Imagine a Southwest kitchen garden, full of plump purple eggplants and luscious tomatoes. Also frilly dill, curly parsley, basil perfumed with clove. There's tongue-tickling cilantro, zesty oregano, and gleaming peppers. And for even more sensory appeal - vivid lavender and marigolds, flourishing under a brilliant Southwestern sun.

From garden dreams to savory reality served up on a plate, Kim Nelson guides your through the process of planning, planting, growing, harvesting, and cooking the crops that thrive in the Southwestern kitchen garden. All gardens need three simple things: sunshine, good soil, and water. "In the Southwest," Ms. Nelson points out, "the first is a given, but we must consciously manage the other two." And here's how to do it.

Based on long experience, her plant recommendations range from apple mint to zucchini, from ancho peppers to watermelon, with zinnias for added zing. She also includes advice on garden design and layout, soil preparation, seed sources, planting schedules, irrigation, and safe and easy pest control. 

At the end of the day, a gardening household can feast on such delights as Southwestern Gazpacho, Balsamic Roasted Root Vegetables, Dill and Rosemary Salmon, Kim's "Most Wonderful Salad", Citrus Salsa, Mom's Pumpkin Cake, and Anna's Ice Cream Coleslaw, an amazing (and amazingly tasty) cabbage treat. 

And Cynthia Miller's exuberant illustrations spring up throughout the text, as vibrant and appealing as the flowers, herbs, and vegetables themselves. This is a delightful garden of a book.