Eric Toensmeier is the award-winning author of Paradise Lot and Perennial Vegetables, and the co-author of Edible Forest Gardens. Eric is an appointed lecturer at Yale University, a Senior Fellow with Project Drawdown, and an international trainer. He presents in English and Spanish throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, and the Caribbean. Eric has studied useful perennial plants and their roles in agroforestry systems for over two decades, and cultivates about 300 species in his urban garden. His writing can be viewed online at perennialsolutions.org.

• PrefacePart 1: Gardening With Perennial Vegetables1. New class of food plants2. Design ideas3. Selecting species4. TechniquesPart 2: Species ProfilesUsing this book -- Alismataceae: the water-plantain family -- Arrowhead -- Alliaceae: the onion family -- Multiplier onions -- Ramps -- Other perennial alliums -- Amaranthaceae: the amaranth family -- Sissoo spinach -- Apiaceae: the celery family -- Arracacha -- Article: Lost crops of the Incas -- Lovage -- Water celery -- Skirret -- Araceae: the aroid family -- Edible aroids (taro, belembe, tannier) -- Article: Calcium oxalate -- Araliaceae: the spikenard family -- Udo -- Asteraceae: the aster family -- Chicory and dandelion -- Globe artichoke -- Okinawa spinach -- Sunchoke -- Article: Inulin -- Fuki -- Scorzonera -- Yacon -- Basellaceae: the malabar spinach family -- Malabar spinach -- Ulluco -- Brassicaceae: the cabbage family -- Perennial brassicas (cabbage, kale, and broccoli) -- Article: Pests and diseases of the brassica family -- Turkish rocket -- Sea kale -- Sylvetta arugula -- Watercress -- Cactaceae: the cactus family -- Nopale cactus -- Cannaceae: the canna family -- Achira -- Caricaceae: the papaya family -- Papaya -- Chenopodiaceae: the goosefoot family -- Saltbush -- Article: Oxalic acid -- Sea beet -- Good King Henry -- Convolvulaceae: the morning glory family -- Water spinach -- Sweet potato -- Cucurbitaceae: the squash family -- Perennial cucumber -- Malabar gourd -- Bitter melon -- Chayote -- Article: Extending the range of chayote and other day-length-sensitive plants -- Cyperaceae: the sedge family -- Chufa -- Water chestnut -- Dioscoreaceae: the yam family -- Air potato -- Article: Air potato: an ecological conundrum? -- Yams -- Dryopteridiaceae: the wood-fern family -- Ostrich fern -- Euphorbiaceae: the spurge family -- Chaya -- Bull nettles -- Cassava -- Katuk -- Fabaceae: the pea family -- Groundnut -- Basul -- Hyacinth bean -- Water mimosa -- Perennial beans -- Winged bean -- Lamiaceae: the mint family -- Chinese artichoke -- Liliaceae: the lily family -- Asparagus -- Yellow asphodel -- Camass -- Daylily -- Giant Solomon's seal -- Malvaceae: the mallow family -- Edible hibiscus -- Cranberry hibiscus -- Musk mallow -- Meliaceae: the neem family -- Fragrant spring tree -- Moraceae: the mulberry family -- Breadfruit -- Moringaceae: the moringa family -- Moringa -- Musaceae: the banana family -- Plantain and green banana -- Nelumbonaceae: the lotus family -- Water lotus -- Oxalidaceae: the wood-sorrel family -- Oca -- Phytolaccaceae: the pokeweed family -- Pokeweed -- Haitian basket vine -- Poaceae: the grass family -- Clumping bamboos -- Running bamboos -- Article: Rhizome barriers for aggressive running bamboos -- Pitpit -- Polygonaceae: the smartweed family -- Rhubarb -- Sorrel -- Solanaceae: the nightshade family -- Wolfberry -- Ground cherry and goldenberry -- Pepino dulce -- Peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, and potatoes -- Article: Pests and diseases of the nightshade family -- Tetragoniaceae: the New Zealand spinach family -- New Zealand spinach -- Tiliaceae: the linden family -- Linden -- Tropaeolaceae: the nasturtium family -- Mashua -- Urticaceae: the nettle family -- Stinging nettle and wood nettlePart 3: ResourcesPerennial vegetables for each climate typeRecommended readingHelpful organizations and Web sitesSources of plants and seedsSources of gardening supplies and materialsBibliographyIndex

Booklist-Part of the allure of perennial gardening is the fact that a gardener can plant something once and enjoy it for several years, a benefit that has rarely been extended to vegetable gardeners. Save for such stalwarts as asparagus and rhubarb, most edible crops can be used only annually. Thanks to Toensmeier, gardeners need no longer be frustrated by such limitations. From air potatoes to water celery, Turkish rocket to Malabar gourd, there are more than 100 new species of edible plants. After addressing such cultural basics as site selection and preparation, Toensmeier explains why each plant is an excellent perennial vegetable crop. Now that such items are making their way onto trendy restaurant menus and health-store shelves, Toensmeier's groundbreaking guide is destined to become the bible for this new class of edible gardening.