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The Chinese Kitchen Garden Book Discussion Questions

6/14/2017

One would not think a pretty encyclopedic book about vegetables could be read from cover to cover. However, many readers have mentioned that this is the way they have approached The Chinese Kitchen Garden.

Not only are book groups popping up in neighborhoods and among friend groups, but garden book groups are also on the rise among garden clubs, Master Gardener groups, and in community gardens. If you read The Chinese Kitchen Garden with your group, please reach out to me. I'm happy to answer questions from your group or do a conference call, and I'm just eager to know the thoughts of your group! Here are some discussion questions to get you started!

For the person who chose this book (or anyone else) – what made you want to read it? Did it live up to your expectations? Why or why not?
What do you think motivated the author to share her story?
What resonated with you?
How did you respond to the author’s voice? Discuss the books structure and writing style. What are your thoughts about the format/layout of this book?
The Chinese Kitchen Garden is said to have a strong family element. What is this family’s most admirable quality? What surprised or spoke to you about this family?
How do you imagine the author’s family responded to the telling about some of the more difficult times in the family’s history?
The author dedicates this book to her paternal grandmother, “…whose spirit inspired and runs through this book”. What do you suppose this means?
Is the author someone you would like to know in real life? Why or why not?
Which element is more important to you – the growing or the preparing/cooking of the vegetables?
Which vegetable(s) have you added to your planting wish list, if any, and for what reason?
Were there any gardening practices that you strongly agreed or disagreed with – for example, the Chinese intensive garden beds or pest management?
What surprised you about the use or preparation of the vegetables discussed in the chapters or in the boxes?
Have you or do you plan to try any of the recipes?
What did you like or dislike about this book that hasn’t already been discussed?
Is this a book you would recommend to a friend? If so, for whom and why?

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Bamboo Trellis and Other Uses for Bamboo

6/3/2017

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It's tricky to recommend that people grow bamboo. As you know, it can be a very real, very permanent, nuisance - to say the least.

My father however, lives on several acres with the motivation and time to tend to his large bamboo stand. We eat the shoots, fabricate (for fun, really) items like brooms and utensils from it, shred it for mulch, and have LOTS available for other garden uses like trellis-making. Here, I'm tying off the top of a bamboo trellis where a Chinese medicinal herb climbs.

(Refer back to posts from April 2017 to learn more about how we prepare bamboo shoots for eating, and how we preserve bamboo)

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