---
product_id: 1203183
title: "Vegetable Literacy: Cooking and Gardening with Twelve Families from the Edible Plant Kingdom, with over 300 Deliciously Simple Recipes [A Cookbook]"
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store_origin: SN
region: Senegal
---

# Vegetable Literacy: Cooking and Gardening with Twelve Families from the Edible Plant Kingdom, with over 300 Deliciously Simple Recipes [A Cookbook]

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- **What is this?** Vegetable Literacy: Cooking and Gardening with Twelve Families from the Edible Plant Kingdom, with over 300 Deliciously Simple Recipes [A Cookbook]
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## Description

In her latest cookbook, Deborah Madison, America's leading authority on vegetarian cooking and author of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone , reveals the surprising relationships between vegetables, edible flowers, and herbs within the same botanical families, and how understanding these connections can help home cooks see everyday vegetables in new light. For over three decades, Deborah Madison has been at the vanguard of the vegetarian cooking movement, authoring classic books on the subject and emboldening millions of readers to cook simple, elegant, plant-based food. This groundbreaking new cookbook is Madison’s crowning achievement: a celebration of the diversity of the plant kingdom, and an exploration of the fascinating relationships between vegetables, edible flowers, herbs, and familiar wild plants within the same botanical families. Destined to become the new standard reference for cooking vegetables, Vegetable Literacy shows cooks that, because of their shared characteristics, vegetables within the same family can be used interchangeably in cooking. It presents an entirely new way of looking at vegetables, drawing on Madison’s deep knowledge of cooking, gardening, and botany. For example, knowing that dill, chervil, cumin, parsley, coriander, anise, lovage, and caraway come from the umbellifer family makes it clear why they’re such good matches for carrots, also a member of that family. With more than 300 classic and exquisitely simple recipes, Madison brings this wealth of information together in dishes that highlight a world of complementary flavors. Griddled Artichokes with Tarragon Mayonnaise, Tomato Soup and Cilantro with Black Quinoa, Tuscan Kale Salad with Slivered Brussels Sprouts and Sesame Dressing, Kohlrabi Slaw with Frizzy Mustard Greens, and Fresh Peas with Sage on Baked Ricotta showcase combinations that are simultaneously familiar and revelatory. Inspiring improvisation in the kitchen and curiosity in the garden, Vegetable Literacy —an unparalleled look at culinary vegetables and plants—will forever change the way we eat and cook.

Review: A siren song for vegetable gardeners, would-be gardeners and lovers of vegetables - If you have created a vegetable garden, and worked it even just one year or worked it more years than you care to count, you will be hooked on this book by the second page of the introduction. It contains a wealth of information; so much information, that you should not wait for your local library to get a copy: You need it NOW, and you will refer to it way too often to have to rely on the library's copy. If you are considering putting in your first vegetable garden, or if you often buy from a farmers' market or a local produce stand, you need to order this book, too. You will love it and, not only will you cook its recipes; you will be able to create your own favorites from all the tips included. If you buy your produce from the grocery store, you will find a lot of great recipes and a lot of information on unfamiliar edible plants, grains, grasses, herbs, beans and vegetables. But (I'd roughly estimate that) a fifth of the information provided will not be of value to the grocery-store-buyer, since the book provides information on varieties available and how to make use of all parts of the plant: From seedlings that you weed out, to leaf tops of edible roots, to roots of edible tops, to bolted stems and flowers, etc. In other words, parts of the plant that grocery-store-buyers don't often see. But, I'd bet good money that anyone who reads this book and doesn't have a garden, will be hurriedly searching for a sunny piece of earth in which to pitch a shovel! I won't go into the great information that you can find by reading this product page on desertcart. Definitely take advantage of the "Look Inside" feature. And definitely take a look at Deborah Madison's other published books. I find it a waste of space to list chapters and covered topics and ingredients in a review when it's all there in the "Look Inside". Deborah Madison has been writing quality cook books for ages. It was her book Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone that helped me convince the men in my family that they were not going to die if there wasn't meat on the dinner plate (that was back in the 1990s). But the point I'm trying to make is this: Madison has vast experience with veggies, grains, grasses, herbs, and beans. She has the necessary expertise, writing style and refined taste buds to put together a valuable and worthwhile cook book. What may not be obvious by browsing through the Contents and Index pages: --Besides the main star ingredient, other ingredients that flavor the recipes are not hard to locate. They are not necessarily limited to everyday ingredients with which we are all familiar: For instance, if you don't already know ghee and miso paste, you will be introduced to it in some of these recipes. --For most of the plants, you will find what I call a "food thesaurus" listing or section; "good companions" is what Madison calls them. You will have to remember those "companions" yourself, because they are not listed in the index. --You won't find recipes where the featured vegetable is NOT the primary flavor. In other words, you won't find chicken, salmon, sausage recipes with accompanying veggies and herbs or sauces made of the highlighted veggie or herb. You might find fish and meats mentioned in the "Good Companions" listed, but, again, you won't find them listed in the index. --This is not a vegan book: There are eggs, butter, cream and such. Actually, there are some very nice egg recipes. We've tried the egg salad with tarragon (I used Mexican tarragon, because that's what grows in my Southern garden and eggs from our own hens.) --This is NOT a how-to-garden book. Although it does list some seed recommendations. --This is NOT a book that is slanted towards where Madison lives and gardens in New Mexico. Meaning, you will not find information that is inappropriate for your area. (I think that is a great accomplishment on Madison's part: That she was able to make the book very personable, but still refrain from giving us information--stated as fact--that is unsuitable or different for the various parts of the U.S. (For instance, I must plant my summer squash and tomatoes in early March. My zukes are finished in June and my tomatoes are over in July. Your tomatoes may last until the first frost.) It is a pet peeve of mine that so many vegetable gardening cookbooks assume I have tomatoes in August... --Cooking techniques are explained. And many, many techniques are employed: Steaming, sauteing, roasting, baking, grilling, braising and pressure cooking. If there are recipes for breaded and fried veggies, I don't remember seeing them. (Thank you for that!!!) --There are so many fantastic and helpful tips: How about this one? The extra-long stem on an artichoke is meant to be used: Peel, slice, drop in acidulated water, then braise, saute, or toss them into a soup. -- The simplicity of the recipes that forces the focus onto a specific vegetable, sort of reminds me of Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch by Nigel Slater. But I like this book a whole lot better because it is definitely slanted towards American ways, names, places, available ingredients, available seeds and measurements***. (Slater's book, while it is filled with wonderful recipes and ideas, is slanted towards a British audience.) --***There is an adequate conversion chart of measurements at the very end of the book. Being on the last page, it is very easy to flip to. (It's a bit hard to read: Green ink and not a large type point size.) --Unlike the two books by Lawson, this book does NOT have many photographs, as it is meant to be a wealth of information, not just pretty pictures to look at. (I think it could have used some more pictures, though. But then the book would have weighed a ton.) It is definitely not a coffee table book. --There are many soup recipes--and that is important in our family. There are all kinds of salads, side dishes, and main dishes. Best of all: I'm very happy to see there are hardly any pasta recipes. They seem to be a dime a dozen these days... --We've become fans of quite a lot of Asian greens lately--they do so well in our gardens; and of course some are mentioned in this book--bok choy and Chinese broccoli and perilla (shiso) to mention a few, but I will still be referring to my favorite Asian cook books (and the Kitazawa Seed catalog) for most of them. I've only had this book a short few days, but we've already sampled several recipes. We cook from our garden, so I was kind of limited in the recipes I could choose from--it being mid-March in the Coastal Plains of Texas. But follows is a list of what I created so far, and the recipes have worked and so have the flavor combinations: Grilled Onions with Cinnamon Butter (using the first of the 1015 Texas Onions from down in the Valley); Braised Parsley Root (with the last from the garden--had to get them out to make room for two very special cherry tomatoes, both originating from further down south); Chard Soup with Cumin, Cilantro and Lime; and to use up two lonely rutabagas, I combined ideas from the Winter Stew of Braised Rutabagas Carrots, Potatoes and Parsley, and Rutabaga Soup with Gorgonzola Toasts. I'm really looking forward to trying almost all the recipes in this book. And, much to my delight, we've got quite a few of those mentioned in this book already planted in our garden.
Review: Vegetable Cuisine - Vegetables are finding their true place in our cooking and eating world. Many of us are eating more vegetables for health reasons, or because we have given up meat, or, for like most of us, fresh vegetables can be found in almost every market. Most towns and cities have their own farmers markets, and many of us have our own gardens. I am a member of a CSA, Community Supported Agriculture. I pay yearly dues to a farm, and then receive weekly supplies of vegetables. This is wonderful, but what do I do with garlic scapes and how do I cook these vegetables in a new and different maner. Deborah Madison has assisted me with recipes in this fabulous new book. Her knowledge of cooking, and gardening has brought great surprises to me. She has a new format for her cookbook, she has written her chapters based on plants within the same family. This is an area that opened my eyes. I never thought about the fact that tomatoes go so well with eggplant. Within each chapter, each vegetable gets its own recipes, growing tips, recommended varieties, kitchen wisdom, and culinary companions. This is a 405 page book on Vegetable Literacy, on cooking and gardening with twelve families from the edible plant kingdom, and over 300 simple recipes. This all started when Deborah Madison noted the lacy flowers on some of her plants, carrots, parsley , fennel, cilantro, and anise. She wondered if all these lacy flowered plants were related, and she found they were. And, so, she started looking at other plant families and what they had in common. What she discovered is that they could be cooked together for delicious tastes. We receive a simple lesson on plant botany, and then learn how this will new knowledge can be put to taste. The recipes in this book are so well documented with glorious photography by Christopher Hirshemier and Melissa Hamilton. You will want to start cooking immediately. Page 144 caught my eye, ' Cauliflower with Saffron, Pepper Flakes, plenty of Parsley and Pasta'. Page 190, ' Halloumi with Seared Red Peppers, Olives and Capers'. Page after page of vegetables cooked in a new way. A new method for us to arrange our vegetables, how we cook with them, and how we look at our eating. This is a book to be savoured, to be read as a book and not as a cookbook. This is a book on Vegetable Literacy, and I have found a new way to look at my vegetables. Highly Recommended. prisrob 07-14-13

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #192,545 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #217 in Natural Food Cooking #227 in Vegetable Cooking (Books) #505 in Vegan Cooking (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 412 Reviews |

## Images

![Vegetable Literacy: Cooking and Gardening with Twelve Families from the Edible Plant Kingdom, with over 300 Deliciously Simple Recipes [A Cookbook] - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81DChEYtafL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A siren song for vegetable gardeners, would-be gardeners and lovers of vegetables
*by I***T on March 15, 2013*

If you have created a vegetable garden, and worked it even just one year or worked it more years than you care to count, you will be hooked on this book by the second page of the introduction. It contains a wealth of information; so much information, that you should not wait for your local library to get a copy: You need it NOW, and you will refer to it way too often to have to rely on the library's copy. If you are considering putting in your first vegetable garden, or if you often buy from a farmers' market or a local produce stand, you need to order this book, too. You will love it and, not only will you cook its recipes; you will be able to create your own favorites from all the tips included. If you buy your produce from the grocery store, you will find a lot of great recipes and a lot of information on unfamiliar edible plants, grains, grasses, herbs, beans and vegetables. But (I'd roughly estimate that) a fifth of the information provided will not be of value to the grocery-store-buyer, since the book provides information on varieties available and how to make use of all parts of the plant: From seedlings that you weed out, to leaf tops of edible roots, to roots of edible tops, to bolted stems and flowers, etc. In other words, parts of the plant that grocery-store-buyers don't often see. But, I'd bet good money that anyone who reads this book and doesn't have a garden, will be hurriedly searching for a sunny piece of earth in which to pitch a shovel! I won't go into the great information that you can find by reading this product page on Amazon. Definitely take advantage of the "Look Inside" feature. And definitely take a look at Deborah Madison's other published books. I find it a waste of space to list chapters and covered topics and ingredients in a review when it's all there in the "Look Inside". Deborah Madison has been writing quality cook books for ages. It was her book Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone that helped me convince the men in my family that they were not going to die if there wasn't meat on the dinner plate (that was back in the 1990s). But the point I'm trying to make is this: Madison has vast experience with veggies, grains, grasses, herbs, and beans. She has the necessary expertise, writing style and refined taste buds to put together a valuable and worthwhile cook book. What may not be obvious by browsing through the Contents and Index pages: --Besides the main star ingredient, other ingredients that flavor the recipes are not hard to locate. They are not necessarily limited to everyday ingredients with which we are all familiar: For instance, if you don't already know ghee and miso paste, you will be introduced to it in some of these recipes. --For most of the plants, you will find what I call a "food thesaurus" listing or section; "good companions" is what Madison calls them. You will have to remember those "companions" yourself, because they are not listed in the index. --You won't find recipes where the featured vegetable is NOT the primary flavor. In other words, you won't find chicken, salmon, sausage recipes with accompanying veggies and herbs or sauces made of the highlighted veggie or herb. You might find fish and meats mentioned in the "Good Companions" listed, but, again, you won't find them listed in the index. --This is not a vegan book: There are eggs, butter, cream and such. Actually, there are some very nice egg recipes. We've tried the egg salad with tarragon (I used Mexican tarragon, because that's what grows in my Southern garden and eggs from our own hens.) --This is NOT a how-to-garden book. Although it does list some seed recommendations. --This is NOT a book that is slanted towards where Madison lives and gardens in New Mexico. Meaning, you will not find information that is inappropriate for your area. (I think that is a great accomplishment on Madison's part: That she was able to make the book very personable, but still refrain from giving us information--stated as fact--that is unsuitable or different for the various parts of the U.S. (For instance, I must plant my summer squash and tomatoes in early March. My zukes are finished in June and my tomatoes are over in July. Your tomatoes may last until the first frost.) It is a pet peeve of mine that so many vegetable gardening cookbooks assume I have tomatoes in August... --Cooking techniques are explained. And many, many techniques are employed: Steaming, sauteing, roasting, baking, grilling, braising and pressure cooking. If there are recipes for breaded and fried veggies, I don't remember seeing them. (Thank you for that!!!) --There are so many fantastic and helpful tips: How about this one? The extra-long stem on an artichoke is meant to be used: Peel, slice, drop in acidulated water, then braise, saute, or toss them into a soup. -- The simplicity of the recipes that forces the focus onto a specific vegetable, sort of reminds me of Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch by Nigel Slater. But I like this book a whole lot better because it is definitely slanted towards American ways, names, places, available ingredients, available seeds and measurements***. (Slater's book, while it is filled with wonderful recipes and ideas, is slanted towards a British audience.) --***There is an adequate conversion chart of measurements at the very end of the book. Being on the last page, it is very easy to flip to. (It's a bit hard to read: Green ink and not a large type point size.) --Unlike the two books by Lawson, this book does NOT have many photographs, as it is meant to be a wealth of information, not just pretty pictures to look at. (I think it could have used some more pictures, though. But then the book would have weighed a ton.) It is definitely not a coffee table book. --There are many soup recipes--and that is important in our family. There are all kinds of salads, side dishes, and main dishes. Best of all: I'm very happy to see there are hardly any pasta recipes. They seem to be a dime a dozen these days... --We've become fans of quite a lot of Asian greens lately--they do so well in our gardens; and of course some are mentioned in this book--bok choy and Chinese broccoli and perilla (shiso) to mention a few, but I will still be referring to my favorite Asian cook books (and the Kitazawa Seed catalog) for most of them. I've only had this book a short few days, but we've already sampled several recipes. We cook from our garden, so I was kind of limited in the recipes I could choose from--it being mid-March in the Coastal Plains of Texas. But follows is a list of what I created so far, and the recipes have worked and so have the flavor combinations: Grilled Onions with Cinnamon Butter (using the first of the 1015 Texas Onions from down in the Valley); Braised Parsley Root (with the last from the garden--had to get them out to make room for two very special cherry tomatoes, both originating from further down south); Chard Soup with Cumin, Cilantro and Lime; and to use up two lonely rutabagas, I combined ideas from the Winter Stew of Braised Rutabagas Carrots, Potatoes and Parsley, and Rutabaga Soup with Gorgonzola Toasts. I'm really looking forward to trying almost all the recipes in this book. And, much to my delight, we've got quite a few of those mentioned in this book already planted in our garden.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Vegetable Cuisine
*by P***B on July 14, 2013*

Vegetables are finding their true place in our cooking and eating world. Many of us are eating more vegetables for health reasons, or because we have given up meat, or, for like most of us, fresh vegetables can be found in almost every market. Most towns and cities have their own farmers markets, and many of us have our own gardens. I am a member of a CSA, Community Supported Agriculture. I pay yearly dues to a farm, and then receive weekly supplies of vegetables. This is wonderful, but what do I do with garlic scapes and how do I cook these vegetables in a new and different maner. Deborah Madison has assisted me with recipes in this fabulous new book. Her knowledge of cooking, and gardening has brought great surprises to me. She has a new format for her cookbook, she has written her chapters based on plants within the same family. This is an area that opened my eyes. I never thought about the fact that tomatoes go so well with eggplant. Within each chapter, each vegetable gets its own recipes, growing tips, recommended varieties, kitchen wisdom, and culinary companions. This is a 405 page book on Vegetable Literacy, on cooking and gardening with twelve families from the edible plant kingdom, and over 300 simple recipes. This all started when Deborah Madison noted the lacy flowers on some of her plants, carrots, parsley , fennel, cilantro, and anise. She wondered if all these lacy flowered plants were related, and she found they were. And, so, she started looking at other plant families and what they had in common. What she discovered is that they could be cooked together for delicious tastes. We receive a simple lesson on plant botany, and then learn how this will new knowledge can be put to taste. The recipes in this book are so well documented with glorious photography by Christopher Hirshemier and Melissa Hamilton. You will want to start cooking immediately. Page 144 caught my eye, ' Cauliflower with Saffron, Pepper Flakes, plenty of Parsley and Pasta'. Page 190, ' Halloumi with Seared Red Peppers, Olives and Capers'. Page after page of vegetables cooked in a new way. A new method for us to arrange our vegetables, how we cook with them, and how we look at our eating. This is a book to be savoured, to be read as a book and not as a cookbook. This is a book on Vegetable Literacy, and I have found a new way to look at my vegetables. Highly Recommended. prisrob 07-14-13

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A beautiful and interesting book!
*by A***R on May 18, 2017*

We have a sizable urban garden and I was looking for a book to help us maximize our use of the crops we harvest. This is that book. It gives not only a nice selection of uncomplicated, but creative, recipes, but also basic information on each vegetable. There's also a section for each called, "Using the Whole Plant" that tells you about parts of the plant that you might not realize are edible (and might even be quite tasty!). The hardcover version of the book is about an inch thick - it's on the larger side, and for that reason, it could make a nice coffee table book. I love that most of the recipes have shorter ingredient lists. It's nice to have simple recipes that are quick but have interesting flair and unconventional ingredients. This book is going to get a lot of use in our home!

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*Last updated: 2026-08-24*