The Edible Heirloom Garden

The first installment in Creasy's (Cooking from the Garden) new Edible Garden series spotlights horticulture's most affordable antiques--heirloom vegetables. Framed in a lively, colorful format, Creasy's down-to-earth style proves just right for her folksy subject, as she explains the importance of seed preservation in maintaining a healthy, diverse gene pool and visits heirloom display gardens from historic New England to the wilds of Idaho. An encyclopedia of venerable varieties sporting such colorful names as ""Hoffer's Lazy Wife"" beans and ""Howling Mob"" sweet corn is downright irresistible, and Creasy includes a useful, generous listing of sources for heirloom seeds and plants in the appendices. In addition to hands-on information about growing, harvesting and saving seed, Creasy also offers a robust selection of recipes for cooking and preserving the bounty, from Grandma Dorothy's Watermelon Pickles to such traditional Colonial dishes as Fried Cucumbers and Carrot Pie. This splendid overview of a gardening niche that's becoming increasingly popular is also jam-packed with Creasy's tantalizing photographs, which make a strong case for growing these heirlooms not only for their historical value and their flavor but for their beauty. (Mar.) FYI: Published simultaneously in the series are Italian, Flower, Herb, French and Salad.