How to Get Old Taunton Kitchen Gardener Magazine Articles

You may not be awash in excitement from the title of this post, but you should be.

This magazine, the best garden magazine I ever read, has long been out of print. I purchased my first copies at a Master Gardener Symposium exchange for $0.25 a piece. I could scarcely wait to go online to buy a subscription and was crushed to realize it was no longer available. I found where you could buy back issues on the Taunton website and snapped up every single one.

There are very few left, but you can still buy them here.

Kitchen Gardener was like a cross between Cook’s Illustrated and Mother Earth News. (I love Mother Earth but I don’t think of it strictly as a garden mag). It was simple, classy, useful, on-topic, beautiful, inspiring, and riveting. Absolutely no filler and the small classified ads were neatly designated to the back of the magazine.

The February/March 2000 issue that I mentioned in my How to (Easily) Grow Celery at Home post had a table of contents that included:

  • Fresh Figs (Even in the North)
  • Mache: Spring’s First Green
  • An Early Start for your Spring Garden
  • Testing the Limits of Pesto (using other herbs)
  • Success with Celery
  • Formality and Surprise in a Garden Design
  • Woodchuck Woes
  • Seed Starting in Speedling Trays
  • Lemon Verbena
  • The Healthy Garden: Weed Control Part 2
  • Preserving the Harvest: Root Cellars
  • Science of Gardening: Viruses
  • Kitchen Garden Flowers: The Viola Family
  • 15 recipes for the above items, letters from readers with how-to diagrams, tips, etc.

More than a year ago I exchanged emails with an editor at Taunton to find out if there were any plans to print old Kitchen Gardener articles in a book form. I let the company know that I thought a book set of old issues would be very popular (if you have ever seen the price these magazine sets go for on Ebay, you’d agree). I received a reply stating that they’d consider the request.

When I was checking to see if Taunton still offered back issues I discovered that they had followed through and reprinted some of the articles in a new format. It isn’t an annual or boxed set but it is a collection of old articles in large, softcover journals:

It looks like it may be an ongoing series.

Thanks Taunton, I hope you’ll still consider the annual box sets, too!

*Edit* Pesto recipes below in comments. Just blend.

Eliza Lord

I'm a Greenville, SC native (the Appalachian foothills) who wears the hats of Greenville Master Gardener & Upstate Master Naturalist. I love to write about food and sustainability.

13 thoughts on “How to Get Old Taunton Kitchen Gardener Magazine Articles”

  1. Nathaniel
    Twitter: nhlord
    - March 2, 2010 8:42 am

    There is something about good magazines that is truly enjoyable. Admittedly a lot of magazines are not all that great as they are just a lot of ad space and the articles offer very little that is insightful. However, when you do find those few good magazines they can provide for some wonderful reading material. I am sad to hear that Kitchen Gardner is no longer an inprint magazine. the table of contents from one, that you provided above, suggests that this was (kind of still is) a great piece of periodicle. I wonder if the library has any of the back issues in archive or on microfilm.

    1. Sustainahillbilly
      Twitter: appalachianfeet
      - March 2, 2010 8:46 am

      If you find out the library has old copies let me know, I have a few holes in my collection. This is a magazine that I will never throw into the recycling bin.

  2. bangchik - March 2, 2010 9:22 am

    With gardening, there is no such thing as old idea or old things. Articles a year ago is as valid as articles today. I don’t mind buying old local gardening/landscape magazine. Compiling old issues into a book is a novel idea. ~bangchik

    1. Sustainahillbilly
      Twitter: appalachianfeet
      - March 2, 2010 9:38 am

      Absolutely! I’ve noticed that hobby magazines often say the same things from year to year so I can subscribe for about 2 years and then just keep the issues on the shelf. I’ve usually forgotten most of it by the time I go back to reread them!

  3. DavidFunderburk - March 2, 2010 9:31 am

    I like that there’s a “Testing the Limits of Pesto” article. We’ve definitely done that on our farm. It’s a great thing to make out of chickweed while you’re waiting for your basil to arrive for the really good stuff. I’m pretty sure Heather has tried to make pesto out of every green thing on our farm.

    1. Sustainahillbilly
      Twitter: appalachianfeet
      - March 2, 2010 9:38 am

      Chickweed pesto sounds fun… sort of therapeutic. :)

      1. DavidFunderburk - March 3, 2010 11:25 pm

        What other pesto herbs do they suggest in the magazine?

        1. Sustainahillbilly
          Twitter: appalachianfeet
          - March 5, 2010 11:05 am

          – Spicy Red Pepper Pesto with 2 red bell peppers, 1 – 2 chipotles in adobo sauce, 1/4 cup roasted almonds, 3 garlic cloves, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 3 tbsp grated Parmesan

          – Sage & Roquefort Pesto with 1/3 cup fresh sage leaves, 3/4 cup parsley, 3/4 cup fresh spinach, 2 tbsp roasted walnuts or pecans, 2 cloves garlic, 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 – 2 oz. Roquefort or other strong blue cheese

          – Tarragon & Hazelnut Pesto with 1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves, 1/2 cup parsley, 1 1/4 cups fresh spinach, 2 tbsp roasted hazelnuts, 2 garlic cloves, 3 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp grated Parmesan

          – Pacific Rim Pesto with 3/4 cup fresh basil, 3/4 cup fresh cilantro, 1 tbsp pine nuts, 1 tbsp macadamia nuts, 1 tbsp cashews, 2 garlic cloves, 1/4″ – 1/2″ thick sliced, peeled chunk fresh ginger, 2 tbsp olive oil, 3/4 tbsp toasted sesame oil, 2 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp Tabasco

          1. David Funderburk - March 6, 2010 10:31 pm

            Sage & Roquefort! These are some pretty high brow pestos. I’ll eat it.

            How about:
            – Chickweed Pesto with 2 cloves of garlic, 3 Tablespoons of pine nuts or sunflower seeds, 1/4 tsp. salt, 2 packed cups chopped fresh chickweed, 1/2 cup olive oil, and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

            Make a bunch, freeze it in ice cube trays, pop ’em out into freezer bags, store, and thaw when you need ’em. What am I talking about? It’s chickweed! Just eat it all and later you can go pick some more and make it fresh.

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  6. Susie LeMarquand - August 26, 2011 11:38 am

    I am looking for an old Kitchen Gardener recipe that used orange, red and yellow bell peppers, some fresh tomato and garlic and was finished with some crumbled feta cheese that ended up making it own sauce for serving over linguine.
    Can anyone help?

  7. Kathy McDowell - December 20, 2011 12:40 am

    I am hoping with the resurgence of home food growing and farming this magazine will come back. It is one of the finest magazines ever published.

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