Book Reviews and Recommendations

The first book I am going to list on here is a bit of a bible for me. It was a gift from my dad many years ago, (ok, around 37 years ago!) It was my first book on herbs, and still one I refer to several times each year.

'The Complete Book of Herbs - A Practical guide to growing & using herbs' by Lesley Bremness

This book has a great layout with fantastic photos and descriptions. There are wonderful ideas to get crafty with each herb listed in the book, and each description breaks down uses for each part of the plant into culinary, growing, medicinal, historical uses, folklore, and scientific facts. A great starting point for any budding herbalist!

I have seen this on Etsy for sale, and also here, on Amazon The Complete Book of Herbs : Bremness, Lesley: Amazon.ca: Books

Comments

Good News!!

April 27, 2024 Oh. My. Gosh. Good news. Not only did I find a new place to live, but it has a yard. And lots of gardening space. And West exposure. I am so excited! Here's to new beginnings. Am I worried that it is already the end of April, and I don't have any seedlings planted? Not at all. I have started later than this and had success. There is always direct planting too, which I have done at the end of June and still was able to harvest. Oh! and also-I have heard a rumour that you can buy already started seedlings at the store, lol. Will I have to be creative? Yes, but that is ok. Despite many gardening manuals telling you that you MUST follow specific instructions to have success with certain plants, it's not as hard and as fast a science as we are always told. There is room for experimentation. and hope goes a long way. I mean, half the fun is trying! I can also harvest snipping's and root cuttings from established perennials before I move, root them, and tran...

Welcome!

It's April 14, 2024. Normally at this time I would have a kitchen table overrun with small pots and seedlings. No room here for more than 3, (ok, maybe 2), people to eat at the same time. The windowsills would be lined with tiny greenhouses, trying to make the most of the two south and west facing windows to utilize the most sunlight so the plants grown healthy and strong. The inconvenience is short-lived. When it is warm enough, these "table" plants would be sent outside to harden off while they wait to be planted in the garden. A small price to pay for a summer filled with tending and using these beauties to their full potential. Mountain Mint (Pycanthemum pilosum) But not this year. Not yet anyways. And it is making my fingers itch. Because of a life event that is causing me to move, I did not start any seedlings this year. I simply do not know where I am going to be, don't know if I will have space in the ground, or even space in pots to...

Calendula (Calendula officinalis)

April 24 Calendula (Calendula officinalis) Calendula. I love this flowering herb for its beautiful yellow-orange petals that can be used in the kitchen as comfortably as in beauty and skin preparations. To a kitchen dish, the lovely hue from the petals can add colour in much the same way as saffron to dishes such as breads, rice, tea, soft cheese, desserts etc. I find it does not have too much of a flavour to it, but it sure is pretty! And it also makes an excellent cut flower and can be used as a dye plant. The petals retain their colour quite well. This beauty is incredibly easy to grow from seed, and once you plant it, it generally self-seeds each year, which is helpful as it is an annual. It can kind of take over its area, which is why I give it its own space in a sunny area of the garden. I make a macerated oil (see skincare recipe page) from the petals to be used in skincare to assist with dry skin and use it in different preparations.

A Little to do with Lavender - Growing and using herbs in Manitoba

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