Living with Herbs: A Treasury of Useful Plants for the Home and Garden [Paperback]

Jo Ann Gardner (Author), Elayne Sears (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2003

Through her experience gardening in the inhospitable climate and soils of Nova Scotia, Jo Ann Gardner has learned simple but innovative growing methods and, as she says, "to become a more conscious gardener". The wisdom she shares--with vivid stories and a self-deprecating wit--is useful to herb growers living anywhere in the U.S. or Canada. 90 line drawings. All-season guide.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

While at first glance these two titles might seem very similar, they approach their subject from different angles, down to the different varieties of herbs discussed. For Gardner (The Old-Fashioned Fruit Garden, Chelsea Green, 1991), life revolves around herbs, and she joyfully draws on her extensive experience with them. Opening with a section on growing methods, she includes information on soil preparation and propagation, traditional and alternative methods of harvesting herbs, uses of herbs in the home (from aromatherapy to wreaths), and a short section on landscape design with herbs. More than half of Gardner's book is devoted to 75 herb portraits, each focusing on one herb (or in a few cases a wildflower or shrub) that the author has found useful. In her culinary-inspired work, Saville (coauthor of Herbs: A Country Garden Cookbook of Collins Pub. San Francisco, 1995) examines unusual herbs. After providing readers with a short chapter on growing herbs, she moves right into an up-close and personal look at 60 uncommon herbs, with a soupcon of history and folklore, scientific and common names, growing instructions, culinary uses, and even recipes. While Gardner covers a broader range of topics?everything from crafts to building your own drying racks?Saville prefers to concentrate solely on the growing and culinary usage of herbs. Gardner's charm and commonsense approach will appeal to the herb neophyte, while Saville's poetic and lyrical writing style will inspire the adventurous gardener/cook looking for new ideas and unusual varieties of herbs to try out.?John Charles, Scottsdale P.L, Ariz.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

This guidebook to growing and using herbs (and a few wildflowers and shrubs) is written from a personal viewpoint. Gardner is the author of several gardening books and a contributor to gardening magazines. For 25 years, she has earned a living growing herbs on a remote farm in Nova Scotia, whose harsh climate and poor land, she relates, "forced me to examine and question accepted gardening practices and to revise them according to my needs." Readers from all regions will benefit from these simple strategies for dealing with common problems, which Gardner learned through hard experience. Part one of the book covers basic growing methods, harvesting herbs, using herbs in the home, and landscaping with herbs. Part two gives 75 detailed "herb portraits," all based on direct experience, including specific growing tips and often recipes and other uses in flavorings, teas, vinegars, oils, jellies, wreaths, swags, aromatherapy, skin fresheners, and potpourris. This "intimate, rather than encyclopedic," compendium concludes with a bibliography; sources of seeds, plants, and supplies. Penny Spokes

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Countryman Press; 1st edition (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881503592
• ISBN-13: 978-0881503593
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,602,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still useful, if slightly dated..., July 20, 2005

By 

Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Living with Herbs: A Treasury of Useful Plants for the Home and Garden (Paperback)

Pick up the May/June issue of The American Gardener or September issue of Herb Companion and you will find an article by Jo Ann Gardner about herbs. Gardner wrote LIVING WITH HERBS a few years back, so in some ways the information in her book should reflect her thinking then, while the articles should reflect her experiences since writing the book. For example, she began harvesting herbs drying them in bunches (some not all herbs dry well using this approach) and discovered that other ways of preserving the essences of the herbs worked better with some plants. First she used string and then she moved to the use of rubber bands. I too use rubber bands because they contract as the herb stems shrink, and you are less likely to loose a bunch of dried herbs. And, while Gardner eschews them, I use paper sacks as they catch falling material, particularly lavender buds/blossoms and the like. However, the current Herb Companion shows a photo accompanying Gardners article where of bunches of herbs are drying on a nifty `under-window' rack, and tied with string, some stems are falling on the floor!!

Gardner says some herbs dry best hanging in bunches and some on drying racks (you can cheat by drying some of them in an oven on low heat), and some should be macerated while green and frozen or put up or in jars of oil or vinegar. LIVING WITH HERBS is a useful book, because you not only read about Gardner's experience with 100 or so of her favorite herbs (growing, preserving, using) you also discover some culinary applications (jellies, rolls, breads, salts, etc.) If you don't grown herbs yourself, you can order them from a number of sources. Gardner has provided a useful if somewhat out-of-date bibliography that lists books and sources she prefers, but her gardening information is still useful.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing., December 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Living with Herbs: A Treasury of Useful Plants for the Home and Garden (Paperback)

" Though herb books are everywhere you turn these days, a classic guide for the home gardener hasn't been produced in my opinion since Adelma Simmons'HERB GARDENING IN FIVE SEASONS. Until now. Jo Ann Gardener's new book should be the herb classic for this generation. It was refreshing to read an herb book so full of deep, personal, first hand knowledge...Gardener grows her herbs in the harsh environs of a farm on a windy peninsula in Cape Breton. Isolated, with no phone or vehicle, she's has to rely on her resourcefulness to make her herb gardens work. They became so abundant she was able to start her own business, "Jo Ann's Kitchen & Garden". In her book, she shares all the methods she's developed over the years for growing and harvesting herbs, using them in the home and intergrating them into the landscape. Though I've looked through lots of herb books over the years, I found many, many fresh original ideas here. In the heart of the book, "The Herbs in MY Life: 74 Herb Portraits" all the information is based on Gardener's experience. They are deeply personal rather than encyclopedic and a true joy to read...A definite classic for the herb garden book shelf. Pinetree Garden Seeds Catalog, New Gloucester, Maine"

5.0 out of 5 stars Great hands on information, November 12, 2006

By 

Elizabeth Case "Herbalist/ Educator" (Catskill Mountains, New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Living with Herbs: A Treasury of Useful Plants for the Home and Garden (Paperback)

Let me say that Jo Ann Gardner is one of my favorite garden writers. Her books are filled tried and true herbal information.She writes from her own experiences.Her advice is easy to apply in your own garden.

As an Herb Educator/Speaker I find she gives accurate and well written herbal history to use in my presentations.I turn to her books often.

Livind With Herbs is a great read. Try making "Jo Ann's Kitchen & Garden Herb Salt" on page 186. If you don't already grow the herbs in this recipe (or any other metioned in the book) Jo Ann gives you the advice to make you feel you can succeed .