“Tomatoes Garlic Basil” tells us exactly what this book is all about. “The Simple Pleasures of Growing and Cooking Your Garden’s Most Versatile Veggies” not only makes us pick it up, but also buy it and read it from cover to cover.
Doug Oster has an advantage over many of us; his wife is Italian (or, at least, of Italian descent), so it is logical to suspect that she is the inspiration behind some of the wonderful and simple recipes in Tomatoes Garlic Basil.
The cover entices. The introduction inspires. The content compels us to make room in our gardens for (more) tomatoes, garlic and basil. And Cousin Mariella’s Eggplant Parmesan recipe has us both shaking our heads and determined to make this a project.
As a fairly recent gardener who became a Certified Master Gardener before she knew the difference between a Petunia and a Geranium and who loves basil, has a love-hate relationship with tomatoes and is growing garlic for the first time this season, I love this book! I will probably still keep buying my pesto at the local Farmers’ Market, instead of making it myself, and I’m not enamored of a garlic soup with grapes, but I can’t wait to make “Easy Baked Basil Fries” or cook up a batch of Pasta Sauce with Thyme (thyme being another one of my favorite herbs, with several varieties growing in my garden).
The trend for creating home gardens is undeniable. Newbies can’t go wrong with trying tomatoes, garlic and basil; Doug Oster’s book it a wonderful resource for them – and for veteran gardeners.