Book Feature: From One Small Garden Recipe Book + Exclusive Author Interview with Lillian and Dave Brummet

One of the silver linings of staying at home was the fact that many of us discovered our love of plants and gardening. Whether it was for ornamental plants or a vegetable and fruit garden, one thing was for sure. Our inner green thumb was brought to life.

And it doesn't stop there... Surrounded by all this greenery and a growing vegetable and fruit garden, we can't help but be inspired to have a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. 

The book, From One Small Garden - Over 300 Delicious Nutritious Recipes is loaded with interesting historical & nutritional information, this is more than just a collection of recipes - it is a way to treat yourself to healthy, delicious garden-fresh produce.

Lillian and her husband Dave are behind Brummet Media Group and here's our exclusive interview with them as they share more about their book, From One Small Garden - Over 300 Delicious Nutritious Recipes.

1. Can you share with us something about the book that isn't in the blurb?

Yes, thank you for asking - this book also helps with chemical exposure, budget issues, and waste reduction. For instance, the final chapter offers frugal ways to make natural hair spray, herbal tea mixtures, pest deterrents, and air fresheners, from common ingredients found around the home. We also offer alternatives to boxes of little envelopes of chicken coating and taco seasoning... further reducing the reader's waste stream.

2. What inspired the idea for your latest book?

This book began after a car accident, as a hobby - collecting all the recipes we created and putting them in a binder for our own use. Over the years the binder was revised a dozen times or more and printed out for our own use more times than that. Eventually, we had perfected the recipes, reducing the volume to about 320 some odd recipes. We used them for hosting our weekend drum workshops, or day-long workshops - serving meals and snacks to our participants. We also used them in the spa we managed for a short time. It was the responses to these experiences that made us consider publishing it. We were hesitant because we aren't famous and we felt it would not have much of a market. However, we soon saw there was indeed a market for this book and the long work on the manuscript began. The book honors people who inspired us and celebrates a number of friends and family members who are no longer with us - sharing our versions of their inspiring recipes.

3. How long did it take you to complete the book?

The car accident (a 3 car pile-up) was in 1998... and that was when the random collection became more organized. The sincere work taking that binder to the draft manuscript stage really began in earnest in 2019 or so. The manuscript was set aside during that time frame while we continued house renovations and garden development. We were so excited to have it published on January 18, 2021, and officially available for purchase as of February I think. What a thrill to have our own copy in our hands!

4. What part of the book was most challenging to write and why?

The most challenging was the marketing blurbs, inside cover blurbs, and the text on the cover itself. Trying to convey what was in this 275-page book, the value and the wide array of textures and cultural foods, and the extra recipes we have at the end... it was not easy to create a tasteful enticing text for all of this.

5. What do you hope your readers take away from this book?

We hope that readers will become more excited about cooking fresh foods at home. We encourage our readers to shop at farmer's markets and via local food producers. We also encourage gardening, as even just a few pots on the doorstep can help supplement the menu plan. We educate the reader by showing them interesting historical, agricultural and nutritional tidbits. We help them reduce waste, save money, create nutritional menu plans and take advantage of peak harvests.

6. If you’re planning a sequel or write the next book, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?

The next book project is actually a 3-book series that we are starting work on in the next few weeks. This project is in honor of Dave's dad, Frank Brummet. He was a popular writer, speaker, and poet in the Okanagan, Boundary, and Kootenay regions of BC, Canada. We hope to publish his poetry, photos, and short stories/memoir this year. Frank's Wanderings, Frank's Pondering's, and Frank's Tales are the tentative titles we are mulling over.

7. Where can they buy your books or find out more about you?

The best place to go is our Amazon Central Page: https://amazon.com/author/lillianbrummet

Our main website is: www.BrummetMedia.ca or people can also visit our main blog where we have several additional pages such as book reviews, media appearances, pictures of Dave and I and our furkids, and more: http://www.consciousdiscussions.blogspot.com/

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Thank you, Lilian and Dave, for agreeing to this interview. We are inspired by your new book project and can't wait to have a healthier and sustainable lifestyle by cooking freshly cooked meals at home and implementing eco-friendly practices. 

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