We meet Apps' parents as they worked
their land and a kitchen garden larger than some of today's
backyards. We join them for planting, hoeing (the weed is, for Apps' family, the grower's arch enemy), harvesting, and preserving their crops. We glimpse his mother in her chair on
a February evening with her stack of “promise books” a.k.a. seed
catalogs and pencil dreaming of spring. We watch his father
lead a team of horses to plow and find him later, in his nineties,
with his trusty hoe still in hand. We learn a method for testing germination rates of seeds using an old wool sock and how to properly process horseradish for homemade sauce - pique the readers interest. We share meals (and thankfully learn recipes) featuring the vegetable in question as it would have been
eaten then as well as tasty modern versions, courtesy of Apps' wife,
Ruth. Everything from grape jelly to green bean casserole to a very
scrumptious sounding navy bean soup is offered up to make the
gardener's mouth water.
Apps' years spent as an agricultural extension agent in Wisconsin and writing a weekly column for the local paper are evident in his easy tone. For my part I would have liked a bit more information on the nuts and bolts of how the farm worked. Apps touches on how the fields were prepared and how, for example sorghum was processed, but this garden-farming geek was left wanting. Such stories and details would have nicely rounded out his reminisces and the recipes here, and would also be quite timely given the increasing urgency of climate change. A companion volume on these processes would be a welcome (and surely well-used) addition to any gardeners bookshelf.
It's also worth noting that Apps
brought his garden to the front yard well before any one else gave
such an idea a thought. His account of that – simply placing his
garden in the best and most logical spot for it – in 1970's America was not a rebellious statement but rather good common sense put into practice. Apps' perspective on his whole yard as potential growing space should be inspiration for those feeling a lack of viable space for growing.
Garden Wisdom is a touching memoir
of a childhood full of practical advice that gardeners today can put
to good use. For my part, receiving a review copy from the publisher and reading it connected me once again to my own rural
heritage. It reminded me that whether my garden is a series of pots
or a patch of land it connects me to my ancestors with
every seed planted, every jar canned. Apps provides a perfect nudge for the person
interested in growing their own food and learning to process it. Apps' genial tone and knowledgeable yet
everyday voice are just the reassuring companions a novice needs. Tucking it into the shopping bag when heading out the door to the
local farmers market wouldn't be such a bad idea, either. Paired
with a solid reference book like Rodale's Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening or
Teeming with Microbes, the new gardener's library will be off to
a fabulous beginning.
Garden Wisdom: Lessons Learned from 60 Years of Gardening
by Jerry Apps with photos by Steve Apps, and recipes by Ruth Apps
Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2012.
$26.95
Available from the Wisconsin Historical Society Press.
Garden Wisdom: Lessons Learned from 60 Years of Gardening
by Jerry Apps with photos by Steve Apps, and recipes by Ruth Apps
Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 2012.
$26.95
Available from the Wisconsin Historical Society Press.
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