Harvest. Unexpected Projects Using 47 Extraordinary Garden Plants by Stefani Bittner & Alethea Harampolis is a fun, beautiful, inspiring, and informative gardening cookbook I recently bought. I pre-ordered this book and I never pre-order a book.  I like to read the reviews and have the book be out for a while to see what people think of it before I get it. But the name of this book got me hooked – Harvest!  What a lovely name for a gardening book.  Harvest speaks volumes just by the meaning of the word – the feel good images it conjures of fields and farms, of flowers and nature.

I ordered the book not knowing if I would like it, but that’s the beauty of Amazon. I figured if the book didn’t live up to my expectations I could easily return it. I finally got a copy of Harvest in the mail about a month ago, and with an open mind started perusing this book.  Let me give you just a few of the many reasons why this is a wonderful book to add to your gardening and cookbook collection.

First and foremost what makes this book a standout among the pack, is the stunning photography.  The photography steals the show. They are just out of this world.

The subject matter, which in this case is nature at her gorgeous finest, are all beautifully photographed with the most amazing lighting that make the photos literally leap off the pages. These pictures entice us to smell that lovely flower, drink that pretty spritzer, and make that gorgeous salad.

Harvest presents edible nature in such appealing ways that it sheds wonderful spotlight on how natural flowers, herbs, twigs, and leaves can be enjoyed not only for it’s beauty in the garden, but also in home decor, as well as in our foods to nourish our body and our senses.

At the core Harvest is about how to use nature and the bounty that she provides in our foods and in our lives to make us feel and look great. This book presents 47 easy to follow recipes on how to use natural harvest to create some pretty edibles, arrangements, and spa treatments.

Recipes in this book are super simple. As few ingredients as possible to make the most irresistible nature oriented concoctions, drinks, salads, flavored salts, and dressings.

With recipes for drinks and spritzers that are not just pretty to look at, but just as delicious to drink, these herb infused sodas and flavored drinks will make one salivate.

 

Besides outstanding recipes, get this book for the amazing photography.  Photographer David Fenton has done an amazing job capturing nature in such delectable ways that it makes one literally want to eat everything in these pages.

Harvest is one of those books we keep going back to again and again on rainy days to transport ourselves to a warm sunny garden. Or to peruse through on sunny days when we can stroll in our own garden and pick a few herbs and flowers to make a harvest inspired drink, salad, or bouquet.

This is the type of book you want to sit out with on the patio on a warm sunny afternoon with a spritzer that is made from herbs and flowers from your own garden. Can it get any better than this?

Here is a peek at a few more photos that make this book a treasure to own.

Here is a brief description of Harvest from the publisher:

“Every garden – not just vegetable plots – can produce a bountiful harvest. Join us for an afternoon lecture and demonstration with Stefani Bittner and Alethea Harampolis as they present their brand new and beautifully photographed guide (Penguin Random House, February 2017) to growing, harvesting, and utilizing 47 unexpected plants. Discover the surprising usefulness of petals, leaves, roots, seeds, and fruit.

Turn turmeric root into a natural dye and calamintha into lip balm. Make anise hyssop into a refreshing iced tea and turn apricots into a facial mask. Learn how crabapple branches can be used to create stunning floral arrangements, how oregano flowers can be infused into vinegar, and how edible chrysanthemums can liven up a salad.

This practical, inspirational, and seasonal guide will help make any garden more productive and enjoyable with a variety of projects including organic pantry staples, fragrances, floral arrangements, beverages, beauty products, and more, using common garden plants, some of which may already be growing in your backyard. Discover how there is always something for gardeners to harvest – from one growing season to the next.

Stefani Bittner and Alethea Harampolis are the owners of Homestead Design Collective, a San Francisco Bay Area landscape design firm. Bittner is co-author of The Beautiful Edible Garden and Harampolis is co-author of the best-selling The Flower Recipe Book and The Wreath Recipe Book, and a co-founder/owner of the floral design company Studio Choo.”

Harvest. Unexpected Projects Using 47 Extraordinary Garden Plants by Stefani Bittner & Alethea Harampolis on Amazon