Date: Fri 06-Dec-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDREA

Illustration: C

Location: A15

Quick Words:

Shaker-Herb-Garden-Buchanan

Full Text:

(rev Shaker garden book & interview w/ author Rita Buchanan, 12/6/96)

Finding Simple Gifts In The Garden

(with cuts)

If you would have a lovely garden, you should live a lovely life

-Shaker saying

BY ANDREA ZIMMERMANN

Orderliness, simplicity and well-wrought endeavors are some of the things that

continue to fascinate us about the United Society of Believers, known to many

as the Shakers. These same virtues are demonstrated by author Rita Buchanan in

The Shaker Herb and Garden Book , a book as much about the Shakers'

contribution to expanding the gardening industry as it is a thoughtful study

of the sect's gardening methods, many of which can be successfully implemented

today.

"I think it's really important for someone as an author/researcher, not to

just report and repeat information, but to analyze it, put it in context, and

evaluate it," said the author during a recent telephone interview. "I tried to

look critically at Shaker ways of gardening, [asking myself], `Would this

work? Why would it work? And is this a good idea?'"

The author, who grew up on a farm in upstate New York and has lived in

Connecticut for the past ten years, said she has had a garden since she was "a

wee little girl." Her property now has gardens with vegetables, medicinal

plants, herbs, fruit, wild flowers, perennials, grasses, shrubs and trees.

"I love plants in general, and I love gardening. It was interesting for me to

trace it back in time, to think about how people were doing the same sorts of

things, but in a different context," she said. "The Shakers lived in such big

communities; there would be dozens, even hundreds of people working together.

They had big gardens - acres and acres of gardens - but many hands to share in

the work. But when it comes down to working with the soil, working with the

plants, it's a way of life I think I share with them, even though I'm a modern

American."

The six chapters in the book include information on who the Shakers were,

their approach to gardening, Shaker ideas for today's kitchen garden, Shaker

vegetables and seeds, their medicinal plant industry, and a sampler of Shaker

herbs. Each chapter is comprised of one- to two-page sections which address

specific garden topics from a Shaker framework, with a modern view of the

technique woven throughout. Much of the information discussed is divined from

diaries, account books and the Shaker pamphlet, The Gardener's Manual;

containing plain instructions for the Selection, Preparation, and Management

of a Kitchen Garden: With Practical Directions For The Cultivation And

Management Of Some Of The Most Useful Culinary Vegetables.

Originally published in 1835 and sold for six cents, the manual was revised

many times during the next few decades. The manual was a marketing device to

encourage inexperienced gardeners to buy Shaker seeds, which were the first to

be sold in small packages.

"The Shakers made contributions in many fields, as religious thinkers, social

pioneers, craftsmen, inventors, and builders, but they were especially

successful as gardeners," writes the author in her book. "In addition to

producing their own food, they developed major businesses - the largest and

most advanced of their time - selling vegetables seeds and medicinal herbs,

which they grew, processed, and packaged themselves."

The Shaker Herb and Garden Book , published in association with Hancock Shaker

Village, is illustrated with three sections devoted to color photographs - one

focusing on Shaker life, one on vegetables and herbs, and another on medicinal

plants. The text is well written and includes many pertinent snippets from

documents written by Shakers, giving generous breadth to the portrait

presented in the book.

"It was interesting to me to be doing that research and thinking about the

people and the plants because they lived right around us. Shakers were well

settled in this part of New England. There was a big Shaker settlement in

Enfield, and one just north into Massachusetts, and over the state line in New

York," said Ms Buchanan. "So, as a gardener, I realized they were facing very

similar circumstances as to what I face with soil and climate. It was a lot of

fun to read old diaries that described weather events, arrival of birds in

spring, and pest problems in summer - and I could relate to them all."

The Shaker Herb and Garden Book is to be happily read by the fire this winter,

considered in early spring, and, perhaps, acted upon when the ground softens.

Although gardeners will find much good information here, a green thumb is not

a prerequisite for enjoying this book. It stands on its own as a fascinating

account of how the religious ideals of one small group set the groundwork for

them to become successful gardeners and innovative businessmen.

Rita Buchanan will be signing her new book in Newtown at The Book Review in

Sand Hill Plaza, Route 25, on Sunday, December 8 at 1 pm. For more information

contact The Book Review at 426-1711.