A Potted History of Vegetables

Whether to escape the rat race or to help save our environment, people are getting back to nature. Allotments and green spaces have never been so popular, seasonal and local produce is the order of the day, and the healthy nostalgia of growing heirloom vegetables is unquestionably and delightfully in vogue. A Potted History of Vegetables embraces this idea by reaquainting the reader with the origins, nature, and peculiarities of the world's produce. Combining beautiful reproductions of the finest nineteenth century botanical illustrations with a miscellany of fascinating facts and extraordinary histories, the book immerses you in the wonderful world of vegetables. Whether through the revelation that carrots were once purple, or the notion that potatoes were originally kept as ornamental rather than edible plants, the Potted History reveals the personality at the heart of each vegetable, and traces its roots, traditions and symbolism, and the way in which its popularity grew around the globe. Information is potted tightly, including such essentials as Latin names, vegetable families, and countries of origin, making this the ideal gift for gardener, chef, or eco-warrior, and a delicious, dip-in, kitchen cornucopia.