s an organic vegetable gardening method that emphasizes compost, companion plants, and planting in biointensive grids to improve soil structure, control weeds and improve yields.  Twenty years and several books later, Mel has released the All New Square Foot Gardening Cookbook. Lest you have any doubt that growing your own food is finally catching on in a big way, the SFG Cookbook has been the number one selling cookbook for an astonishing 24 weeks.  Jean Ann Van Krevelen, Director of Social Media for Cool Springs Press and co-author of Grocery Gardening, was kind enough to provide a copy for me to review.

The SFG Cookbook has been written and organized with the home vegetable gardener in mind.  Let’s face it, when it comes to meal planning and you grow your own food, instead of thinking “What can I make for dinner?” you’re more likely to begin with “What can I do with all my tomatoes?” Chapters are arranged by produce varieties, and each section opens with a few excellent tips on harvesting, yields, and how to tell when a vegetable is at its peak for picking.  Mel won my heart in the very first chapter, when he explained that fatter asparagus spears (about the size of your finger), are the most tender, so avoid the temptation to harvest early.  Thanks to Julia Child and Martha Stewart, I’ve known this for years, but there are still a lot of skinny spear lovers out there who don’t know what they’re missing.

The recipes run the gamut from traditional choices such as Crisp Roast Potatoes and Zucchini Tomato Bake, to impress-your-foodie-friends options like Grill-Smoked Baba Ghanoush.  I appreciate that the book is driven by garden ingredients rather than by a narrowly defined style, which I believe is more reflective of how most of us cook. Some days I’m in the zone and channeling The Food Network like a house on fire, but other times I just want a recipe that's simple, fresh and familiar.

Caution: while the SFG Cookbook emphasizes fresh produce, it’s written for fresh food lovers, not dieters.  Many of the recipes include oil, butter or mayonnaise and calorie counts are not included.

The book is particularly helpful for those who practice the square foot gardening method, with its emphasis on small yields of a large variety of fruits and vegetables.  Most recipes call for modest quantities that can be harvested over a few days time.  With my shady garden I get most of my fresh produce from the farmers market, so this approach works for me as well, as I tend to purchase a little bit of a lot of different foods.  But never fear, if you’re a traditional gardener faced with an abundance of zucchini or tomatoes, Mel includes a number of “bumper crop” recipes.

Although recipes are at the heart of this book, there is also a handy appendix that shows planting schedules for continuous harvest crops and recommended plant spacing for a range of vegetable sizes.

If you’re interested in learning more about the SFG Cookbook, check out this video, where Mel explains it in his own words.

And if this book review has left you a bit on the hungry side, here’s a delicious and simple recipe using the king of spring vegetables, asparagus.

Asparagus Frittata

Ingredients
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
16 thin asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1-inch lengths
3 eggs
1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat broiler.  Saute the garlic in the olive oil in an 8- to 10- inch nonstick skillet over low heat until fragrant.  Add the asparagus and sauté for 3 minutes until it begins to soften. 

Beat the eggs, chives, salt and pepper in a bowl until well blended. Pour over the asparagus in the skillet, tilting to coat the bottom of the skillet evenly with the egg mixture.  Cover the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the frittata is set on the bottom.  Uncover the pan and place under the broiler for 1 minute until center is set. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot or at room temperature.  Makes 3 servings.

Comments

[Catherine]

Sounds like a good cookbook. We don't grow a whole lot of vegetables, but there are definitely years I do wonder what to do with all of the tomatoes. The recipe sounds delicious!

I remember reading a funny Garrison Keillor story once where neighbors used to play doorbell ditch with tomatoes and corn because everyone had so MUCH at the end of the summer.

[DaffodilPlanter]

Sounds like the book is packed with valuable information. After I read your review I watched the video. That Mel is a spellbinder; he could have a new career as a hypnotist.

He really comes across as passionate about this method of organic gardening, but not in a preachy way, which I like.

[rebecca sweet]

What a great review, Susan! This sounds like a cookbook I must get asap - and I love the fact that it's arranged by produce varieties - brilliant idea! That's precisely how I cook - 'hmmm...let's see...I have a ton of zucchini...now what?'...

We'll have to do a recipe swap with this book and Grocery Gardening!

[Rob(ourfrenchgarden)]

Yum, yum.

Ah, it'll soon be asparagus season over here- a true rite of spring!

I bought asparagus at the farmers market for the third week in a row this morning - I am GORGING on it! Asparagus, strawberries, California lilac and California poppies in bloom - all together my favorite signs of spring around here.

[Stevie]

I was wondering about this book - thanks for the review, I'll check it out.

Hi Stevie! Definitely worth a look if you grow your own veggies.

[Small Garden Ideas]

When I first began gardening I usually read these kind of books, it really helped me a lot especially with my planting style so I think that its best for beginners to read these kind of books.