Life certainly got more complicated with the challenges, both health and basic life challenges, we all faced with the worldwide pandemic. Covid-19 made us think outside the box, so to speak, and many of us resorted to exploring healthier lifestyles, including growing our own food. Indeed, the growing concern of food shortages had a decided impact on these decisions. But, there’s more to growing our own food that leads to a healthier lifestyle. We have to understand what we are growing, what suits our personal diet best, and what grows well in the geographic location in which we live. And, then again, we have to consider how to process what we grow.

Sassy Food: How to Grow and Cook Food with Your Own "Farm" Any Size Anywhere Any Time of Year with Any Budget, by Ja-ne de Abreu (with graphic design from Cipriano Mauricio), is an informative and fun look at food and how we can benefit from growing it ourselves. The author provides insights into why gardening at any level of expertise is good for the soul as well as the body. With bright, bold photographs and detailed descriptions of the different food groups and what grows well and where, this book is both an educational and empowering tool, as well as a fun guide to enjoying your own garden. In fact, this book is so much fun, it’s somewhat silly in parts, especially given the rather suggestive photographs that combine food and humanity at their finest. In spite of the ugliness of the pandemic and people’s responses to it, this book sheds a bright light on what is beautiful all around us and how we can benefit from the world’s nurturing beauty. And it’s all very healing, both the act of growing and the act of consuming the product grown. Very empowering and encouraging.

Sassy Food: How to Grow Food with Your Own 'Farm" Any Size Anywhere/Any Time of Year with Any Budget and How to Cook It by Ja-ne de Abreu is a book born from necessity when Abreu and her mother found themselves in a situation where access to fresh food was threatened during the 2020 pandemic. Through trial and error, and with her entire being committed to the project, Abreu made a success of the home venture and has now compiled all of the knowledge she's amassed so we can find the same success by learning from her mistakes instead of our own. Full produce growth, start to finish, recipes, stories, and artistic photographs round the non-fiction book out. “With the pandemic, many people are forced to stay home and do things they never thought possible, including cooking.”

Sassy Food by Ja-ne de Abreu is the book everyone with the intent of living sustainably should have. Whether it is off the grid, off the beaten path, in the suburbs, the city, or—if you're as fortunate as Abreu—in the jungles of Hawaii, you're going to want to see this. Creativity reigns supreme with each moment and every page. Cute chapter headers like Thrilling Trees & Fantabulous Fruit and photography as organic as the foodstuffs are shown, extraordinary women with strategically placed fruits, vegetables, and foliage are incorporated. Even though cultivating produce and nutritious aquatic foods is the primary goal of the book, living an authentic, organic life is more than just what we grow and eat. It is a way of life that begins with a single step and continues, slowly at first, until we are all up and running. Sassy Food is the starting line for all.