Book Review pubs.acs.org/jnp
Review of Chemistry in the Kitchen Garden center stage here, with an impressive range of beneficial compounds. In summary, I recommend this book for any readers with scientific training who are interested in increasing their understanding of the role and importance of natural products in garden produce. The author’s inclusion of a detailed subject index and glossary, as well as a section of further readings, makes this a very useful reference guide. Finally, Hanson’s discussion of climate change in the epilogue makes this portion one of the most compelling elements of the text. Readers are left to ponder how the chemical composition of plants might change in response to climate shifts and how these changes will in turn influence interactions with microbes, insects, and animals, a process that has global implications.
Chemistry in the Kitchen Garden. By J. R. Hanson (University of Sussex). Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge. 2011. xiv +210 pp. 16 × 24 cm. £24.99. ISBN 978-84973-323-6.
H
aving read and enjoyed Hanson’s previous book, Chemistry in the Garden, I looked forward to reading the sequel. Hanson has produced an important work focused on which natural products are present, what effects they have, and what role these products play for a wide variety of edible backyard plants. Unlike the previous book, this text was written for readers with a scientific background. Those who appreciate chemical structures will be very satisfied with this text. While the detailed coverage may seem a bit repetitive toward the end for some readers, Hanson provides extremely thorough information that is valuable to anyone with an interest in a particular food or plant. Hanson also includes side notes about the health benefits of numerous natural products found in the discussed plants, with a liberal sprinkling of noteworthy practical tidbits throughout. Chapter 1 contains a brief introduction to the chemical constituents of edible plants including high molecular weight materials (cellulose, proteins), primary metabolites (sugars, plant hormones), and secondary metabolites (alkaloids, terpenoids). Chapter 2 focuses on a primary garden consideration: soil. Organic and inorganic soil qualities are discussed, as well as the interactions of bacteria, fungi, insects, and plants, which all compete for nutrients. Chapters 3−6 cover root and stem, green leaf, and seed vegetables as well as greenhouse crops. Hanson reviews the origin and varieties of plants in each category, their constituent chemicals, and how these chemicals interact with other plants, microbes, and humans. There are interesting vignettes about the evolutionary adaptation of insects such as the parsnip webworm and the cabbage white butterfly. Hanson also provides helpful cooking tips throughout these chapters (e.g., the amount of available carotenoid rises as carrots are cooked and cooking red cabbage with vinegar preserves the color). Hanson’s brief mention of both genetically modified corn and the potential development of legumes that cause fewer allergic reactions would be fascinating to cover more in depth in a later edition. Fruit and their “considerable health benefits” are the stars of Chapter 7, filled with extensive information about the changes in fruit as it ripens, the hundreds of compounds found in fruit, and the pathways of natural products production. Fruit/insect/ fungus symbiotic relationships are addressed here, as in other chapters. Herbs, long valued for their medicinal, aromatic, and culinary properties, receive thorough coverage in the eighth and final chapter. Hanson discusses the antibacterial and food preservation qualities of herbs, not to mention their ability to improve food palatability. Particularly interesting portions of the chapter include a story about lions and catnip and the long list of medicinal properties of common garden herbs. Sage takes © XXXX American Chemical Society and American Society of Pharmacognosy
Susan M. Ensel
■
Hood College Frederick, Maryland
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Notes
The author declares no competing financial interest.
A
dx.doi.org/10.1021/np3007952 | J. Nat. Prod. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
