Carol Deppe - The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times

384 pages

Published October, 2010. 

Summary: In an era of erratic weather and instability, people's interest in growing their own food is skyrocketing. The Resilient Gardener

presents gardening techniques that stand up to challenges ranging from
health problems, financial problems, and special dietary needs to
serious disasters and climate change.

Scientist and expert
gardener Carol Deppe draws from emerging science in many fields to
develop the general principles of gardening for resilience. Gardeners
will learn through Deppe's detailed instructions on growing, storing,
and using the five crops central to self-reliance: potatoes, corn, beans, squash, and eggs. 

Editorial review: "Resilient" gardeners adapt to challenging health, dietary, weather, or financial situations to produce food that can sustain a family through adverse times. In this guide to becoming such a gardener, plant breeder Deppe (Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties) details her methods for safe and reliable food production-and covers more than strictly gardening-no matter your state of health or what climate you are in. She focuses on five crops with calorie, nutrient, and storage values: potatoes, corn, beans, squash, and, yes, duck eggs. In each chapter, Deppe describes her experiences with specific varieties of crops (with particular reference to her own climate in coastal Oregon), specific techniques for success, and unusual recipes suited to the varieties she grows (all are designed for those with gluten intolerance). VERDICT Deppe's idiosyncratic personality shines through her writing-this is as much a series of personal anecdotes by a lifelong expert gardener as a gardening book that will appeal to readers of a similar bent. Ideal for dedicated, independent gardeners who want to focus on food production despite dietary challenges, poor health, or other issues. 

Customer review: Incredibly this book does it! It goes into understanding what is going on and why you are doing things...

it's NOT a cookbook recipe but instead covers what it's all about and what makes it work (or not). Most garden books tell you to plant so deep, so far apart, and when. Deppe explores the "why" you plant at a particular depth (how you could alter it depending on your particular set of environmental constraints). Here you learn the intelligent approach to working within your food growing set-up.

Deppe expands the "how and why" depending on the particular planting style you utilized. Do you use a rototiller, a sm tractor, or hand tools?

The creme-de-la creme, is that she discusses growing methods, using the products, and appropriate storage techniques without it being boring and dry.

I'm so tired of the usual: take potatoes and store them. Hmm, how, and what makes a difference on getting a potato to store one month vrs 6 months.

How do I get them out of the ground without damaging them, what does light actually do to them, what can I do with potatoes that start to sprout, etc. are all questions that are covered in her topic discussion. What are the nutrient values, why would I grow this vrs another crop in terms of protein and calorie count. What about water needs: when, why, and how, instead of " water as needed".

Deppe, in essence (AND in a very readable format), brings her depth of knowledge and experience to the table, sharing it so that I have the informational tools to make intelligent decisions. I am able to fine-tune my food production, as needed, to my particular setting. That builds in the resilience that makes my process adaptable to changing conditions... some people would label it as "increased food security"!

This is one book that will fill a huge hole in my gardening library, productively speaking (pun intended)!

     From this book, I hope to learn the basic steps involved in local food production. That way, I will have evidence to demonstrate how easy it can be and how beneficial it is.