Grow it! Cook it! : The Beginner's Guide to Producing your Own Food PDF
Preview Grow it! Cook it! : The Beginner's Guide to Producing your Own Food
Grow it! Cook it! Visit our How To Website at www.howto.co.uk At www.howto.co.uk you can engage in conversation with our authors – all of whom have ‘been there and done that’ in their specialist fields. You can get access to special offers and additional content but most importantly you will be able to engage with, and become a part of, a wide and growing community of people just like yourself. At www.howto.co.uk you’ll be able to talk and share tips with people who have similar interests and are facing similar challenges in their lives. People who, just like you, have the desire to change their lives for the better – be it through moving to a new country, starting a new business, growing their own vegetables, or writing a novel. At www.howto.co.uk you’ll find the support and encouragement you need to help make your aspirations a reality. You can to direct to www.grow-your-own-groceries.co.uk which is part of the How To site. How To Books strives to present authentic, inspiring, practical information in their books. Now, when you buy a title from How To Books, you get even more than just words on a page. 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: (01865) 375794 Fax: (01865) 379162 [email protected] www.howtobooks.co.uk How To Books greatly reduce the carbon footprint of their books by sourcing their typesetting and printing in the UK. 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 should check the current position with the relevant authorities before making personal arrangements. 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
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