This invaluable guide shows you exactly how to grow, harvest, process, store, and cook nine of the most common whole grains: wheat, corn, barley, millet, oats, rice, rye, spelt, and quinoa. Cultivating these crops is surprisingly easy, and it takes less space than you might imagine — with just 1,000 square feet, for example, you can grow enough wheat for 50 loaves of fresh bread. The book includes delicious, simple recipes for cooking with whole grains (whether you grow them yourself or not) and features a gorgeous cover by renowned artist Nikki McClure that makes the book a wonderful gift for all the gardeners and cooks on your list.

Sara Pitzer is the author of Homegrown Whole Grains and more than a dozen cookbooks and travel guides. She has studied and written about grains in Amish country in central Pennsylvania, in the southeastern United States, and in California. More recently, she has studied small-scale rice growing in Thailand and quinoa production in Peru. She lives in North Carolina.