Parsnips in the snow: Talks with Midwestern gardeners

by Jane Anne Staw, Mary Swander

Interviews with twelve gardeners reveal their approaches to growing vegetables and flowers in the harsh climate of the Midwest.

Genres: Gardening

205 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1990

Reviews

[Sally · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love gardening and thought I would enjoy this book. It was okay but I got tired of reading stories about the "good old days." I no longer force myself to finish books that don't hold my interest so I gave up on this one.

[Elin · Rating 4 out of 5]

a charming ethnography

[Ellen Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 1980's, Jane Anne Staw and Mary Swander traveled the Midwest, interviewing dozens of gardeners about their life stories and what draws them to the soil. Twelve of those interviews are featured in this book. I enjoyed Parsnips in the Snow because it opened my eyes to the varied reasons why gardeners start digging and planting. Each gardener interviewed had a different perspective on what they grew, why they grew it, and the sense of personal satisfaction they derived from their gardens. This book made me realize that in gardening (as in life), we each have our own unique stories, with a few inter-weaved common threads here and there. I also enjoyed the photos that accompanied each interview, particularly those photos of the gardeners themselves. My only criticism is that I wish Staw and Swander would have divided the featured interviews in the book evenly between male and female gardeners.

[Ricky · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun stories! I learned a lot of techniques to try for next year's tiny garden. Don't pick off all of the suckers on your tomato plants, for example. It made me very nostalgic for Iowa and it made me really, really want my own, larger garden. However, the book is definitely skewed towards the older, slightly more conservative, mostly white gardeners. Needs diversity!