Despite its title, the usefulness of this large and impressive reference is not limited to gardeners or those who plan to start a kitchen garden. Anyone who shops for produce, visits a farmers market, or simply appreciates fresh food will relish the handsomely illustrated profiles of 55 herbs, fruits, vegetables and edible flowers.

The opening chapters of the book describe how to go about growing your own produce using raised beds, homemade compost, natural pest and weed control, containers, and tools. Best for the beginning gardener or someone expanding their skills, they provide the basics for kitchen gardening on small plots in city, suburbs or the country.

"Kitchen gardens provide the freshest possible food, close to its place of preparation," notes author Mike McGrath. "The gardeners who tend them cook to the seasons, with meals and menus following suit as cool-weather crops give way to the fruits of summer, the bounty of fall, and end with a reprise of spring, as the final harvests mirror the first."

Both a beautiful display book with its large, luscious photographs, and a practical guide for kitchen and garden, this volume will be equally welcome in the parlor, the pantry or on the porch.