Putting Down Roots: Gardening Insights from Wisconsin's Early Settlers

Culture and history can be passed from one generation to the next through the food we eat, the vegetables and fruits we plant and harvest, and the fragrant flowers and herbs that enliven our gardens. The plants our ancestors grew tell stories about their way of life. This part of our collective history comes alive at Old World Wisconsin's re-created nineteenth-century heirloom gardens. In "Putting Down Roots, " historical gardener Marcia C. Carmichael guides us through these gardens, sharing insights on why the owners of the original houses--be they Yankee settlers, German, Norwegian, Irish, Danish, Polish, or Finnish immigrants--planted and harvested what they did. She shares timeless lessons with today's gardeners and cooks about planting trends and practices, garden tools, popular plant varieties, and favorite recipes of Wisconsin's early settlers.