Organic gardening is something I’ve always wanted to do, but never seemed to have the time or the space if we are getting technical. Living in New York, one is simply limited to a fire escape, or if you’re lucky, roof access.

But something that does remind me of home, especially during the holidays, is going home to California to my mom’s tomato and passion fruit plants. Reading From Seed to Skillet by Jimmy Williams and Susan Heeger, took me back to a time when I was ordered to run to the garden to fetch a few fresh tomatoes before dinner.

Even though my dream of owning my own organic garden might not be a reality now, just looking at the spectacular meals prepared in this gardening bible can curb the urge temporarily.

Williams learned about vegetable gardening from his grandmother, a South Carolina native from a traditional Gullah community whose members were descendants of Caribbean slaves.

His way of passing on his family’s love for gardening to his family history is in this inspiring step-by-step guide to designing and planting a backyard vegetable garden and growing one’s own food.

After this inspiring read, I might run up to Central Park and try to plant some carrots! (Carrots can be planted in the middle of fall, right?)