Gourmet Gardening

Published in Gourmet Live 04.25.12
We’re watching our gardens grow, visiting ornamental and edible English gardens, and tracking the battle between small farmers and GMO giant Monsanto

Spring sprang early and aggressively across the nation this year—April looks on track to match March’s record-setting temperatures. So, however you feel about the suddenly sweltering conditions, the good news is that it’s prime planting weather.

Gourmet Live’s Garden Issue opens with Lauren Grodstein’s tale of moving from Brooklyn to the ’burbs, where the gardens are a little too gorgeous and keeping up with the neighbors is an urgent—and dirty—business.

If you’d rather eat the fruits of someone else’s labors than compete for the bushiest basil, consider a trip to England: Travel writer Raphael Kadushin shares recommendations and photographs of five culinary inns where “the garden isn’t just scenery, it’s also a preview of dinner.”

For yet more gorgeous edibles, click through a slideshow of iconic fruit, vegetable, and herb images from the archives of Gourmet magazine, shot by lauded house photographer Romulo Yanes. They’re also on sale in Condé Nast’s online Store.

The issue closes with a timely topic: the fight over genetically modified crops. Julia Savacool reports on the legal battle between small-scale organic farmers and Monsanto, a corporation that many advocates of organics and biodiversity believe embodies the worst of Big Agriculture.

When it’s time to eat—mindfully, of course!—don’t miss our recipe for sprightly shrimp, grapefruit, and avocado salad served over spring-fresh baby spinach.

What’s growing in your garden? Tell us via Twitter or Facebook, drop us a line (gourmetlive@condenast.com), or post a comment on our blog. For more tasty bites, sign up for our weekly newsletter to get convenient access to our most-read blog posts, editors’ favorite recipes, and exclusive reader offers.

Here’s to digging and delicious produce!

The editors of Gourmet Live

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