Seed to Table: A Seasonal Guide to Organically Growing, Cooking, and Preserving Food at Home (Urban Gardening, How to Start a Vegetable Garden) - Hardcover

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Luay Ghafari is an urban gardener, garden educator, consultant, recipe developer, and founder of Urban Farm and Kitchen, a seasonal garden-to-table food blog and gardening resource. His mission is to guide and help anyone on a gardening and food-growing journey. With over a decade of intensive urban growing experience, he uses tried-and-true science-based techniques to grow abundant, healthy, and thriving gardens for himself and his clients. He is passionate about the garden-to-table movement and vegetable-forward seasonal recipes. He also teaches a garden-to-table Master Class for beginner and intermediate gardeners. He has been featured in publications like Medium, Food52, and Toronto Life Magazine, as well as in documentaries and is active on social media, where he shares gardening tips and seasonal recipes. Luay is based in Toronto, Canada.

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From the Introduction

For years, my interest in food focused predominantly on cooking. I had very little interest in what happened before my ingredients made it to my local market or grocery store. That changed in 2009 when I began participating in a CSA (community supported agriculture) program. It was almost as if I had this epiphany, an awakening of sorts. I still remember the name of the farmer, Andre Samson, from Farnham, Quebec. That first CSA box was somewhat strange. Organic fruits and vegetables that looked nothing like the perfectly shaped, unblemished produce we’re all used to seeing at the store. I will admit that it took me some time to deprogram myself and appreciate the beauty in the unique. The vegetables tasted great too. I was hooked. We got into the car, drove to Jean-Talon Market and I purchased my first ever tomato, cucumber, and basil seedlings. For the next three years, I learned as much as I could about urban agriculture and container gardens.

After moving to Toronto in 2013 I enrolled in the culinary arts program at George Brown College. I did not intend to make culinary arts a career path but wanted to expose myself to new techniques and practices and learn from my peers. It was this experience that cemented for me the desire to focus on seasonality and self-sufficiency. Up until this point, I was living exclusively in condos with small balconies. I was yearning for more space. It was not until we purchased our first house with a backyard that my imagination took off. So many possibilities. Though small, my urban garden held lots of potential.

It was on a particularly tough and exhausting business trip in 2018 that I decided to launch Urban Farm and Kitchen, my gardening, cooking, and lifestyle blog. In an instant, I purchased the domain name and created my first logo. Soon after, I announced it to my Instagram followers. My vision was not quite clear but I knew that long term I would be working towards a garden-to-table initiative or business of some sort. My passion for gardening and seasonal cooking could not remain a hobby forever. I wanted more.

It has been a wonderful journey filled with challenges and triumphs. In many ways, I did it on my own. Trying, failing, adjusting, adapting, perfecting. Persevering through failure is not a trait that everyone possesses. Unfortunately, failure in the garden can lead to a sense of hopelessness that can push new gardeners to give up. I don’t want that for anyone. There is peace in growing a garden. There is a sense of optimism and wonder, a connection with nature that centers us and makes us appreciate the world around us. My hope is that more and more people experience this joy.

Writing this book has been a joy as well. In many ways, it has given me the opportunity to think back and truly appreciate my journey and how I became the person I am today. I hope that this book and the experiences, knowledge, and ideas within it will inspire you and support you in crafting and executing your own garden-to-table vision.