food, from planting to plating, can bring.
VerandaIn this witty and playful memoir, Haspel chronicles their journey from clueless urban gardeners to competent farmers, foragers and fishermen...[T]ales of epic failure, as well as encouraging tips for anyone looking to develop a better connection with their food.
Modern FarmerIntimidated by the idea of growing your own food? Don t be! Tamar Haspel s nonfiction exploration of food, gardening, and creativity offers practical advice on how to grow anything even without any expert help. It s a bold blueprint for anyone who wants to broaden their food horizons.
Life SavvyHaspel aims to show that any of us can feed ourselves from our own backyards, as long as we have ingenuity and the will to try. In the end, the book serves as a guide as much as a memoir, with failures as well as successes documented.
Smithsonian MagazineAs a Massachusetts resident and occasional visitor to Cape Cod who appreciates its land and sea resources and people, I found the deeply human-to-human and human-to-animal species and natural resource relationships endearing Exquisite.
Cape Cod Daily NewsA delightful romp through the pleasures and perils of growing, killing and gathering your own food.
Concord MonitorA journalist who grew up in a food-focused household chronicles her adventures gardening and eating in Cape Cod With witty insight, the author shares their successes and failures along with tips and how-to advice [A] great stepping-off point for individuals interested in exploring first-hand food opportunities and exercising more control over the origins of what they eat. Knowledgeable inspiration for getting out there and getting dirty.
Kirkus ReviewsAmusing [with] a colloquial, curious tone reminiscent of the work of Mary Roach The bright prose and clever insight make this a pleasure to dig into."
Publishers WeeklyBrimming with hilarious gardening anecdotes,
To Boldly Grow is an inspirational account of the author's improbable transformation from a city-dweller leading a life of the mind into an avid country gardener Serving as a detailed six-part guide for readers who are considering food-gathering pursuits of their own and are curious about what it entails, Haspel's debut features all of the brilliant wit and lively storytelling that have made her a popular food and science writer In this entertaining and practical guide to homegrown food, a journalist discovers the joys of gardening, keeping chickens and ice fishing after moving to Cape Cod from Manhattan.
ShelfAwareness I want to be Tamar Haspel when I grow up My advice? Run to the independent bookstore down the street and get a copy when they go on sale on Tuesday and/or bug your local library to put a few in circulation in perpetuity The book reflects the burgeoning interest in ways to eat more sustainably to help combat the environmental toll taken by an entrenched national food culture.
Portland Press HeraldWhat do you get when one of the smartest journalists on food and nutrition decamps her New York City apartment for a plot of sand in Cape Cod? This fabulous, instructive and hilarious tale of the first-hand food that she learned to plant, hook, raise, and kill. This book should be read by everyone who has worked to defeat a processed-food habit by cooking from scratch and now dreams of taking the next step: scratching up dinner from the land and sea. Michael Moss, author of
Salt Sugar Fat and
Hooked
Full of bright prose and practical advice for non-experts, there s a lot to dig into.
Arlington Magazine
In
To Boldly Grow, Tamar Haspel gives us a warm, thoughtful, and thoroughly entertaining account of how she and her husband committed to eating and, therefore, growing, gathering, and, yes, hunting first-hand food every day. This is a love story with an inspiring message: if she can raise her own food and have so much fun doing it, you can too. Marion Nestle, author of
Food Politics and
Let s Ask MarionKnowledgeable, humble, and hilarious, Tamar Haspel is the perfect guide for people like me, who want meaningful first-hand food without having to spend thousands of dollars or hours acquiring it. It s no exaggeration to say that
To Boldy Grow will make you a more creative cook, a more efficient gardener, and, best of all, a wiser human being. Alan Levinovitz, author of
Natural: The Seductive Myth of Nature s GoodnessI see the world differently after reading
To Boldly Grow. This book opened my eyes to the miraculous edible abundance all around me. Follow Tamar Haspel s accessible, unfussy, hilarious advice to get outside and learn about first-hand food by growing and harvesting it for yourself. Getting your hands dirty to contribute to dinner will expand your sense of discovery and wonder, and deepen your ties to your neighbors and the place you call home. Kimberly Nicholas, PhD, author of
Under the Sky We Make: How to Be Human in a Warming World"At last, a book for all of us crappy gardeners! Haspel delivers an informative, hilarious exploration of what it really takes to grow or find your own food. If you've ever felt the urge to plant tomatoes in your backyard or collect eggs from your very own chickens, let Haspel be your guide." Elizabeth Willard Thames, author of
Meet the Frugalwoods: Achieving Financial Independence Through Simple Living
To Boldly Grow is a delightful adventure in finding food and personal growth. Read it, be inspired, and maybe learn a thing or two. Stephan Guyenet, author of
The Hungry Brain To Boldly Grow is the perfect book at the perfect time: a vivid, engaging and thoroughly enjoyable tale of one couple's journey from urban to rural living that culminates with them achieving Macgyver-esque skills for living and eating off the land. But the real win on these pages is Tamar Haspel's rare gift for telling their story with a rolicking, laugh-out-loud style that reminds readers of this basic life truth: humor matters. Whether you aspire to living off the land yourself or are more of an armchair adventurer,
To Boldly Grow will leave you feeling informed, well fed and incredibly satisfied. Tracey Ryder, co-founder of Edible Communities
You can absolutely think of
To Boldly Grow as a book filled with adventure. Undertaking new endeavors, after all, is not always for the faint of heart even when those endeavors are as quiet as digging and fishing. Consider it, too, as lighthearted reading: author Tamar Haspel has a great sense of humor mixed with her inner Indiana-Jones-in-the-garden and in that, there s a lot of good-natured self-ribbing and an appealing open-mindedness for trying new things. But that s not all. There s seriousness in this book, and a number of pages full of helpful advice. For total novices who are unsure about raising their own vittles, or for readers who never thought they could grocery shop a few feet from their back deck, that s very tantalizing information. Whether your tomatoes are starting to bloom, or there are seedlings waiting patiently inside, this is a fun way to pass the time before harvesting it all. Find
To Boldly Grow and put something different on your plate.
Goshen News
To Boldly Grow will engage the reader with each chapter, proving that no matter how arduous a situation may appear, with careful consideration and organized planning, achievement can be realized with cherished memories resulting as a wonderful byproduct."
Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
