The Renee’s Garden Cookbook

As you harvest late summer veggies from the garden, you may be running low on ideas for using yet another squash, pepper or tomato. Take a look at The Renee’s Garden Cookbook and you’re likely to find yourself wishing for even more produce.

Authored by longtime garden seed entrepreneur and garden guru Renee Shepherd with cooking instructor and author Fran Raboff, the 156-page cookbook is chock full of recipes designed to make the most of homegrown veggies. Shepherd, who has been in the seed business for decades, originally started Shepherd’s Garden Seeds in 1985. Today she owns Renee’s Garden Seeds. “Back in the late 80s and early 90s, I was introducing a variety of vegetables that were widely unfamiliar to people at the time, such as arugula and radicchio,” says Shepherd, author of two previous cookbooks, Recipes from a Kitchen Garden and More Recipes from a Kitchen Garden. “Along with providing seed for people to grow the vegetables, I wanted to give them information on how to prepare and enjoy the produce.” Shepherd’s seeds, which include heirloom gourmet veggies, herbs and flowers, are chosen from seed growers around the world. The seeds are grown and the resulting vegetables trialed for great flavor and garden performance and can be found via mail-order and through garden centers and nurseries. “There’s a seamless connection between growing vegetables and cooking with them,” says Shepherd. “For me, gardening with edibles leads to the fun of cooking with them, and cooking with fresh vegetables inevitably leads back to the desire to grow them–it’s hard to say which is the chicken or the egg. To start out with a little hard seed and end up with food on your table is a lot of fun.” Shepherd and Raboff created the recipes in their cookbook by getting together weekly in Raboff’s kitchen with Shepherd’s produce. Shepherd has a variety of favorite recipes in the book, which also features illustrations of vegetables and gardening advice. These include Tomato and Red Lentil Soup with Dried Apricots and Lime, Italian Escarole Soup with Tiny Turkey Meatballs, Grandma’s Kosher Dill Pickles, Chunky Chicken Salad with Apples, Dried Cranberries and Toasted Nuts, Gingery Gingersnaps, Yogurt Cheese Pie Scented with Lemon Geranium, Beth’s Green Bean Salad with Lime and Mustard Dressing and Mary Jo’s Albacore Tuna with Fresh Sage and Bow-Tie Noodles. The following recipe from The Renee’s Garden Cookbook features kale, which has gained attention in the kitchen and garden over the last couple of years as a healthy green. “If you grow kale in the garden, it is much sweeter and tenderer than any kale you’ll get in the store,” says Shepherd. Fresh Kale Salad with Peanut & Lime Dressing 1 large bunch kale, ribs removed, cut in thin ribbons 1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper cut in ½ inch diced pieces 4 to 6 whole scallions, thinly sliced 1 large red apple cut in julienne strips Dressing: 1 tablespoon peanut butter, chunky or smooth 4 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar 8 tablespoons peanut, olive or canola oil ¾ teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1 clove garlic, finely minced ½ teaspoon sugar 1 large fresh lime, juiced ¼ teaspoon each, salt and freshly ground pepper Garnish: ½ cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped Combine dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid. Shake thoroughly. In a large salad bowl, combine greens, bell peppers, scallions, apple and cilantro. Toss with dressing, sprinkle with nuts and serve. Serves 6 Julie Bawden-Davis is a garden writer and master gardener, who since 1985 has written for publications such as Organic Gardening, Wildflower, Better Homes and Gardens and The Los Angeles Times. She is the author of seven books, including Reader’s Digest Flower Gardening, Fairy Gardening, The Strawberry Story, and Indoor Gardening the Organic Way, and is the founder of HealthyHouseplants.com.