The Green Guide to Herb Gardening [Paperback]

Deborah Harding (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 8, 2000

Explore the magical world of these amazing plants through ten of the easiest and most useful herbs to grow. This book takes you from seed to harvest to storage. What's more, you get 95 easy recipes in which to sample the fruits of your labor, including refreshing mint julep, mouth-watering lemon balm pesto, crowd-pleasing thyme fish fillets -- and the world's best pizza sauce.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Many herb books are encyclopedic, covering dozens, if not hundreds, of varieties but not providing much depth. Such works have their place but can be confusing to beginners and sometimes don't provide enough information to those wishing to grow and study the most common varieties of herbs. Harding, who publishes the Pryme Thyme online newsletter, has written an outstanding guide that provides extensive information about ten of the most popular herbs--basil, calendula, chamomile, chives, garlic, lemon balm, mint, oregano, parsley, and thyme. Each herb gets its own chapter, which provides information about the herb's history and folklore; gives growing, harvesting, and storage instructions; and suggests culinary, medicinal, cosmetic, and ornamental uses. Harding's information on propagation and preparation after harvest (infusions, tisanes, decoctions, tinctures, elixirs, and poultices) is excellent, and his well-written recipes and instructions should prove helpful to both beginners and enthusiasts. Recommended for all public libraries.
-Jonathan N. Hershey, Akron-Summit Cty. P.L., Akron, OH
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Basil, chives, garlic, oregano, and parsley are among the 10 most popular herbs that Harding features in her guide; they are popular because they are easy to grow, she says. Harding describes what they look like and explains their history, magical properties and folklore, propagation, and growing methods, along with harvest and storage techniques, and the herbs' uses (culinary, remedies, aromatic, cosmetic, ornamental, and more). The author begins with a chapter on propagation, preparations, and preservation, offering basic information on the different growing methods (such as seeds, division, and layering), on how to use herbs in infusions or tea, and on how to save herbs by freezing or drying. This handy guide contains 95 recipes, everything from mint julep and mint jelly to oregano cheese bread and parsley dumplings. George Cohen

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (January 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567184308
• ISBN-13: 978-1567184303
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,065,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent addition to my herbal gardening shelf...., February 18, 2001

By 

Yasmine F. Galenorn "Magic, Mystery, & Mayhem... (Seattle WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Green Guide to Herb Gardening (Paperback)

Ms. Harding's book is clear, concise and easy to understand.She manages to present an informative and yet fascinating view intoten of the most common garden herbs--with all the information neededto get you started working with them. Ms. Harding is a multi-talentedauthor, and this book is worth every penny--I wholeheartedly recommendit...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Green Guide to Herb Gardening, April 8, 2000

By 

Audrey Abbott (Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Green Guide to Herb Gardening (Paperback)

Deborah Harding's new book "The Green Guide to Herb Gardening" is the perfect reference for herb lovers. The seasoned gardener and the beginning herbalist will both find excellent references in this review of the 10 most popular herbs. Growing tips, harvesting, recipes, lore, healing properties and magical traditions are all covered. Whether you are trying to decide what herbs to add to your garden or looking for recipes and methods to preserve this year's harvest, this is the book to read! The text is enjoyable and the recipes are tastey and reliable. Don't hesitate to pick this book up!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Valuable information about 10 popular herbs, July 12, 2002

By 

Boudica (Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Green Guide to Herb Gardening (Paperback)

The Green Guide to Herb Gardening is a very wonderful book that takes ten of the most popular herbs and explores them fully; from planting, care and nurturing of these plants to the harvesting, storage and culinary uses. There are some wonderful recipes for herbs here and I look forward to using some of them. This book covers it all. A must have primer for any beginner or anyone who who has never grown anything.
But what makes this book special is that it doesn't stop there. This book also covers the herb history, magic and folklore of these ten herbs, being basil, calendula, chamomile, chives, garlic, lemon balm, mint, oregano, parsley and thyme. Then Ms. Harding adds herbal teas, aromatic and ornamental uses and some simple magical uses. This now makes this book a very useful handbook worth owning by anyone.
Easy to read and follow, Ms. Harding explains everything fully and presents the material in a well organized and easy to follow format. This book is well researched, and a fountain of information on these herbs. I am hoping she plans to do another book on 10 more herbs, as I found this one a valuable aid to be used.