Yes, this is a book about growing garlic, and yes, it was written by a highly educated, contemplative, philosopher farmer. “A Garlic Testament”, though, is about far more than seasons on a small garlic farm in northern New Mexico.

Besides being a love poem to plant life on earth and the amazing chemistry of the love language that all plants speak to each other and to Homo sapiens, Buhner’s book takes an unflinching view of the serious threat posed by pharmaceuticals and chemicals that have permeated our ecosystem. From the waste spewed by their manufacture to their entrance into city water systems, we are ingesting unwanted chemicals all around us. When the plants regulating our environment are sensitive to the part per trillion level, a small change can have catastrophic consequences.

In the language of flowers, September 26 is commemorated by Dock, which signifies patience.

Docks were popular wild edibles during the Great Depression due to their tart, lemony flavor, their widespread abundance, and the fact that they were free for the taking.

You know how a friend will recommend a book, and you really enjoy it, then your friend stays one jump ahead of you and recommends another book related to the first, and this one suddenly becomes one of your favorite books of all times? Well, that’s the way it is with “Atchafalaya Houseboat” and me. I can’t thank my friend Louis enough for introducing me to the engaging literature of life on the rivers and in the swamps of America.