Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A lot has happened in the worlds of food and gardening since 1977, when Hendrickson published The Great American Tomato Book, now updated, revised and renamed in paperback. The new edition attempts to cover everything from history to recipes, but Hendrickson's no-nonsense approach is a minor addition to the market in today's local-produce- crazed, foodie world. He's at his best when he takes home gardeners by the hand and walks them through the complexities of growing tomatoes, either in the ground or in containers. Other authors have written more artfully of the tomato's history, and any local gardening columnist will have more to say about why to choose one Heirloom varietal over another, but Hendrickson is a man who knows his seedlings, soil, sun and sowing. When it comes to practical problems like staking, mulching and fertilizing, home gardeners will find him to be a useful and informative guide. Most will also welcome the too-brief canning and preserving chapter. However, there are few surprises in the perfunctory recipe section. The appendixes include descriptive lists of hundreds of early, main season and late season tomatoes. But photographs-which were integral to the original edition-would've helped the book fare better among the stiff gardening competition. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
This revised, updated edition of the author's The Great American Tomato Book (o.p.) presents accurate information for gardeners about tomato growing conditions, maintenance issues (such as staking and pruning), and the pests and diseases to fight. Die-hard gardeners will appreciate the advice on extending the tomato season by starting seeds and growing plants indoors, planting early varieties, and combating frigid conditions; specialists will welcome comments on growing in containers and saving seeds. Hendrickson also includes a brief chapter on tomato history and chapters on preserving the harvest and cooking your tomatoes. Among the 40 recipes are familiar comfort foods and condiments as well as more unusual offerings like tomato pudding and candied tomatoes. Tomato lovers seeking more on tomato history, art, and cookery, however, will be better served by Ronni Lundy's beautiful In Praise of Tomatoes. For more tomato recipes, Lawrence Davis-Hollander's The Tomato Festival Cookbook offers 150 and enough basic gardening information to get someone started. Hendrickson's readable book is recommended as a worthwhile addition to extensive gardening collections.-Bonnie Poquette, Milwaukee (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
