Tiny dried beans with the grand name of Cherokee Trail of Tears, melons with a fanciful moniker like Moon and Stars. Parsnips, raised underground in Wisconsin, with the tropical scent of coconut. Green tomatoes that taste ripe and wonderful. They're all heirloom vegetables--old-time varieties that nature alone has produced, untouched by genetic scientists and modern technology. In A Celebration of Heirloom Vegetables they're showcased brilliantly. Author Roger Yespen observed scores of these living antiques as they grew in his garden and has painted a picture, in words and watercolors, of each of them in all their glorious color and form. Nearly fifty full-color, full-size illustrations make it clear that these varieties have survived on the strength of their personality--distinctive flavor, scent, and texture--and their looks, from strange and exotic and even ugly to startlingly beautiful. Heirloom gardening and cooking is a wonderful way to rediscover the diversity and richness of our grandparents' favorites and put them back on our table.