Out of Nova Scotia Gardens

Barbara Robertson is the author of Wilfrid Laurier: The Great
Conciliator and the co-author of The Well-Filled Cupboard.

Out of Nova Scotia Gardens has a pleasing lucidity about it, extending
from design to contents. Marie Nightingale examines 24 vegetables that
are commonly grown in Nova Scotia, including rhubarb, which is not a
fruit, and tomatoes, which are. Each vegetable has its own section,
which is provided with an introduction containing a good deal of
information: how much is grown in Nova Scotia, when the crop is
available, the nutritional character of the vegetable, and basic ways of
cooking it. Also included are curious facts, such as the origin of the
term “spud” and early Nova Scotian uses of the onion for medicinal
purposes.

The half-dozen or so recipes provided for each vegetable are not too
complicated and do not require exotic ingredients. They range from soups
and salads to side dishes and desserts, and even include some supper
dishes, achieved mainly by adding eggs, cheese (often cheddar), and
cream (or yogurt) in various ways. Included under “Chef’s Corner”
is a recipe that features a particular chef at a particular Nova Scotia
restaurant. These recipes, which are presumably intended to promote a
knowledge of the culinary skills on offer in Nova Scotia restaurants
(and very likely tourism as well), are surprisingly approachable; you
need not be a chef with minions at your disposal in order to take them
on.

As Nightingale says in her introduction, “this book focuses on fresh,
local vegetables,” by which she means that she advises getting them
fresh (at gardens, markets, roadside stalls, U-picks), keeping and
serving them fresh, and preserving them so that they retain their flavor
and food value. The recipes are a form of presentation, aimed at
enhancing the appeal of a particular vegetable, not at altering it
beyond recognition. That is probably why there are very few jalapeсo
peppers in the book—by my count only three recipes call for them, and
these recipes each appear, predictably, in Chef’s Corner.