A love-letter to the unexpected delights (and occasional despair) of so-called “first-hand food”—meals we grow, forage, fish, or even hunt from the world around us. To Boldly Grow is “part memoir, part how-to guide and wholly delightful” ( Washington Post ). Journalist and self-proclaimed “crappy gardener” Tamar Haspel is on a mission: to show us that raising or gathering our own food is not as hard as it’s often made out to be. When she and her husband move from Manhattan to two acres on Cape Cod, they decide to adopt a more active approach to their diet: raising chickens, growing tomatoes, even foraging for mushrooms and hunting their own meat. They have more ambition than practical know-how, but that’s not about to stop them from trying…even if sometimes their reach exceeds their (often muddy) grasp. With “first-hand food” as her guiding principle, Haspel embarks on a grand experiment to stop relying on experts to teach her the ropes (after all, they can make anything grow), and start using her own ingenuity and creativity. Some of her experiments are a rousing success (refining her own sea salt). Others are a spectacular failure (the turkey plucker engineered from an old washing machine). Filled with practical tips and hard-won wisdom, To Boldly Grow allows us to journey alongside Haspel as she goes from cluelessness to competence, learning to scrounge dinner from the landscape around her and discovering that a direct connection to what we eat can utterly change the way we think about our food--and ourselves. One of Cosmopolitan ’s 10 Best Non-Fiction Books of 2022 You Should Add to Your Reading List ASAP One of Smithsonian Magazine 's 10 Best Books About Food of 2022 “ To Boldly Grow is part memoir, part how-to guide and wholly delightful.” — Washington Post “If you have ever fantasized about trading in city life for foraging for your own food, Tamar Haspel…has done it for you in her hilarious memoir…[Haspel] turns her skills as a science journalist toward solving the perplexing problems that come with living off the land and enticing readers with its many rewards.” — Christian Science Monitor “ To Boldy Grow serves as both a memoir and guidebook to discovering the joys food, from planting to plating, can bring.” — Veranda “In this witty and playful memoir, Haspel chronicles their journey from clueless urban gardeners to competent farmers, foragers and fishermen...[T]ales of epic failure, as well as encouraging tips for anyone looking to develop a better connection with their food.” — Modern Farmer “Intimidated by the idea of growing your own food? Don’t be! Tamar Haspel’s nonfiction exploration of food, gardening, and creativity offers practical advice on how to grow anything—even without any expert help. It’s a bold blueprint for anyone who wants to broaden their food horizons.” — Life Savvy “Haspel aims to show that any of us can feed ourselves from our own backyards, as long as we have ingenuity and the will to try. In the end, the book serves as a guide as much as a memoir, with failures as well as successes documented.” — Smithsonian Magazine “As a Massachusetts resident and occasional visitor to Cape Cod who appreciates its land and sea resources and people, I found the deeply human-to-human and human-to-animal species and natural resource relationships endearing…Exquisite.” — Cape Cod Daily News “A delightful romp through the pleasures and perils of growing, killing and gathering your own food.” — Concord Monitor “A journalist who ‘grew up in a food-focused household’ chronicles her adventures gardening and eating in Cape Cod…With witty insight, the author shares their successes and failures along with tips and how-to advice…[A] great stepping-off point for individuals interested in exploring ‘first-hand food opportunities’ and exercising more control over the origins of what they eat. Knowledgeable inspiration for getting out there and getting dirty.” — Kirkus Reviews “Amusing… [with] a colloquial, curious tone reminiscent of the work of Mary Roach…The bright prose and clever insight make this a pleasure to dig into." — Publishers Weekly “Brimming with hilarious gardening anecdotes, To Boldly Grow … is an inspirational account of the author's improbable transformation from a city-dweller leading a life of the mind into an avid country gardener… Serving as a detailed six-part guide for readers who are considering food-gathering pursuits of their own and are curious about what it entails, Haspel's debut features all of the brilliant wit and lively storytelling that have made her a popular food and science writer…In this entertaining and practical guide to homegrown food, a journalist discovers the joys of gardening, keeping chickens and ice fishing after moving to Cape Cod from Manhattan.” — ShelfAwareness “I want to be Tamar Haspel when I grow up…My advice? Run to the independent bookstore down the street and get a copy when they go on sale on Tuesday an