The Beginner’s Guide to Heirloom Vegetables: The 100 Easiest-to-Grow, Tastiest Vegetables for Your Garden

Heirloom veggies—the ones grandma and grandpa used to grow—are all the rage, and master gardener and garden writer Iannotti will hold the garden-gloved hands of those who are new to the old reliables. She selects a cornucopia of veggies from artichokes to zucchini, with emphasis on easy-to-grow. She also highlights standouts that exhibit 10 particular vegetable virtues, like beautiful (the stunning violet cauliflower Di Sicilia Violetto); classic (the timeless spinach Bloomsdale Long Standing); and unusual (rat’s tail radish deserves its name). In addition to profiling 100 heirlooms, Iannotti also appends a variety of helpful materials, including resource and reading lists, a glossary, and a basic guide to seed saving. This is a friendly introduction to the vast world of heirlooms, which are good for the palate and great for the planet. Adding seductive evidence to the case are 116 lovely color photos of vegetables at their peak, great veggie porn. (Feb.)