There are two main times during the year that I want to settle into my comfy chair and lose myself in a story. One time is the coldest part of Winter, the other is the hotter than hell period during the summer. Both times the garden is in a “resting” mode which leaves more free time for reading. About a year ago it was during one of these hot times that I opened the pages of the book that would be my inspiration for my front yard garden. The book that was so inspiring was ; The Quarter-Acre Farm, How I Kept the Patio, Lost the Lawn, and Fed My Family for a Year by Spring Warren. Get your own copy here: https://amzn.to/2RzJHMy
I have read a lot of gardening manuals, that have lots of knowledge, but are short on story and inspiration. This is NOT one of those books! Instead it is laugh out loud funny! When it comes to the subject of gardening I like a book that pulls me into a story, makes me laugh and teaches me stuff that I didn’t know before.
Miss Warren accomplishes this beautifully. She decides to take on quite a challenge of eating from her garden for a year!
Now I have to say that I have a big garden, but still can’t imagine eating just my produce and eggs all year. As I get better at it I can see myself maybe taking this on. It would be VERY hard however to be the only one in my family doing this. Can you see me heating up a pizza for my kids and then eating kale? Maybe if I pile up kale on top of the pizza?
There are times in the book when she does add other things to the meal but the rule she followed was that she would eat 75% of produce from her garden. The other 25% could be what ever she wanted. If I did decide to include my family, I would have a revolt on my hands. One summer when zucchini was growing well; we had it in just about every meal. We grilled it. We shredded it, boiled and baked it.
After a few weeks of this, one of my boys walked up to the grocery store, bought oatmeal(the old fashion oats kind) and cooked it in the microwave for every meal! As we ate zucchini in some form or another, he smiled at us over his steaming bowl of oatmeal. He is not head strong at all! Funny, when I write about my son, none of my good friends ask me; “Which boy is it?” They all know! He takes after his father. Hee hee. My food rebel on the left;)
It seems that Miss Warren and I have a head strong boy in common. Reading about her family’s reaction is half the fun. My favorite chapter is when she turns a garden pest(snails) into a meal(escargot). Her attempt to turn “lemons into lemonade” so to speak, reminds me of my own out of the box thinking. I giggled my way through her hilarious description of the slimy preparation of these garden pests for the dinner party to follow. It is hard for me to really express how funny this book is. If you are into gardening and need a good laugh then it is a must read. Who knows, it might just inspire you to turn your front yard into a garden!
Since this is the book that inspired me to turn my front yard into a veggie garden I thought it would be fitting to make it the prize in my first give away! To enter leave a comment answering this question; Do you have a garden? If so, how big is it? If you do not have a garden then share what is stopping you? Don’t worry no judgement here, just curious. Contest ends tomorrow so this is your last chance to enter.
Update: Sorry, the contest is over, but I would love to hear the answers to the questions in the comments. I am here to encourage you & answer your questions! So ask away! Dash
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As well as having good healthy vegetables from the earth , It also gives me a feeling of great contentedness and joy . Looks like a book I will enjoy reading : )
I am enjoying your web sight and all your little stories
I have enjoyed reading about all your adventures good and bad, because that’s how we all learn