Esther of the Singing Hands is Perach's Sweetheart, a young and beautiful musician with a Girl Next Door image. When her violin is stolen after a concert in the capital city, she doesn't expect the queen herself to show up, intent upon solving the mystery. But Queen Shulamit -- lesbian, intellectual, and mother of the six-month-old crown princess -- loves to play detective. With the help of her legendary bodyguard Rivka and her dragon, and with the support of her partner Aviva the Chef, Shulamit turns her mind toward the solution -- which she quickly begins to suspect involves the use of illegal magic that could threaten the safety of her citizens.
From Minnesota to Moscow — how to grow fresh figs in cold climates Growing Figs in Cold Climates is a complete, full-color, illustrated guide to organic methods for growing delicious figs in cold climates, well outside the traditional hot, arid home of this ancient fruiting tree. Coverage includes: Five methods for growing figs in cold climates including overwintering Cultivar selection for cool and cold climates Pruning techniques for a variety of methods of growing figs in cold climates Pest problems and solutions Harvesting, including ways to speed ripening, identify ripe fruit, and manage an overabundance Small-scale commercial fig production in cold climates. Fresh figs are juicy, full-bodied, and filled with a honey-sweet flavor, and because truly ripe figs are highly perishable, they are only available to those who grow their own. By choosing the right cultivars and techniques, figs can be grown across cool and cold growing zones of North America, Europe, and beyond, putting them within reach of almost every gardener. Easy and delicious — if you can grow a houseplant, you can grow a fig.
Queen Shulamit never expected to inherit the throne of the tropical land of Perach so young. At twenty, grief-stricken and fatherless, she's also coping with being the only lesbian she knows after her sweetheart ran off for an unknown reason. Not to mention, she's the victim of severe digestive problems that everybody thinks she's faking. When she meets Rivka, an athletic and assertive warrior from the north who wears a mask and pretends to be a man, she finds the source of strength she needs so desperately. Unfortunately for her, Rivka is straight, but that's okay -- Shulamit needs a surrogate big sister just as much as she needs a girlfriend. Especially if the warrior's willing to take her around the kingdom on the back of her dragon in search of other women who might be open to same-sex romance. The real world outside the palace is full of adventure, however, and the search for a royal girlfriend quickly turns into a rescue mission when they discover a temple full of women turned to stone by an evil sorcerer.
The common fig Ficus carica L. is an ancient fruit native to the Mediterranean. Dried figs have been successfully produced and processed in arid regions with little sophisticated infrastructure for centuries. Figs are rich in fibre, trace minerals, polyphenols and vitamins, with higher nutrient levels than most fruits. Advances in agricultural production and postharvest technologies have not only improved the efficiency of dried fig production but have facilitated the development of high value fresh fig industries both for export and domestic markets. The result is high quality fresh figs that are marketed internationally throughout the year. This book provides a comprehensive summary of fig growing, processing and marketing from a scientific and horticultural perspective.
"This book provides a comprehensive review of fig research, both basics and applications. It addresses the recent scientific results in genetics, genomics, metabolomics, pharmaceutical properties, understanding of symbiosis, new management, post-harvest technology and diseases and pest management of figs"--
Britain’s foremost food writer Nigel Slater returns to the garden in this sequel to Tender, his acclaimed and beloved volume on vegetables. With a focus on fruit, Ripe is equal parts cookbook, primer on produce and gardening, and affectionate ode to the inspiration behind the book--Slater’s forty-foot backyard garden in London. Intimate, delicate prose is interwoven with recipes in this lavishly photographed cookbook. Slater offers more than 300 delectable dishes--both sweet and savory--such as Apricot and Pistachio Crumble, Baked Rhubarb with Blueberries, and Crisp Pork Belly with Sweet Peach Salsa. With a personal, almost confessional approach to his appetites and gustatory experiences, Slater has crafted a masterful book that will gently guide you from the garden to the kitchen, and back again.
“A Way to Garden prods us toward that ineffable place where we feel we belong; it’s a guide to living both in and out of the garden.” —The New York Times Book Review For Margaret Roach, gardening is more than a hobby, it’s a calling. Her unique approach, which she calls “horticultural how-to and woo-woo,” is a blend of vital information you need to memorize and intuitive steps you must simply feel and surrender to. In A Way to Garden, Roach imparts decades of garden wisdom on seasonal gardening, ornamental plants, vegetable gardening, design, gardening for wildlife, organic practices, and much more. She also challenges gardeners to think beyond their garden borders and to consider the ways gardening can enrich the world. Brimming with beautiful photographs of Roach’s own garden, A Way to Garden is practical, inspiring, and a must-have for every passionate gardener.
This feast of sustaining soups, hearty stews, ample roasts and rich desserts takes us behind the scenes at the French Wine harvest and provides a taste of real French family cooking. Recipes from the French Wine Harvest describes the harvest cooking in France's great wine-growing areas - Burgundy, Rhône, Bordeaux, Loire, Champagne and Alsace - and meets the families and individuals behind some of the most famous wine labels. Easy to prepare, nourishing and delicious these dishes are the world's most cheering comfort food - perfect alter a hard day at work, whether in the fields or at the office ! Throughout the wine regions of France, the annual harvest gathers people of all ages and backgrounds to pick the grapes. It's hard and hungry work and, traditionally, the vineyard owner and family feed their temporary army of workers the sort of hearty food (and drink) they need to be out among the vines from dawn to dusk ! The recipes for these harvest feasts have often been in the family for generations and, region by region, represent an unbroken link with the strong traditions of rural French family cooking. Here are salads and red wine stews from Provence, grills from Gascony, tarts from Touraine, Burgundian potato dishes, soup from Champagne : simply prepared and economical food for entertaining in the best tradition of French country cooking. The recipes, originally designed to feed the many, have been carefully reworked to feed a table of six to eight diners. In her researches, the author visited some of France's greatest chateaux and domaines - La Fleur Pétrus and Lynch-Bages, Vieux Télégraphe, Guigal and Domaine Tempier, Michel Lafarge and Domaine Raveneau, Louis Roederer and Zind-Humbrecht - as well as lesser known but equally long-established concerns, to meet the families and individuals behind the wine labels. Beautifully illustrated throughout with images of the vineyards as the grapes were being picked and in the homes where the feasts were being prepared, Recipes from the French Wine Harvest is a gastronomic treat to be appreciated by every enthusiast for the food and wines of France.
The common fig (Ficus carica L.) is one of the oldest fruits domesticated by humans, and is native to southwest Asia and the Mediterranean. Figs have been associated with health and prosperity since ancient times. They are rich in fibre, potassium, calcium, and iron, as well as being an important source of vitamins, amino acids, and antioxidants. In recent years, increased consumption has caused fig production to shift to new countries such as Mexico, Brazil, India, and China. However, fig is a challenging fruit crop to grow. It is susceptible to insect pests and diseases as well as injuries from abiotic stress during fruit development and ripening. As a delicate fruit it also requires complicated postharvest procedures and climate change presents additional challenges. This volume serves as a comprehensive reference for current and future practices of fig production, consumption, research and innovation, and is essential for academic researchers, and those involved in research and development in the fig industry.
