For Future Reference

There was not much progress made on the garden this past weekend as other projects popped up.  We did get the pool cover laid down under the wooden walkways to serve as a weed barrier.  I hope to have more to report in the next couple of weeks.  I really want to have construction finished before winter sets in.  Of course, around here, snow can fly in October so I should get my butt in gear.

The Garden as of Sunday, October 12, 2014

In the meantime, I figured I would go through some of my reference books for this project.  For some reason, I love reference books.  I know that I can look up almost anything online now, but I enjoy having shelves full of books that I can flip through when the need or desire strikes me.  The general gardening reference section in our library is fairly good.  I’ve got the standard A to Z gardening encyclopedia as well as several how-to guides.  I’m a huge fan of the Storey books. 

Gardening reference books in the home library

The book that first fed my dreams of a Shaker style garden was The Shaker Garden: Beauty Through Utility by Stephanie Donaldson.  It is a beautiful book filled with wonderful photographs of vegetables and various shaker tools and buildings.  It is a very basic practical guide but, by design, only focuses on Shaker gardening.

The source of inspiration

I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I know very little about Shaker history.  I know what I assume is common knowledge: Shakers were a religious sect that lived communally, though men and women were separated.  They made furniture and sold vegetable seeds and generally led simple lives. ('Tis the gift to be simple, after all.)  So, I turned to Amazon and found a couple of books so that I can become more educated about the people I hope to emulate, at least in their gardening practices.

New books - yay!

My books just arrived today.  I’ve only had a chance to flip through the first one but I have high hopes.  The People Called Shakers by Edward Deming Andrews was first published in 1953 after Mr. Andrews had spent some 35 years researching the Shakers.  It seems to include a lot of primary sources so I’m excited to find the time to read it. 

The second book, A Shaker Gardener’s Manual is a modern reprint of an 1843 publication by the United Society, New Lebanon, NY.  This tiny book is 24 pages of pure gold when it comes to a practical, first-hand source of Shaker gardening information. I read it cover to cover and am now anxious to try to find the varieties of seeds once sold by that Shaker community.  I also want to try the rhubarb pie recipe in Chapter XI.  Keep an eye out for that recipe adventure next spring when rhubarb is in season again.

German Giant tomato sandwich

"Tomato or Love Apple. – F. Tomate. – S. Tomatera. – This is a very healthy vegetable, and a great favorite when we become accustomed to it, though generally not very palatable at first." - A Shaker Gardener’s Manual, p.18. (A nice slather of mayonnaise helps!)