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A review of New Book of Herbs

by Jekka McVicar

This is a must have book for anybody who wants to learn how to grow and use herbs.

Reviewed by: Heather Ray
About Heather Ray

New Book of Herbs I love gardening so much that when I was in the last month of my pregnancy and nesting set in, I planted instead of cleaning. Specifically, I planted herbs: six kinds of mint, lemon verbena, pineapple sage. My son is now eight months old and the herbs are looking a little ratty, having been forsaken by my diaper changing self. Thankfully, however, I discovered Jekka McVicar's New Book of Herbs, and by springtime, I figure I will have learned enough (and my son's diaper habits will have improved enough) for me to repair the damage.

This book is one hefty pile of herbal knowledge. I have another of McVicar's books on herbs, but this one is superior. For one thing, it is very well organized, which is important in a how-to book. After an introduction advocating organic gardening, you find a section on the actual herb-growing process: analyzing and preparing the soil, designing your herb garden, how to propagate (or make baby) herbs, maintenance of your garden, and harvesting your herbs.

What do you do with the herbs once you have harvested them? McVicar gives you plenty of ideas in the next two sections: The Kitchen and The Home. The Kitchen section gives you some really yummy-sounding recipes for things like elderflower cordial, herb mustard and mayonnaise, and herb marinades. Each recipe is accompanied by a mouthwatering photograph and lots of helpful advice for serving and alternative recipe ideas.

Sustain a burn while making herb flan? Don't worry! Jekka has an herbal remedy for you in The Home section. She actually has remedies for a lot of things, from dirty kitchen counters (who knew sage could be used as a surface cleaner?) to sunburn (marigolds, apparently, take the ouch out). There's a sub-section devoted to beauty and relaxation and even a sub-section for pet care. Bet you didn't know that wormwood would deter lice in chicken coops.

Not sure what wormwood is? It's okay, because McVicar has included a list of her top one-hundred herbs. By list, I mean detailed description of each of the herbs--how to grow, harvest, and use each one. You get the old standbys: lavender, mint, parsley. But you also learn about cardamom, vervain, and mandrake, which is not the screaming baby plant that J.K. Rowling would have you believe it is. McVicar gives each herb a nice intro, telling you about folklore surrounding the herb, or how the herb came to be cultivated, or her own personal experiences with the herb.

This is what I like best about the book. In most gardening books, you never get a sense of the author. McVicar includes photos of herself and puts her opinions and feelings on almost every page. She tells you how she discovered various plants, what she thinks about all that crazy folklore. It's nice to know that she is an organic gardener and that she feels strongly about it. It's nice to know that she started her farm, which grows 400 varieties of herbs, in one greenhouse with her children crawling around the floor at her feet.

It makes me think that, with the help of this book, there might be hope for my mints come springtime.

Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: New Book of Herbs

Copyright © by Heather Ray, 2002

Reviewed by Heather Ray :
-- The Blue Sword - by Robin McKinley
-- The Hero and the Crown - by Robin McKinley
-- Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening - by Robert Frost, illustrated by Susan Jeffers
-- Little Women - by Louisa May Alcott
-- The Giving Tree - by Shel Silverstein
-- The Tin Forest - by Helen Ward, illustrated by Wayne Anderson
-- New Book of Herbs - by Jekka McVicar









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