Amish Gardens of Lancaster County: Kitchen Gardens and Family Recipes

There are many garden books, but none that focus on the unique art of Amish gardens. Told from the point of view of the women who plan and tend them, it offers insight into their unusual designs that combine vegetables, fruit, herbs, and colorful flowers, and what this artistic outlet means to them. Color photographs of more than 18 gardens beautifully capture that trademark mix of orderliness and ornamentation: marigolds tucked among the melons, cockscombs with the cabbage, and a whimsically painted chair, iron gate, or old balustrade. Included are 32 family recipes straight from the garden: hot-pepper jam, fried green tomatoes, sweet dill pickles, sauerkraut for a crowd, corn fritters, and creamed celery. Like the resourceful women who tend them, each garden has its own personality and beauty.