On October 28, 2008 at the Central Library, Alan Branhagen, director of horticulture at Powell Gardens, discussed the new expansion there – the Heartland Harvest Garden. Also, from October 18, 2008 – January 18, 2009, the Kansas City Public Library is hosting Hungry Planet, an exhibit of photographs documenting what families around the world eat. Learn how to grow your own food in your backyard, take a peek at food traditions in Missouri, or find some new recipes with these books.

Vegetable Gardening | Missouri Food | Cookbooks

Vegetable Gardening

The Midwest Fruit and Vegetable Book, Missouri Edition
By James A. Fizzell
This book contains advice for fruits, vegetables, and herbs. With 60 featured plants, the author provides characteristics of available varieties, planting and maintenance advice, as well as recipes for dishes from the garden.

The Organic Home Garden: How to Grow Fruits & Vegetables Naturally
By Patrick Lima
This book provides a user-friendly and comprehensive guide to growing fruits and vegetables in an organic home garden, accompanied by recipes. Patrick Lima is well known as both a gardener and as a writer.

Rodale's Vegetable Garden Problem Solver: The Best and Latest Advice for Beating Pests, Diseases, and Weeds and Staying A Step Ahead Of Trouble in the Garden
By Fern Marshall Bradley
With a wealth of information and tested advice, this problem-solving treasure gives gardeners every-thing they need to do battle with garden pests, diseases, and weeds – with safe, natural solutions.

The Garden Primer
By Barbara Damrosch
Garden simply, beautifully, and well with The Garden Primer, a comprehensive gardening reference jam-packed with useful information, advice, tips, and quirky wisdom. Barbara Damrosch, an "old-fashioned dirt gardener," spent years refining her natural, common-sense approach to gardening and now guides you through all aspects of planning, planting, and upkeep.

Missouri Food

Pot Roast, Politics, and Ants in the Pantry: Missouri's Cookbook Heritage
By Carol Fisher and John Fisher
Beginning with cookbooks from 1821 and progressing to online recipes, the authors examine Missouri cookbooks and discuss how they document our kitchens and households.

Food in Missouri: A Cultural Stew
By Madeline Matson
This book provides a history of food in Missouri, from the food of the Native Americans to the food of Missouri’s settlers to the fast food of today. She covers cultural traditions, as well as highlighting important people and places.

Cookbooks

Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets
By Deborah Madison
Author of the bestseller Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, Deborah Madison visits farmers’ markets across the country and shares recipes and menus based on the ingredients she finds there.

In Season: Cooking Fresh from the Kansas City Farmers' Market
By Julienne Gehrer
In this cookbook, Julienne Gehrer couples 90 recipes organized by season with colorful photos of the City Market and interviews with farmers from Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa.

Prairie Home Cooking: 400 Recipes That Celebrate the Bountiful Harvests, Creative Cooks, and Comforting Foods of the American Heartland
By Judith M. Fertig
Fertig serves up a warmhearted invitation to savor the best flavors of America's bread basket, with 400 recipes and extensive sidebars celebrating a rich tapestry of ethnic cuisines.

Fresh from the Farmers' Market: Year-Round Recipes for the Pick of the Crop
By Janet Fletcher
This book showcases the delicious fruits and vegetables available at farmers’ markets in more than 75 recipes. Food writer Janet Fletcher also includes cooking tips and shopping advice.

Some book descriptions provided by BookLetters.