It's not too late! There's still time for me to host a November giveaway! I checked the calender, and it says we still have five days before December, so I'm going with the "Better late than never" phrase here. ;) I meant to host the November giveaway, you know, like back in the middle of the month! Really. I did. But nothing was catching my eye and just screaming, "Give me away on your blog!!"
That is, until I saw the Gettle's new book...
Oh how I have lusted after this book while it was still in manuscript... And then when it was finally published only a couple months ago... The term "Hog heaven" applies here.
I contacted Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and asked if they would consider donating a book to my little giveaway, and they graciously agreed! And not only did they send a beautiful book, but they sent a beautiful book that Jere Gettle autographed! [swoon, faint]
I'm the sort of person who starts getting the serious itch to garden in November/December. Right when the ground is frozen, and the seed catalogs come pouring in. So I thought what better way to torture ourselves, then to give away a gardening book!
If you have yet to acquaint yourself with Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, you may do so by clicking HERE. I am extremely picky about where I buy my seeds, and I've found that Baker Creek always fits the bill perfectly. I am a staunch customer. ;)
But back to the book now. As I'm sure you've noticed, the title is 'The Heirloom Life Gardener'. Jere Gettle writes this book on a personal level, which I always like in my books. You read through it, and feel as if you're reading a letter from an old friend. Jere gently leads you through his personal history on how he started working with heirloom plants, to how he's gotten to where he is now. He teaches you how to garden, save seeds, cook each kind of vegetable out there, and the entire book is chock full of tantalizing pictures...
My favorite part of the book is probably in the back, where there is an A to Z growing guide. So I can look up a specific veggie, such as broccoli, and find out when I need to start seeds, how to grow it, harvest it, cook it, and how to save seeds from it. Very nice. :)
And down to the specifics now! If you would like to enter this giveaway, please leave a comment explaining why you like to garden!
If you share this giveaway via Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Wordpress, or you tell a friend, you are allowed two contest entries. (please specify that you shared, so I know...) Only one entry per family, please.
Entry deadline is next Friday, December 2nd (I know, we'll be in the next month by then, but I wanted to stretch the giveaway to a week).
Good Luck!
Hi GoatSong! I would love to enter your free giveaway for November! What a terrific idea! So, why do I like to garden? Well, I'm not all that experienced yet, but I like to be healthy! ;) I LOVE fresh food from the garden! Spring Greens! Spinach! Onions and Garlic! And have you heard of Eliot Coleman? I just discovered his Winter Harvest Handbook and I'm in love all over again. I am working to get set up to garden year-round so I can have all my favorites at any time of year...
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your beautiful blog -- it's really informative and there's so much here to read! Nice job!
I like to garden for health reasons, because it cuts down on grocery costs, and so that I can can. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, what an awesome looking book! I like to garden because I love the planting, harvesting, and preserving processes - it's the in between time that I don't like that much. :-P But it gives me such a sense of satisfaction to sit down to a meal that came mostly (or entirely) from right here on our property!
ReplyDeleteI like to garden because it's in my blood. My great grandmother was an avid gardener who could tell you the latin name for every plant she had, and she had hundreds, if not thousands! When I grow food I feel connected to the earth, my ancestors, and my Creator more than any other time.
ReplyDeleteI shared about it on fb.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a wonderful book and I'm always interested in expanding my farm-brary, so I'm totally in!
ReplyDeleteGardening puts me in control of what I put into my body. It puts me control of what my family, and my friends, eat. Gardening allows me to have a connection with my ancestors not many people do. Did I mention how much I love the way fresh veggies and fruit taste?
ReplyDeleteI love gardening because I actually like to taste my food! I detest buying dull tasting factory produced vegetables from the store. No flavor! I love to cook, and to cook well, you need good ingredients. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhy do we like to garden? We are not good gardeners, but good with everything else on our farm We need to learn to be better with gardening, it is the final piece to be good stewards of the land and to more self sufficient.
ReplyDeleteGreetings Goatsong. Please enter me TWICE in the contest. I posted contest info and your blog link on my Facebook page. :-)
ReplyDeleteI have always loved perennial gardening, but have movedinto vegetable gardening the past few years. I'm NOT very good at it, but long to raise food for my family. My hubby IS building me raised beds for this next spring, so I'd LOVE a new book to give me ideas on how best to use my new play space!
Hi!!
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to post but my Quick time was broken!! All fixed now.
Anyway, I love to garden. I've spent most of my life growing things: fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, children, dogs, goats, chickens.....
I love the feel of soil in my hands and the smell of it in my nose. I love to watch the plants grow and bloom and perhaps even feed us. Right now it doesn't really matter what I plant since the goats will eat it all before it gets a chance to grow! But I plant anyway and love my goaties too.
This book looks fantastic! I garden because I want to connect/reconnect with food. I want to understand planning for a harvest, patience, discipline, surprise, and full, deep breaths.
ReplyDelete-Jay
I have always loved to garden. I garden these days because it calms my mind, it allows me to feed good things to my family, and it supplies wildlife with food.
ReplyDeleteI love to garden because it's therapeutic and FUN! Thanks for the chance to win! Cheers!
ReplyDeleteheatheranne99 at gmail dot com
Shared on Twitter!
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heatheranne99 at gmail dot com
I love having control of my own food and harvesting what I eat right before eating it. It makes me feel secure in being able to feed my family no matter what.
ReplyDeleteI shared this on FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dog-Island-Farm/135706966460383?sk=wall
I like to garden...no, I LOVE to garden. I started in my 20's after the loss of a child and learned how healing it can be to put your hands in the earth. To watch seeds sprout and grow into a plant, flower, fruit...it feeds much more than my family, it feeds my soul. After more than 20 years, I know that I couldn't live without a little bit of dirt in my life. The healthy, safe food that we get is an added bonus. And knowing that I can make that happen, come what may, is priceless!
ReplyDeleteShared on my Facebook Page, as well...
I garden because it restoreth my soul.
ReplyDelete(Shared on Facebook)
I garden because I believe in not just connecting with nature, but with culture. Gardening gives me a chance to be in soil (and being in NYC, that's a harder treat) and be attentive to the ebb and flow of nature. In addition, it also allows me to be attentive to traditions. I grew up in LA, and cilantro, chili pequin and epazote all have a space in my heart. Growing these things leave me connected to them, and by extension, with home.
ReplyDeleteMy garden gives me peace. My garden gives me knowledge. My garden gives me inspiration and energy. My garden gives me accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteWe started getting our garden plans together this weekend. I would love to give this book to my husband. We would both love it. But he is the gardener. lol
ReplyDeleteThanks for the seed recomendation. Will definitly look at their sit.
SallyKingemail@gmail.com
Shared on Facebook!!
ReplyDeleteSallyKingemail@gmail.com
I would love to have this book. I try to plant heirlooms whenever I can. I garden not just for the healthy food but for the peace I find working in the garden...
ReplyDeleteGardening isn't always something I do because I like it, but because it is necessary -and meeting that need makes me happy. Being outdoors, nurturing the earth and being nurtured by its bounty are all the motivation I need!
ReplyDeleteHi! I would like to enter the drawing for the book! I like to garden because it makes me happy to be surrounded by beauty and be a part of the life of plants. It is especially gratifying to garden at my son's school and watch the kids snack on cherry tomatoes from the vine and have more birds and insects visit us for the kids to see.
ReplyDeleteHello! I don't normally enter to win giveaways, since I dislike getting my hopes up. But I think yours will be different! I love the idea of this book, if I don't win I will have to scrounge until I get buy one. (sure hope I win, could be a long time to wait.) LOL This will save me so much time asking you questions on seed saving and about your seed library.
ReplyDeleteI love to garden because I want to fill my childrens belly's on food as the Lord intended. I want them to grow free from chemicals, I want them to grow up with a sense of purpose and responsibility for themselves and for the world we were given.
Sharing on facebook!
ReplyDeleteI love to garden for so many reasons that everyone has already mentioned, eating local, being able to walk outside and pick things to cook for dinner right then and there, and being part of the solution on how to have healthy whole foods in our lives. The REAL reason I love to garden is because it makes me so interesting!!!! :) Seriously!! I am hotter and more popular now than I ever have been in all my entire life! I can talk about kale with an old guy from Portugal at the Farmer's Market. I can wax on and on about the difference in my tomato crop this year compared to the past 5 years. I can spout off the names of the most interesting people and books and website in the local food movement like they are my first cousins! I can shake my fist at squirrels, birds, and all the other varmints that try and steal my food and have the best stories to tell to complete strangers who hold me in rapt attention. I can share my canning adventures with fellow homesteaders on the internet/facebook/real food festivals/farm tours/etc. So truthfully. Isn't that really the best thing about farming? We are growing really interesting personalities and friendships that would never have been possible before! Don't you agree?! I love being a backyard farmer!
ReplyDeleteOh and I am a Facebook friend with you, too! :)
ReplyDeleteI love to garden because I love plants! I'm a single, full-time working mother who thought I didn't have time or energy for a garden. But last fall I planted garlic that turned out beautiful this last June, and this summer I had tomatoes and peppers, and lemonbalm! I have so been enjoying watching the plants grow, and I actually love them almost like I love people! Gardening is so stress-relieving for me, also. I'm learning as I go, and my girls are learning as well so that they will be able to feed themselves as they get older. I love gardening because of the independence it gives us to provide for ourselves, and share the bounty with others. I've just had such fulfillment from taking that giant leap of faith!!!
ReplyDeleteThese are all great comments, guys! I love reading these! :D
ReplyDeleteI love to garden because of the planning process. I love collecting seed catalogs, picking out beautiful vegetables, and mapping out a new way to plant them. By the end of the season it's always a mess anyway, but I always get excited about planning for spring!
ReplyDeleteI garden because I need to . For years it has been my therapist, my companion, and the only partner that has stayed around. My daughter has been raised in the dirt, running through the garden with the excitedness that she has found the most pretty worm there is. I have watched the wonder of children planting, and then watching, waiting for the first green to poke through the soil, the wonder of life and then the miracle of the seed as we harvest them to start the process all over again. I could not live without my connection to the soil. To be able to walk out in my garden whenever I go out the back door is a gift I will never take for granted. I garden because I need to.
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