Special thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this book.
Over the last few years, we’ve been incorporating more and more natural health practices into our lives. I’ve been studying aromatherapy, essential oils, herbs… as we try to blend modern medicine with natural health and home care. One of the things that I’ve really been missing in my home library is a solid resource for herbs, so I was happy when I was given the opportunity to review this book.
The New American Herbal begins with a look into the basics of working with herbs. It covers the different herbal properties, the major herb families, harvesting herbs, growing herbs, herb-drying techniques, extracting herbs, and working with essential oils. It’s basically an all inclusive herb getting started guide. It’s everything you need to know as you get started working with herbs. It even includes a few cautionary guides when it comes to children, pets, and toxicity.
From there, the book moves into different projects and uses for herbs in the garden and kitchen. It even talks about some specialty herbs. Projects include different herb gardens, herbal vinegars and oils, herbal beverages, and spice blends. Some of the specialty herbs covered include Native American herbs, Chinese medicinal herbs, trees and shrubs used as herbs, older traditional herbs, controversial herbs, and tropical herbs.
The vast majority of the book is the Herbs A to Z section. The beginning of the book has an alphabetical listing of each herb with the page number to allow readers to easily research a specific herb. Each herb listing includes a write-up about the herb as well as a chart that includes the herb category, origin, type, height, other names and varieties, how to grow, season, and safety information. The entry for each herb also has a full color image and some herbs even feature some delicious looking recipes.
The book concludes with a resource section that features writings from the past, historic schools of herbal practice, recommended reading and sources, and a list of public gardens with notable herb collections to visit in U.S. and Canada.
So many herb books that I’ve looked at had sketches or black and white images which I didn’t care much for, so seeing all the full-color images all throughout this book really made me happy. It also helps make identification of various herbs much easier. The New American Herbal is a valuable resource for anyone who is interested in studying herbs, growing herbs, cooking with herbs, or crafting with herbs. The only thing that would have made this book better was if it had a hidden spiral binding for easier use.
Book Description:
A masterful A-to-Z introduction to the full spectrum of herbal plants, gorgeously photographed by the author with fascinating insights into their myriad culinary, medicinal, and decorative uses, The New American Herbal is an indispensable addition to the library of every cook, crafter, and gardener.
About the Author:
STEPHEN ORR is the author of Tomorrow’s Garden and the former Editorial Director for Gardening for Martha Stewart Living. Previously he was the garden editor for House & Garden magazine and has written extensively for Domino, The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. He has been a regularly featured gardening expert on The CBS Early Show and Today, and lectures at garden clubs around the country. Orr writes about extraordinary gardens on his blog, What the Skies Were Like.
Book Details:
- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Clarkson Potter (September 30, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0449819930
- ISBN-13: 978-0449819937
- Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 1.2 x 10 inches
- Retail Price: $27.50
Disclosure: I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. A positive review is not required nor guaranteed. All opinions are my own.
