A Design Milk review of Ali Francis’s The Curious Lives of Vegetables, a book that traces the histories, variety, and overlooked stories of more than 125 vegetables while drawing attention to narrowing agricultural diversity.
The Curious Lives of Vegetables profiles 125+ vegetables — including heirloom and overlooked varieties — to show how produce carries history, culture, and science.
Global agricultural diversity has narrowed: over 90% of crop varieties recorded in the early 20th century are no longer readily available, and three crops supply roughly 60% of plant-based calories worldwide.
Ali Francis pairs reporting with botanical illustrations by Adriana Picker to make familiar vegetables feel new and to connect kitchen choices with broader ecological and cultural stories.
Produce is at its peak, and entertaining feels less like an undertaking than a celebration of what the season has given us. Earlier this month, a dear friend celebrated a big birthday, and we gathered outdoors to celebrate. It struck me that there is a lovely parallel between reaching middle age and reaching the late-summer harvest.
More than 90% of the crop varieties documented in the early 20th century are no longer readily available, along with much of the genetic diversity those varieties represented. It asks us to pay attention to what we grow, what we eat, what we preserve, and what we might otherwise allow to disappear. TJ Girard is a food designer and creative consultant known for creating theatrical, interactive food and beverage experiences.
The friendships, memories, experiences, challenges, discoveries, and unexpected turns that accumulate over time become a kind of personal biodiversity: a rich ecosystem of influences and stories that makes a life distinctive. Vegetables, by food journalist Ali Francis, with botanical illustrations by Adriana Picker, came out Sept. If you enjoy digging deeper beyond the plate, this is a book to linger over.
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