Were Thomas Jefferson to walk the grounds of Monticello today; he would no doubt feel fully at home in the 1;000-foot terraced vegetable garden where the very vegetables and herbs he favored are thriving. Extensively and painstakingly restored under Peter J. Hatch's brilliant direction; Jefferson's unique vegetable garden now boasts the same medley of plants he enthusiastically cultivated in the early nineteenth century. The garden is a living expression of Jefferson's genius and his distinctly American attitudes. Its impact on the culinary; garden; and landscape history of the United States continues to the present day.Graced with more than 200 full-color illustrations; "A Rich Spot of Earth" is the first book devoted to all aspects of the Monticello vegetable garden. Hatch guides us from the asparagus and artichokes first planted in 1770 through the horticultural experiments of Jefferson's retirement years (1809–1826). The author explores topics ranging from labor in the garden; garden pests of the time; and seed saving practices to contemporary African American gardens. He also discusses Jefferson's favorite vegetables and the hundreds of varieties he grew; the half-Virginian half-French cuisine he developed; and the gardening traditions he adapted from many other countries.
#604124 in Books Ingramcontent 2016-10-25Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x 1.00 x 6.12l; .0 #File Name: 0300192576368 pagesAmerican Enlightenments Pursuing Happiness in the Age of Reason Lewis Walpole Series in Eighteenth Century Culture and History Hardcover
Review
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Good course work materiaBy BarryAZVery fascinating work -- offering a view of the depth of American Enlightenment thinking distinct from the English; Scottish; or French Enlightenment.4 of 5 people found the following review helpful. The author even questions whether the Enlightenment’s goals were better served by the rabble of republics or under the ...By Karl R. NeiceAmerican Enlightenments by Caroline Winterer is a thorough and very readable account of the so-called Enlightenment of the 1600s-1700s; for years thought to have emerged from the salons of Europe and then its principles applied in the New World; resulting in the founding of the republic of the United States. The author contends that this is a made-up story to differentiate post WWII Americans from the dictatorships that threatened the U.S. during the Cold War. But colonists during the Enlightenment had more discussions and trading of scientific data at the time with Europe through the “republic of letters;†the birth of exchanging of knowledge over long distances by an increasingly literate populace. It was the on-ground findings and experience and discovery of freedom from ancient royal castes that broke the ice on new ideas; and not the aristocratic European salons that spurred the Enlightenment into the areas of science — still the domain of unlocking God’s plan — government and religion. The essays explore Americans’ attempts to ennoble the New World’s past with explanations of ancient native civilizations of mound-builders in the south and midwest; and of the Olmec; Aztec; Maya and Inca advancements; as well the “counting†of remaining Indian cultures aimed at eventually subdividing the land because it was not subject to “enlightened†use. Also explored are the attempts to enlighten the use of slavery in the Americas; and the Enlightenment’s affect on America’s burgeoning religious cultures. The author even questions whether the Enlightenment’s goals were better served by the rabble of republics or under the guidance of ambitious modern monarchies. All and all a very enlightened (couldn’t resist) look at New World history and philosophy from the point of view at the time and not what we wish or need it to be.
