A Curious History of Vegetables: Aphrodisiacal and Healing Properties, Folk Tales, Garden Tips, and Recipes

Description

A book for farm-to-fork aficionados, this fascinating exploration of the secret history of 45 well known and rare vegetables examines their history, symbolism, astrological connections, healing properties, and overall character. The book features cultivation tips, recipes, and beautiful full-color pencil drawings of each vegetable. With each entry illustrated by beautiful color botanical drawings and many historic woodcuts and engravings, the book features common vegetables such as onions together with uncommon knowledge about their properties, history, and cultivation. Entries on rarer vegetables such as purslane, celeriac root, mallow, and chrysanthemum include recipes from all over the world.

WOLF D. STORL, PhD, is an ethnobotanist and the author of some two dozen books on herbalism, alternative medicine, ethnobotany, and shamanism. Born in Saxony, Germany, he received his PhD in ethnology from the University of Berne, Switzerland. His early post-doctorate career includes research in a Swiss biodynamic farming community, teaching anthropology and organic gardening at Rogue College in Oregon, participant-observer research at a traditional Swiss farm, and two years in India as a visiting scholar at the Benares Hindu University. Always interested in local gardening practices in his travels around the world, 25 years ago Dr. Storl was able to put his learning to the test when he and his family moved to a mountain farmstead in southern Germany. There he maintains a year-round vegetable garden and continues to teach, also appearing on television in the U.S. and many countries in Europe as a spokesman for natural horticulture. The author lives in Rohrdorf, Germany.

"Discover how nearly fifty vegetable, herb, and flower plants 'dance with humanity'-and about wild gardens, nourishment as medicine, truly tasty simple gourmet recipes, the history and lore of plants over time, plus special garden tips. Be nourished with the skills and observations of Dr. Wolf Storl, a living library, a master farmer and gardener." -John Jeavons, author of How to Grow More Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine Praise for the work of Wolf D. Storl "The author, as you will quickly discover, is brilliant ... and obvious from his writings, he has also delved deeply into the works of the old masters. Storl uncovers stories and teachings not often heard and masterfully weaves them into the modern-day context. Marvelous!"-Rosemary Gladstar, author of Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health "In these times ... gardening, especially organic gardening, is a path to freedom."-Vandana Shiva, PhD, founder of Navdanya International and author of Who Really Feeds the World?