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A Book Review: Veggie Garden Remix

A Book Review: Veggie Garden Remix | angiethefreckledrose.com

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]'ve been such a huge fan of Niki Jabbour ever since I first laid eyes on her gorgeous raised garden beds. I remember coming across Niki's Instagram account and thinking to myself, this gardener isn't afraid to try something new. The admiration was instant. From social media I was brought to her website - NikiJabbour.com. That's when I found out she wasn't just an amazing photographer and top notch gardener. She is also an award-winning author!

GIVEAWAY ALERT! 
Before we continue, make sure you scroll to the bottom of this post to enter a great giveaway!


A Book Review & Giveaway: Veggie Garden Remix | angiethefreckledrose.comAs soon as I was able to get my hands on Niki's previous book, The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener, it gave me the confidence I needed to try new things. I'm a Northern gardener who lives in New England, zone 6a Massachusetts to be exact. Our growing season is so short. I've been asked why I even bother gardening when we only have a few months out of the year to grow. It's too bad some think like that, but there are so many different ways to grow a garden.

Niki taught me that you can grow in cold frames and hoop tunnels using simple techniques and succession planting. After reading her book, I decided to embark on my first raised bed garden hoop tunnel that year. It was a great success, very inexpensive and a really educational experience. 

Elephant Garlic | Winter Garden | Veggie Garden Remix | angiethefreckledrose.com

Elephant Garlic growing in my hoop house March 22, 2016


About The Book

A Book Review & Giveaway: Veggie Garden Remix | angiethefreckledrose.comWhen I found out she was coming out with a new book, I couldn't wait to dive right into it. Veggie Garden Remix: 224 New Plants to Shake Up Your Garden and Add Variety, Flavor, and Fun is out now. I'm thrilled to be teaming up with Niki to give one of you lucky readers a copy of her book! 

If you are looking to find exciting and unique vegetables for your garden, this book is definitely for you! I've always had a deep love for cucamelons a.k.a. Mexican sour gherkins. I think it has something to do with the fact that my ducks go absolutely nuts for these super small veggies! After reading this book, I now have so many different varieties I'm looking forward to trying.

Inside the book, you are introduced to more than 200 curious varieties of veggies! She will help you transition smoothly from heirloom classics to the more unique choices. In the picture below, she explains visually how if you like to grow broccoli, you should try growing 'Piracicaba', 'Spigariello Liscia' or Romanesco. I was pumped when I saw this. A week before I received the book, I ordered some Romanesco seeds! Now, I'm really ready to try planting them.

A Book Review & Giveaway: Veggie Garden Remix

A look inside the pages of Veggie Garden Remix


Mix It Up!

After reading through this book, I'm now looking forward to trying so many different edibles. Here are my top three unconventional veggies I will be adding to my garden this year. 

  • Ground Cherries (Husk cherry) - Niki says that the flavor of a ripe ground cherry is comparable to pineapple with hints of cherry tomato and vanilla. They take 70 days from transplant to mature. This fun variety is from North America. She recommends giving 'Aunt Molly's' or 'Cossack Pineapple' a try. When I was attended the veggie trials last summer, I was able to taste the 'Aunt Molly's' variety at Seeds By Design by Terra Organics in Maxwell, California. They are absolutely delicious!
  • Snake Gourds (Serpent gourd) - I learned that this veggie has exotic-looking, creamy white flowers that don't unfurl until the sun sets. That instantly pulled me in. I LOVE moon flowers. Anything that only blooms in the morning/night is so mysterious and exciting to me! Like the moon flowers I know and love, they are pollinated by moths. They take around 70-80 days to mature and originate from Asia. Niki recommends trying the 'Buag Ngu' or the "Snaky' varieties. You can cook them like zucchini or pickle them!
  • Egyptian Walking Onions (Tree onion) - Niki explains that this veggie is a cross between bulbing onions and bunching onions. They are popular among permaculturists who use them in forest gardens because of their tendencies to roam. This exotic variety hails from Asia. They are low-maintenance hardy perennial plants (zones 5-9) that yield tender green onions for much of the year. 

Aunt Molly's Ground Cherries | A Book Review & Giveaway: Veggie Garden Remix | angiethefreckledrose.com

Tasting an Aunt Molly's ground cherry in California

Those are only three of the 200 varieties Niki introduces you to in the book! You will gain a wealth of knowledge from this veggie guide. It will fill you with imagination and reinvigorate you if you find yourself in a gardening rut. 

A Book Review & Giveaway: Veggie Garden Remix

Another look inside this book full of gorgeous photography


About The Author

A Book Review & Giveaway: Veggie Garden Remix | Niki Jabbour | angiethefreckledrose.comAlong with being an accomplished author who has three books under her belt, Niki also writes for magazines across North America. These include Fine Gardening, Birds & Blooms, Horticulture and Garden Making. She lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia where she is the host and Executive Producer of The Weekend Gardener with Niki Jabbour. She is a founding member of the award-winning website  SavvyGardening.com. I love her latest articles: How To Grow Ground Cherries in a Garden and Growing a Salad Garden. Niki is currently growing dozens of different vegetable varieties in her 2,000-square-foot garden. She speaks widely on food gardening at events and shows across North America. You can find her appearing at Canada Blooms in Toronto, the Boston Flower Show and more. Make sure you follow her on social media. Her passion is contagious and watching her growing journey will keep you motivated!

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

GIVEAWAY!

A Book Review & Giveaway: Veggie Garden Remix | angiethefreckledrose.comHow To Enter: Leave a comment on this post & you will automatically be entered to win. It's as easy as that!

Question: What unique varieties are you excited to grow this year?

Bonus Entries: If you want to increase your chances, fill out the form below and share, share, share!

About The Giveaway: One lucky winner will receive the new book, Veggie Garden Remix by Niki Jabbour. This giveaway will end at 11:59 p.m. EST on February 26, 2018. A winner will be picked at random and notified by email. Wishing you good luck!

Veggie Garden Remix Winner

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A Book Review & Giveaway: Veggie Garden Remix | I've been such a huge fan of Niki Jabbour ever since I first laid eyes on her gorgeous raised garden beds. I remember coming across Niki's Instagram account and thinking to myself, this gardener isn't afraid to try something new. The admiration was instant.| angiethefreckledrose.com
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126 Comments

  • Reply
    Melanie Lorick
    February 19, 2018 at 11:54 am

    This was really interesting! My husband and I are going to try our hand at growing some veggies this year. We are both nervous and excited…it will be an adventure. Thank you for sharing this resource!

  • Reply
    Tiffany Haywood
    February 19, 2018 at 8:50 am

    This sounds like such an awesome book. I have what I call a brown thumb but I would love to learn how to grow veggies. One of my Kiddie’s teachers actually gave them Cabbage Plants for Valentine’s – so hey maybe there’s hope yet.

  • Reply
    Shirley
    February 19, 2018 at 8:32 am

    I follow Niki on Instagram and learned about ground cherries there. I tried cucamelons last year. It’s fun trying nee vegetables!

  • Reply
    Lisa
    February 18, 2018 at 9:13 pm

    Oh, my… I went crazy seed shopping this year! Really crazy! Things I’ve not grown before, as well as some I’d never heard of before! Mediterranean hartwort for one. Lots of different basils (cinnamon and lime to name just two), borage, lemony catnip, hairy mountain mint… I have an herb addiction! I am trying my hand winter sowing for the first time. I am going to try celery for the first time too, as well as Ogen Israel melon. Ditmarsher tomato.

  • Reply
    Kathleen Whitney
    February 18, 2018 at 6:05 pm

    I’m a big eater of Tomatoes. I love the different tastes of different types of Tomatoes. But I’m happy to try other things too!

  • Reply
    Nikki Gwin
    February 18, 2018 at 4:52 pm

    I am excited to get to work on my vege garden! I gave up my spot last year and have to make a new spot this year. And I’m ready!
    This new book looks interesting. I wonder if it’d work for a southern garden.
    🙂 gwingal

  • Reply
    Jacqui
    February 18, 2018 at 3:03 pm

    I am so excited to grow orach!!! I love it as a spinach substitute and as visual interest also the birds and pollinators live it when they go to seed. It’s a beautiful addition to any garden!

  • Reply
    Slage
    February 18, 2018 at 12:56 pm

    Thank you for sharing. This is very useful. I live in Malta and here is very hard for growing in your garden. Keep the great work up. <3

  • Reply
    Deb G
    February 18, 2018 at 8:31 am

    I planted walking onions last year. I would like to try the ground cherries. But new to me this year I’m trying broccolini. Hope I spelled that right. 🙂

  • Reply
    Angie
    February 18, 2018 at 6:56 am

    This year I’m looking forward to trying: Purple peas, romanesco, Amish paste tomatoes, and red Brussel Sprouts!

  • Reply
    angie
    February 17, 2018 at 10:44 pm

    we have had a few warmer days that tease me a bit and I so can not wait til the warmth comes back so we can work on the yard

  • Reply
    Jessica
    February 17, 2018 at 10:26 pm

    Awesome love the year round gardener

  • Reply
    Kyla Matton Osborne | 24 Carrot Diet
    February 17, 2018 at 9:11 pm

    Sounds like an awesome read! I love reading books that explore different heirloom vegetables. I’m really into the beans and tomatoes and squash. Even if I can’t grow all of them, I want to see the pictures and read about where they come from. Learning the history of the veggies is a huge part of the fun for me 🙂

  • Reply
    Fiona
    February 17, 2018 at 8:46 pm

    I can’t wait to read this book! I hope to grow several ground cherry plants this year.

  • Reply
    Indie
    February 17, 2018 at 7:54 pm

    So nice to see another Massachusetts blogger! I actually just requested this book from the library. I’ve grown both Ground Cherries and Walking Onions before. We love Ground Cherries, though I don’t get a lot of them as my kids eat them all! I’ve found that varieties can taste differently, too. The local farm grows Aunt Molly’s I think, which are bigger with an earthier flavor. I just grow the standard variety from Baker Creek, and they are smaller and more citrusy tasting. Delicious!

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