Title:	The Chinese Kitchen Garden: Growing Techniques and Family Recipes from a Classic Cuisine
	Author:	Wendy Kiang-Spray
	Published:	Feb 8, 2017, Timber Press
	No. of Pages:	240
	Cover Price:	$19.95 Paperback, $9.99 Kindle

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Almost everyone loves Chinese food, and those who love to cook usually try a Chinese recipe here and there when possible. Even though there are Asian groceries in most big cities, some of the popular Chinese recipes call for ingredients, especially types of produce, that can be difficult to find. The Chinese Kitchen Garden: Growing Techniques and Family Recipes from a Classic Cuisine makes it possible for us to grow some of those difficult-to-find vegetables, and then use them in mouthwatering recipes.

The book is filled with interesting vignettes on the author’s family, as well as information on preparing soil, planning a garden, planting seeds, and maintaining the garden. The book is divided into seasons, and includes Chinese plants that can be grown during each of the four seasons. There is also a recipe using each of the plants featured. Although there are great pictures of each of the plants, as well as the gardens, the author’s family, and scenery, there are no pictures of the completed recipes, which is unfortunate since most cooks like to see what a finished dish is supposed to look like.

Nevertheless, the Edamame Fried Rice was quick, easy, and delicious, and so was the Kobacha with Ground Pork in Black Bean Sauce. Recently, I searched my Asian grocery store for XO sauce; they carried it, but it was extremely expensive. The recipe in this cookbook for XO sauce is excellent, and much cheaper to make than to buy.

For every cook who likes to have a garden, this book is recommended. It’s well-written and fun; the gardening tips are excellent, and the recipes turn out perfectly.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.