Hardback: 204pp
Published: Lettuce Publishing (March 2021)
ISBN: 9781916373914
The Little Grower’s Cookbook
Ghillie James & Julia Parker
£20.00
Foreword by Olivia Colman
‘A lovely book. A great source of ideas for getting children involved in gardening’
The Guardian
SHORTLISTED: Garden Book of the Year
A game-changing book with more than sixty simple and sustainable gardening activities, recipes and weekend fun for every season, The Little Grower’s Cookbook is the perfect way to tempt kids away from screens and out into the green for some creative and eco-friendly family time together. Whether it’s a rainy day, the weekend or a holiday, there are fun-filled activities to suit everyone.
Simple step-by-step instructions, colourful photos and plenty of tips and tricks make seasonal growing, harvesting and cooking exciting and easy. Have you ever tried to grow veggies in an old welly boot, made a butterfly banquet or tasted a snail sandwich?
With no need for a large garden or a big budget, these projects will teach and inspire children to look at what’s around them in the natural world and have fun with it. They will learn, play and experiment with nature’s bounty through planet-friendly projects that re-use repurposed and recycled materials.
Extracts
Carrots and parsnips are much easier to grow in a bucket than in the ground, and any leftover sand in the bottom of your container will make the carrots even happier as they love fine, sandy soil!
There are lots of different varieties of carrots to choose from. Not all are orange – there are purple and white ones too. Some carrots are short and round like a table tennis ball! No matter what type you grow, there is nothing better than homegrown carrots and parsnips, as they are deliciously sweet and packed full of vitamins. If you want to grow lots of veggies, then use two buckets and two spades.
Extracts
Carrots and parsnips are much easier to grow in a bucket rather than in the ground, and any leftover sand in the bottom of your container will make the carrots even happier as they love fine, sandy soil!
There are lots of different varieties of carrots to choose from. Not all are orange – there are purple and white ones too. Some carrots are short and round like a table tennis ball! No matter what type you grow there is nothing better than homegrown carrots and parsnips, as they are deliciously sweet and packed full of vitamins. If you want to grow lots of veggies then use two buckets and two spades.
The basics
When to grow
Spring is the perfect time to grow most parsnips and carrots, although some carrot varieties can be grown throughout the year.
You will need
Large recycled seaside bucket (big enough for a full sized plant, you will need to add drainage holes)
Recycled plastic spade
Screwdriver or skewer to make holes in the bottom of the bucket
Multi-purpose or potting compost
Carrot and/or parsnip seeds
Watering can
Stick or pencil
Waterproof coloured pens or paints
quotes
‘A wonderful reminder of the pure joy that children find in and with nature. It offers simple and sustainable gardening projects, recipes and weekend activities that anyone, anywhere can enjoy, even in small urban spaces’
Olivia Colman
‘Just what today’s children need to keep them healthy, happy and busy. Brimming with brilliant cooking and gardening ideas which will help your little ones make the important connection between nature and the food they eat – with a bucketload of fun thrown in!‘
Lucinda Miller
‘Balances simplicity with the deep wisdom of the authors to appeal to children and adults alike. The best book for young gardeners I have ever seen’
John Vincent, co-founder, Leon
reviews
‘A great source of ideas for getting children involved in gardening activities, even if you don’t have a garden... A lovely book’
‘It’s a wonderful book, beautifully photographed and well structured and I recommend it to anyone, whether they’ve got kids or not and they’re just itching to get out there and give it a go’
‘A gorgeous and inspiring book. It’s so clever’
Georgina Hayden, Sunday Brunch, Channel 4
‘There’s plenty here to foster green fingeredness and encourage sustainability. And while the instructions are aimed at children, they are never patronising: the adult novice will find welcome and informative suggestions here too’
The Field
‘Crafty ideas to get the kids in the garden this weekend’
Sunday Telegraph
‘A gardening cookery book for children, brimming with projects, recipes and activities to capture young imaginations and inspire budding growers. Charming’
Gardens Illustrated
‘Aimed at encouraging children to pick up a trowel, this charming book will teach them how to make a mini greenhouse for tomatoes using old strawberry punnets and how to concoct their own rose-water’
Town & Country
‘This approachable, fun book is packed with innovative ways to grow and cook, from simple growing tips to awesome recipes’
Suzanne Moss, Royal Horticultural Society
‘Don’t be fooled by the title, this lovely book is as much about gardening as it is about cooking and is filled with simple and sustainable gardening projects, fun weekend activities and, of course, recipes for your edible crops’
The Home Page: best new gardening books of 2021
‘Brimming with brilliant cooking and gardening ideas which will help your little ones make the important connection between nature and the food they eat, with a bucketload of fun thrown in. It gets five stars and a thumbs up from Charlie, our almost 13-year-old’
‘What a fantastic book!’
‘Get your little ones in the kitchen and outdoors with a helping hand from this new cookbook. Containing over 60 simple and sustainable gardening activities and recipes, there’s plenty to keep the kids entertained during weekends at home’
extras
Ghillie James suggests screen-free activities to get kids into nature in The Independent.
Here’s a full-page extract from The Little Grower’s Cookbook in the Sunday Telegraph (paywalled).
Julia Parker talks to William Sitwell on his Biting Talk podcast.
ABOUT
Ghillie James & Julia Parker
selected works
more titles coming soon...
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