Fruit Books

Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series)

Steve Solomon

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: New Society Publishers Amazon Marketplace: 36 new & used starting at $12.07

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 34 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The decline of cheap oil is inspiring increasing numbers of North Americans to achieve some measure of backyard food self-sufficiency. In hard times, the family can be greatly helped by growing a highly productive food garden, requiring little cash outlay or watering.

Currently popular intensive vegetable gardening methods are largely inappropriate to this new circumstance. Crowded raised beds require high inputs of water, fertility and organic matter, and demand large amounts of human time and effort. But, except for labor, these inputs depend on the price of oil. Prior to the 1970s, North American home food growing used more land with less labor, with wider plant spacing, with less or no irrigation, and all done with sharp hand tools. But these sustainable systems have been largely forgotten. Gardening When It Counts helps readers rediscover traditional low-input gardening methods to produce healthy food.

Designed for readers with no experience and applicable to most areas in the English-speaking world except the tropics and hot deserts, this book shows that any family with access to 3-5,000 sq. ft. of garden land can halve their food costs using a growing system requiring just the odd bucketful of household waste water, perhaps two hundred dollars worth of hand tools, and about the same amount spent on supplies - working an average of two hours a day during the growing season.

Steve Solomon is a well-known west coast gardener and author of five previous books, including Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades which has appeared in five editions.

From Vines to Wines: The Complete Guide to Growing Grapes and Making Your Own Wine

Jeff Cox

Amazon Price: $12.89 List Price: $18.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Storey Publishing, LLC Amazon Marketplace: 58 new & used starting at $10.18

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Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Drinks & Beverages -> Wine -> Wine & Winemaking
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Almost perfect 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This book tells you everything about growing grapes and producing fine wine. It even deals with the choice of grape-varieties suited for your climate. It is almost perfect. I think many Europeans will read this book, and it would have been perfect if it included the Meditteranean countries in the tables of climate-zones and selection of suitable varieties. It is very difficult to find this (about Europe) on the internet. But a great and very useful book.

Editorial Review:

Create you own backyard winery!

From breaking ground to savoring the finished product, Jeff Cox's From Vines to Wines is the most complete and up-to-date guide to growing flawless grapes and making extraordinary wine.

Wine connoisseurs, gardeners, and home winemakers will find the latest techniques in this fully revised and updated edition. With thorough, illustrated instructions, you'll learn how to:

-- Choose and prepare a vineyard site

-- Construct sturdy and effective trellising systems

-- Plant, prune, and harvest the perfect grapes for your climate

-- Press, ferment, age and bottle your own wine

-- Judge wine for clarity, color, aroma, body, and taste

How to Grow More Vegetables and Fruits (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine

John Jeavons

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Ten Speed Press Amazon Marketplace: 40 new & used starting at $12.79

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Not a book for "casual backyard gardening" 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 14 people found this review helpful.

The people who are disappointed with this book are the ones who bought it without understanding what it was. This book isn't a "gardening for the soul" book of fluff, nor is it a typical "how to get bigger tomatoes" text.

What this book is is a compendium of information on growing as much food as possible for real, live people to eat.
Yes, it delves into the science and discusses the big, scary numbers involved. For you 'visual types' who find yourselves having to use your fingers to complete a single digit multiplication problem, don't bother. If you want purpler plumbs or redder radishes, look elsewhere.

Assuming your IQ is above 100 and you're looking for a book to tech you some of the skills required to feed your family under all circumstances, I can hardly think of a better book than this one. It is exactly what it says.

If I had to put my family on a fertile island and give them one book on gardening, it would unquestionably be this one.

Editorial Review:

A classic in the field of sustainable gardening, HOW TO GROW MORE VEGETABLES shows how to produce a beautiful organic garden with minimal watering and care, whether it's just a few tomatoes in a tiny backyard or enough food to feed a family of four on less than half an acre. Updated with the latest biointensive tips and techniques, this is an essential reference for gardeners of all skill levels seeking to grow some or all of their own food.

The Backyard Orchardist: A Complete Guide to Growing Fruit Trees in the Home Garden

Stella Otto

Amazon Price: $10.85 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Ottographics Amazon Marketplace: 44 new & used starting at $7.49

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Gardening & Horticulture -> Shrubs

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Garening 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book because I wanted to learn to care for the fruit trees and plants in my yard. This book looks like it has a lot of good information but honestly unless you are really good at gardening it is very wordy. I don't think I will sit and read it but I will probably use it as a reference book.

great reference on fruit trees 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I have about 5 books on fruit trees and this is by far the best and most comprehensive. Only drawback is that they don't use real pictures.

Editorial Review:

For every gardener desiring to add apples, pears, cherries, and other tree fruit to their landscape here are hints and solid information from a professional horticulturist and experienced fruit grower. The Backyard Orchardist includes help on selecting the best fruit trees and information about each stage of growth and development, along with tips on harvest and storage of the fruit. Those with limited space will learn about growing dwarf fruit trees in containers.
Appendices include a fruit-growers monthly calendar, a trouble-shooting guide for reviving ailing trees, and a resource list of nurseries selling fruit trees.

Pumpkins

Ken Robbins

Amazon Price: $6.99 List Price: $6.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Square Fish Amazon Marketplace: 30 new & used starting at $3.26

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Pumpkins is especially fun 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Written by Ken Robbins, Pumpkins is a picturebook celebration of the edible plant that is cherished as a Halloween symbol. Full-color photography offers a tour of the life of a pumpkin plant, from seeding to flower to fruit and harvest, and finally being carved into a scary jack-o-lantern. The perfect seasonal read-aloud book for Halloween, Pumpkins is especially fun to page through for young pumpkin lovers eagerly looking forward to the holiday season.

Beautiful photographs 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The photographs in this book are beautiful. My favorite, by far, is the one on the cover. I sure hope this wasn't photo-shopped- it would take the magic out of it.

Editorial Review:

From late summer to Thanksgiving, pumpkins are everywhere, a symbol of fall and a reminder of the holidays to come. In this handsome book, Ken Robbins—widely known for his sumptuous photo-essays on subjects ranging from trucks to tools to autumn leaves—portrays the pumpkin from seed, to sprout, to flower, to fully fledged fruit, and back again. Instructions are given to (safely) carve a jack-o’-lantern.

In Season: Cooking with Vegetables and Fruits

Sarah Raven

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Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Special Occasions -> Seasonal

Editorial Review:

Here Sarah Raven, a leading proponent of the local foods movement, shows how to make the most of fresh produce, whether from your own garden, your local farmers’ market or the grocery. Taking us through the year in six seasonal chunks of two months each, she highlights the best vegetables, fruits, and herbs from each period, throwing in tidbits she’s learned firsthand from her own garden. The more than 250 simple and delicious recipes borrow from different cuisines and include such inventive dishes as Cranberry Bean Hummus; Squid, Pea, and Chorizo Stew; Basil Custard; Zucchini Chutney; Saute of Peas and Lettuce; Penne with Preserved Lemon and Avocado; and Pears Poached in Saffron Syrup. While some recipes are ideal for vegetarians, there are many designed to bring out the best in meat, poultry, and seafood. In Season will inspire a new appreciation of fresh produce and will be an indispensable addition to every serious cook’s shelves.

The Grape Grower: A Guide to Organic Viticulture

Amazon Price: $23.10 List Price: $35.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Chelsea Green Amazon Marketplace: 36 new & used starting at $21.89

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Grapes are the most popular and widely grown fruit in the world. From the tropics to Alaska, grapes will grow successfully in almost every climate. Whether you raise them for fresh eating, or for making wine, juice, or jellies and preserves, the right grapes will reward you with abundant crops for a modest investment of time and effort.
Now for the first time comes a book for grape growers who wish to use organic growing methods to raise healthy, thriving vineyards in the backyard or on a small commercial scale. The Grape Grower distills the broad knowledge and long-time personal experience of Lon Rombough, one of North America's foremost authorities on viticulture.
From finding and preparing the right site for your vineyard to training, trellising, and pruning vines to growing new grapes from seeds and cuttings, The Grape Grower offers thorough and accessible information on all the basics. The chapters on grape species, varieties, and hybrids are alone worth the price of a college course in viticulture. Technical information on the major (and minor) insect pests and diseases that affect grapes, as well as their organic controls, makes this book an invaluable reference that readers will turn to again and again.
Rombaugh also provides a wealth of information on hardy but little-known grapes that are native to North America, and on a wide range of topics, including:

pruning neglected or overgrown vines

growing grapes on arbors and in greenhouses

controlling animal pests in the vineyard

bunch grapes and muscadine grapes for the South

winter protection, and how to increase the hardiness of grapes

creating your own new varieties

The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Adventure, Commerce, and Obsession

Adam Leith Gollner

Amazon Price: $16.50 List Price: $25.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Scribner Amazon Marketplace: 49 new & used starting at $9.93

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Delicious, lethal, hallucinogenic and medicinal, fruits have led nations to war, fueled dictatorships and lured people into new worlds. An expedition through the fascinating world of fruit, The Fruit Hunters is the engrossing story of some of Earth's most desired foods.

In lustrous prose, Adam Leith Gollner draws readers into a Willy Wonka-like world with mangoes that taste like piña coladas, orange cloudberries, peanut butter fruits and the miracle fruit that turns everything sour to sweet, making lemons taste like lemonade. Peopled with a cast of characters as varied and bizarre as the fruit -- smugglers, inventors, explorers and epicures -- this extraordinary book unveils the mysterious universe of fruit, from the jungles of Borneo to the prized orchards of Florida's fruit hunters to American supermarkets.

Gollner examines the fruits we eat and explains why we eat them (the scientific, economic and aesthetic reasons); traces the life of mass-produced fruits (how they are created, grown and marketed) and explores the underworld of fruits that are inaccessible, ignored and even forbidden in the Western world.

An intrepid journalist and keen observer of nature -- both human and botanical -- Adam Leith Gollner has written a vivid tale of horticultural obsession.

The Apple Grower: Guide for the Organic Orchardist

Michael Phillips

Amazon Price: $26.40 List Price: $40.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Chelsea Green Amazon Marketplace: 32 new & used starting at $25.06

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

For decades fruit growers have sprayed their trees with toxic chemicals in an attempt to control a range of insect and fungal pests. Yet it is possible to grow apples responsibly, by applying the intuitive knowledge of our great-grandparents with the fruits of modern scientific research and innovation.
Since The Apple Grower first appeared in 1998, orchardist Michael Phillips has continued his research with apples, which have been called “organic’s final frontier.” In this new edition of his widely acclaimed work, Phillips delves even deeper into the mysteries of growing good fruit with minimal inputs. Some of the cuttingedge topics he explores include:

The use of kaolin clay as an effective strategy against curculio and borers, as well as its limitations

Creating a diverse, healthy orchard ecosystem through understory management of plants, nutrients, and beneficial microorganisms

How to make a small apple business viable by focusing on heritage and regional varieties, value-added products, and the “community orchard” model

The author’s personal voice and clear-eyed advice have already made The Apple Grower a classic among small-scale growers and home orchardists. In fact, anyone serious about succeeding with apples needs to have this updated edition on their bookshelf.

The Backyard Berry Book: A Hands-On Guide to Growing Berries, Brambles, and Vine Fruit in the Home Garden

Stella Otto

Amazon Price: $11.53 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Ottographics Amazon Marketplace: 44 new & used starting at $8.04

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Gardening & Horticulture -> By Plant -> Berries

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Excellent Book 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I recommend it to anyone interested in growing fruit at home. The information about the different varieties of each type of fruit was very useful.

The Backyard Berry Book: A Hands-On Guide to Growing Berries, Brambles, and Vine Fruit in the Home Garden 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Extremely helpful! Just moved to a new home and wanted to start my plants off right. This book helped me not only in the selection of my plants, but where on my property it is best to plant them, and how to properly plant them. I also learned the correct ways of pruning and fertilizing each plant. I have found this book to be an invaluable tool to a begining backyard gardener.

Editorial Review:

In the late 20th century, unfortunately, berries are seen primarily in the supermarket at certain times of year, and while this is welcome, it used to be that everyone had a few berry bushes in the backyard: some currants, some gooseberries and a few rhubarb plants. Stella Otto explains how to bring this tradition back and raise lush crops of berries and fruit with pointers on soil nutrition, plant nutrients and mulching that will make your home-grown berries the envy of folks who only see them in the supermarket. This mouth-watering book will get you going.