There are a lot of vegetable cookbooks on the market currently,most of them much of a muchness and pretty forgettable as far as I’m concerned, but now and then I come across one that must be bought. I bought this one. Then I bought another copy for a friend. It’s of special interest to anyone who grows their own vegetables or gets a CSA box for a few reasons:
1. The organization is by vegetable type, so if you have leafy greens in the garden you can turn to the leafy greens chapter and consider some cooking options.
2. It offers suggestions for vegetables, or parts of vegetables, that aren’t usually eaten. Broccoli leaves, for example, which are good to eat and highly nutrient-dense ( be careful how many you harvest, though, or your broccoli-bud crop will be significantly reduced.) Ms. Ly’s improvisational kale-stem pesto gives you a flexible way to use up the “nasty bits” of your kale. Tomato leaves are used well as a seasoning, and no, they aren’t poisonous. There are numerous other examples: I am looking forward to trying her chard-stem hummus later in the season. The recipe for pan-charred beans with bean leaf pesto looks like another winner.
3. The recipes that I have tried work and taste good. This does not go without saying. I have come across recipes, especially no-waste recipes, that look lovely in the picture but aren’t really edible. Ms. Ly’s recipes are good.
Oh, and 4. It’s available on Kindle if you need to save space on your cookbook shelves.
I don’t accept review copies of cookbooks. I buy them at my local indie bookstore, paying the same price that you will pay. That’s the only way that I can judge whether the value/ price ratio is really favorable. I think this one is worth the money. Even an old hand in the kitchen will pick up some new ideas for using vegetables.
My urban homestead 
Posted by mortaltree on June 2, 2015 at 5:30 am
I think we’ll have to get this for the CSA we run because our sharers are always asking ‘how do I cook this’? Thanks!
Posted by wooddogs3 on June 2, 2015 at 8:28 am
I hope that you like it. I was impressed because it is so clearly the product of a working gardener and cook, and so many vegetable cookbooks are not, or have been so glossily overwritten by a professional cookbook writer that all hints of soil and dirty hands have been expunged. And I really like the emphasis on reducing waste while maintaining flavor and edibility. I recently saw a “no waste” plate produced by a professional chef ( good one too) in which the main ingredient of the dish was bok choy ” butts” caramelized a bit on the upper side. I felt immediately that nobody tried to eat this admittedly beautiful plate because bok choy bases are truly tough. Ms. Ly’s recipes can be enjoyed by non-ruminants😉
Posted by Linda Ly (@theGardenBetty) on June 11, 2015 at 10:25 pm
Thank you for reviewing my book and for the thoughtful comment as well! It’s especially nice to hear from a fellow gardener and local food enthusiast, and I hope the book will inspire many other delicious meals from your harvests this year.
Posted by wooddogs3 on June 11, 2015 at 10:57 pm
Thanks for joining us! I hope that many people will try your recipes and eat more veggies as a result.
Posted by Why Reader Reviews of Cookbooks Are So Important | Garden Betty on January 14, 2016 at 3:30 am
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