The Complete Book of Herbs: The Ultimate Guide to Herbs and Their Uses, with Over 120 Step-by-Step Recipes and Practical, Easy-to-Make Gift Ideas - Softcover

Herbs have a long and illustrious history as a source of medicine, fragrance, culinary flavoring, dye, and cosmetics. By the 19th century, they had fallen out of favor, but nowadays they are once again appreciated for their diverse uses. Many are attractive additions to the garden and are relatively easy to grow, and they provide a perpetual supply of materials for cooking, baking, and crafting. This attractive, hefty volume explains everything about growing all sorts of herbs, as well as planning and maintaining various types of herb gardens. An "A-Z of Herbs" explains uses and cultivation, and includes a color photo of each one. The lengthy cooking section features tempting recipes for soups, stews, roasts, picnics, vegetables, preserves, breads, pies, pastries, and beverages--all starring herbs, of course. A final section is devoted to herb-oriented craft projects: wreaths, nosegays, topiaries, potpourri, sachets, notecards, teas, as well as beauty products such as hair rinses, bath mixtures, and massage oils.

The authors have clearly thought out the gardening and cooking chapters, which are organized into logical subsections. The crafts chapter, however, is somewhat disjointed; why, for example, do we jump from lavender bubble bath to dandelion and thyme teas, then back to bath recipes? The craft projects could easily have been grouped by theme, as is the cooking chapter, and a more thorough table of contents could then list these subsections so crafters could discover at a glance what's on offer. The contents page also neglects to list the subheads in the growing section, which again would have simplified reader navigation. But overall the coverage is excellent, and the index is quite thorough in case anyone gets lost. --Amy Handy