2 comments about The Moosewood Restaurant Kitchen Garden: Creative Gardening For The Adventurous Cook.

1. This is an easy-to-use and easy to read book with helpful tips on not only selecting and growing, but cooking with your veggies, edible flowers and herbs. There is also a great list of mail-order sources with descriptions of supplies. I especially liked the design section for its simple and straightforward approach to considerations and approaches towards my garden layout.



2. It's called "a gardening book for cooks and a cookbook for gardeners." David Hirsch has updated and revised this different and terrific cookbook. The subtitle ("Creative Gardening for the Adventurous Cook"), encapsulates quite nicely why this is a cookbook far beyond the norm. Written specifically to help in growing vegetables so that we can cook with them, each flower, herb or vegetable is accompanied by tips for its best use in the kitchen.
   
   Published originally in 1992, the 2004 update includes more information, resources and recipes. The text is simple yet thorough, and is chock-full of tips, ideas, illustrations and charming anecdotes. In simple, straightforward text, Hirsch gives instructions for growing, harvesting, and cooking with over 75 vegetables and herbs.
   
   The cookbook is accessible for beginners, while being complex and satisfying enough for more experienced gardeners. Chapters are devoted to gardening techniques, crop rotation, seed starting, and natural ways to defend against insects. Another chapter covers various kinds of gardens, from hillside, to walled patio, to container gardening, while the 70+ recipes will showcase the fruits of your labor and help transform them to the the pleasures of the table.
   
   The recipes are delicious and comprehensive, from soups, dips and salads to appetizers and main dishes. Hirsch also includes information on cooking times and techniques, as well as the effective use of herbs (with advice for planting, compatibility and cooking). It is hard to pick favorites, but the Vegetable "Pasta", Summer Rolls, and Portuguese Kale Soup are among my favorites so far.
   
   The recipes are not all vegan (although of course they are vegetarian), but vegan options can be substituted (soy cheese for non-soy, etc). A must have cookbook for gardeners and cooks alike.--By Lisa Steele

No comments about Natural & Herbal Family Remedies: Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A-168 (Storey Publishing Bulletin, a-168).

1 comments about A Clinical Guide to Blending Liquid Herbs: Herbal Formulations for the Individual Patient.

1. This book is really hard to understand for the average Person, Not unless your good at science . I really don't recommend it if you don't no your metric measurements and chemistry . It would be a good book for a doctors office or clinic of some sort,

3 comments about The New Book of Salvias: Sages for Every Garden.

1. Betsy Clebsch's New Book Of Salvias is a winner: it discusses the varied plants notable for their drought tolerance and beautiful flowers, and expands upon a prior edition in adding over fifty new species and cultivars. An alphabetical arrangement makes it easy for the gardener to locate the hybrid and species and includes botanical descriptions, habitat and blooming information, and background history.



2. Found the book interesting but limited since it was written promarily for the US gardener. Would have appreciated more illustrations. Nevertheless a worthwhile addition to the library.



3. I love this book! For any serious plant lover, this is a must. Ms. Clebsch inspires a love of this genus, Salvia, which comes from a word meaning to heal, to save. Ms. Clebsch has a big garden with lots of plants and tells us how to combine salvias with others. Her advice is practical and easy to follow. She is not trained as a botanist but knows more than most botanists about this genus. She balances scientific and design information. Her artwork is precise and beautiful. She has traveled the world to look at her beloved genus. Her passion gives inspiration to the rest of us to pursue our gardening dreams.

5 comments about Vegetables, Herbs and Fruit: An Illustrated Encyclopedia.

1. This book is wonderful! Every section gives you a in-depth overview of the vegetable, herb or fruit; detailing different varieties and how they rank in terms of taste and/or hardiness, how to propagate, grow, maintain, harvest and store. Plus gives tips of typical pests/diseases and how to avoid them. Very helpful are the "companion planting" paragraphs, explaining which plants do best next to each other. And to top it all off, each section includes a "culinary" and "medicinal" section, informing you of the best ways to use your crops once harvested. The pictures are beautiful and the wording is easy to understand and to the point. This is a great book for any gardener's reference shelf. Fun to read cover-to-cover, but set up so that you can dip in and out as you choose.



2. This book has the most readable practicle information on every vegetable, herb or fruit I would ever grow plus many others. It covers some history of origin, varieties, cultivation, propagation, container and garden growing, harvesting & storage as well as uses both medicinal and culinary and also some recipies. I have not come across a more extensive book. My son & daughter both in their early 20's and just starting vege gardening use this as their bible. Well worth owning.



3. I didn't really know what shape I expected, even though the description said good condition. 3 days later! Yes, literally 3 days later I got it in the mail and the condition was PERFECT! I was so happy!



4. PRO
   
   - Extensive coverage of fruit, vegetable and herbs.
   The book says it covers 100 fruits, 70 vegetables and 100 herbs.
   Each subject has Cultivation, Companion planting, and Culinary sections. If it's a herb, it also has Medicinal section.
   
   One day I bought a bag of Macadamias nuts from my local grocery store. The label said they were grown in Australia, Hawaii and Africa. I wanted to know more about them. I opened this book to page 555 and voila! I found all the interesting information about them. There were 3 beautiful photos of the nuts, the tree and the dish made from the nuts. It's informative and mouth watering.
   
   - Very well illustrated.
   Each fruit, tree, or vegetable has at least 3 pictures. They're beautiful. The Culianry section always has a picture of the dish made with the fruit, herb or vegetable. It's so colorful and lively that it makes me hungry!
   
   - It's hard covered. So, it will last a long time.
   
   CONS
   
   - It uses the term "Long", "Short", "Medium" to describe the life span of the trees without giving a range in years. This is frustrating because I am not sure approximate how long they live. But I can easily find this information from somewhere else. No book is perfect.
   
   In short, it's definitely worth buying. I use it almost daily for cooking recipes and for general information. Together with Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/, it makes a complete reference. You can find any information on these subject with these 2 resources.



5. I gave this to my brother who is a chef as a gift and he absolutely loves it. It has a ton of interesting facts including recipes for the foods.

5 comments about Marijuana Botany: Propagation and Breeding of Distintive Cannabis.

1. Marijuana Botany: An Advanced Study In the Propagation & Breeding of Distinctive Cannabis

   ADVANCED. This is NOT the book to read if you have never grown or have no knowledge of basic concepts of growing marijuana. This is not a BASIC 'How-To' book. It says ADVANCED and it means just that! This is a study in ADVANCED MJ techniques and information of selective genetic manipulation and breeding. If you want an 'I just need to know how to grow herb.' book, DON'T BUY THIS ONE.




2. First of all, if we stick to the facts, Robert Clarke wrote this text as his master's thesis to earn his graduate degree in botany from UC Berkeley, not so that a bunch of dopers could grow stronger weed. With that in mind, think about the subject material; this book was written for scientists and botanists with MSc and PhD level accreditations in botany, not Phineas, Freewheeling Franklin, or Fat Freddie and his cat...

   I think that most reviews of this book are negative because they do not understand the nature of this work. In all actuality, it is a very important piece of work that quite thoroughly details genetic breeding of a particular species of plant, and that just so happens to be marijuana...

   If you want a very good "how to grow kick-butt weed" book, pick up a copy of, "Indoor Marijuana Horticulture" by Jorge Cervantes; its better suited to the layperson who wants to try growing at home. Another book I found helpful for consulting was "Marijuana Grower's Insiders Guide" by Mel Frank...




3. The best place to start with this review is to tell you that you do not want this book if you are new to growing. This is not where you want to be going. Getting this book is a mistake which many new growers have made. So you have been warned!! There are other books that cover cannabis cultivation much more accurately like "The Cannabis Grow Bible" by Greg Green which I very highly recommend or "Indoor Marijuana Horticulture" by Jorge Cervantes a reasonably good grow guide. I find Ed Rosenthal's books a little wrong at times and Mel Franks work is far too old to be practical these days. So if you are looking for cultivation information go in that direction first but if you want some cannabis botany science and breeding information then carry on with this review.

   The book is divided into four sections. The Sinsemilla Life Cycle of Cannabis, the Propagation of Cannabis, Genetics and Breeding of Cannabis, and finally Maturation and Harvesting of Cannabis.

   The first section is very short and deals with the basic cycle of the cannabis plant from seed to the end of its life to the give the reader the basics of how the plant grows - however the botanical features of all the different strains in existence do vary from Clarke's basic descriptions, but at least his references are explained in extreme detail along with plant morphology. It is an important introduction chapter for what the rest of the book has to offer.

   The second section is about the different ways that cannabis can be continued either by seeds or cloning and so this chapters covers both cloning and pollination but it is mostly concerned with pollen and manual pollination techniques. The seed selection part of this chapter is redundant and not really advised as a selection criteria for selecting seeds. There is only one way to know what a new hybrid seed can produce and that is to grow it out. The cloning section covers rooting and hormones, both important parts of the cloning technique for those who want to replicate their mother plant over and over again. The final part of this chapter deals with grafting, which is more of an experiment you can do but it is not used by cannabis cultivators. The chapter finishes with pruning, to help improve your yields.

   The third section is really what this book is all about - the genetics of cannabis, and it can be confusing at the best of times because it dives right into it without much of a helper at the start, so be warned you will need something else to help you make head or tale of this section but I will come to that in a moment. After introducing us to the world of filial generations (F1, F2 ...) , heterozygous and homozygous, Clarke quickly turns to Polyploidy. Now this is a manmade condition which is inflicted on the cannabis plant to alter its chromosome number. The author believes this may increase potency but recent evaluation of Polyploidy cannabis and genetics have proven otherwise, but you will find this interesting all the same. The author then comes to meat of the book - breeding. Now this is 50/50 presentation. There is a whack load of breeding information that is extremely helpful and a ton of stuff that is very specialized towards strains that most of us will never see or work with because no one sells them anymore. You will also find references to the botanical aspects of the plant and how these traits can be mixed and fixed by breeding. Interesting and useful and this is probably the most important part of the book and the most often referred to by breeders.

   The forth part of the book is about harvest times and how to judge them. The author also covers Cannabinoid Biosynthesis, but a lot of this has since changed since he wrote about it. Useful though, and you will reference it if you are interested in cannabinoids - but there are better books on cannabinoids out there. The book finishes by covering curing techniques and storage.

   Now listen closely because this is exactly what I recommend you to do if you are interested in breeding cannabis. Do not get this book first. First of all you should take a look at "The Cannabible" by Jason King. It also contains an introduction by Clarke and will give you a look at the different cannabis strain, but forget the breeding section in that book because it has inaccuracies and is not the best. Your next move is a good grow book. Now you would do well to buy several but if you can only afford one get "The Cannabis Grow Bible" by Greg Green. Forget the garbage PDF that you might find on the internet of that book. It is old (2001) and is missing a lot. Get the 2003 paperback edition which is vastly superior and very different. "The Cannabis Grow Bible" has an excellent Chapter on Breeding and is an absolute `must have' for anybody interested in breeding. That chapter alone is sometimes more useful than this whole book from Clarke. Once you have that book and chapter you will be in a much better position to use this book from Clarke. I can guarantee you that now. Forget about the breeding chapter in "Marijuana Indoor Horticulture" by Jorge Cervantes. Its bunk. The author of that book claims that clones loose their genetic integrity with every generation. That is nonsense and voids that whole chapter of his book. If you are looking for a good book on cannabinoids then get "Marijuana Chemistry: Genetics, Processing & Potency" by Michael Starks. Okay this is the best I can do for you. Do get this book though. Just follow the path above and you will achieve your breeding goals. Good Luck.




4. If you have read some other reviews posted for this book then it would seem as if this researcher was talking out his ass but if you bother to actually read the book at all then you will realize that the information provided may or may not be intended for either your level of education as far as cannabis goes or for the specific agenda behind your reasons for growing cannabis.
   No it is not a book for the first hand grower, and No this book will not tell you specifically what you need to know for how to grow some "killer bud" but if you want basically a manual for how to develop a purposeful breeding growing regimine and the best way to establish a sterile environment and efficient pollen collection and cultivation techniques then this is the book upon which it wouldn't hurt to start your reading collection.
   This book was written in the eighties as has yet to be updated but it is useful and informative. The research however outdated is still competant and unbiased and anytime that you have definative data you should try to learn from it. The stated research spans nearly half a century of labratory and field study from doctors, scientists, horticulurists, and regular old smokey joe from down the street, as a person who has spent a number of years in the research and breeding fields I appreciated the fact that someone else had done the grunt work.
   As a person who done some research, here is one thing which I can tell you that is probably the single most important thing anyone can tell you, do your homework!, if growing cannabis is something that you want to do with success then wouldn't you want to find the best way to do it with as little effort and waste as possible the best way that you can do this is READ, books, magazines, college research papers, jotted notes, articles on the internet and do your own kind of gruntwork, talk to competant people who have grown and produced, but most of all don't make any hardcore decisions about who's word you are going to follow and don't take it all to heart.
   There is all kind of hype out there and books that have been written by noted celebrity types and documented so called "authorities" on the subject for your sake don't decide to go with anyone specific person's material the more broad based your knowledge the better chance you have of starting the perfect crop.
   Probably the single most important piece of information I gleamed from this book is how the plant reacts to environment, chemical, and altitudinal changes, this kind of detailed information is exactly what should be contained in a botany book, and in my humble opinion R.C. Clarke has done a tremendous job of putting this information together.



5. This is a good book about the marijuana plant itself but is a bit dated. Still if you want to learn more about breeding and plant physiognomy then this is a good choice.

5 comments about The Complete Book of Herbs: A Practical Guide to Growing and Using Herbs.

1. Cannot say enough about how glad I am to own this. It has more than I would need to raise herbs. Concise. Beautiful pictures. Excellent reference source.



2. Unless you want extreme detail, you only need one book on herbs and this is it - whether for gardening or for culinary or medicinal insights, crafts or whatever. It's all here - and concise. I love to grow and use herbs and tossed the library my other herb books.



3. This is a simply marvelous book. It is a mystery to me why it is not continuously in print. Do not hesitate to buy this used from Amazon Marketplace sellers, as I did.
   
   The book is large and beautifully fashioned and produced, with gorgeous full-color photographs not only of each herb, but of dozens of different species of each herb, and of every possible use to which herbs can be put. There are full-color pictures of crafts, teas, household items, massage how-to illustrations, dyes--to say nothing of prepared food dishes; this is actually a cookbook within an herbal!
   
   ONE CAVEAT: if you are looking for an in-depth gardening how-to, with exhaustive planting info, you might want a supplement for this book, which sticks to the basics. But every other herb-related topic is embellished and elaborated on. There are dozens of pages with full-color, labeled illustrations of different "theme" gardens you can plan. Whole chapters EACH on potpurri, herbal cosmetics, dyes, medicines, and household cleaners. Fabulous, unique homemade gift items like herbal-scented beads--that's right, painted beads made entirely out of herbs and plants!
   
   The food/cooking section alone is worth the price of the book. The dishes are fantastic. I have already made the Sweet Rosemary Slices and several teas and drinks, and they are wonderful. Almost every recipe has a full-color photo.
   
   I could go on and on, but rather than waste your time, I will leave you to hit "Add To Shopping Cart."
   
   Money has rarely been this well-spent.



4. This is an excellent book, but there are a couple of drawbacks. First, and most annoying, is the ordering of the herbs by scientific name. Makes it hard to find the herb you're looking for. Second, it's a large book, takes up a lot of space on the table and doesn't fit on all shelves.
   
   It has served me well enough, but I recently came across Your Backyard Herb Garden: A Gardener's Guide to Growing Over 50 Herbs Plus How to Use Them in Cooking, Crafts, Companion Planting and More and I have to say this is the book I would pick up instead, in retrospect. I may even buy it anyway. It's small, has all the reference information in this one (and then some), and more readily available.



5. Great book at fraction of original price. Really helped me out on my trip. Very informative.

3 comments about Grow 15 Herbs for the Kitchen: Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A-61.

1. Love the Storey Country Wisdom Bulletins. These are great because they are inexpensive and they offer basic useable information that most people can use. What I loved about this bulletin aside from the lovely illustrations of so many herbs, many I grow, is the fact the authors give a history of the herb and its origins. As well as how its grown, harvested and used. For the price which is so inexpensive, you actually get more usable information that you do in many if not most expensive gardening books. Of which I own many.



2. The information was useful but not worth the price. I found most of the same information with a Google search for free.



3. I wish the publisher's review would have given this basic bit of information. Here you go:
   
   1. Angelica
   2. Basil
   3. Catnip
   4. Chives
   5. Dill
   6. Fennel
   7. Marjoram
   8. Mint
   9. Oregano
   10. Parsley
   11. Rosemary
   12. Sage
   13. Savory
   14. Tarragon
   15. Thyme
   
   This tiny book is a good albeit brief introduction to herb gardening, allocating about one tiny page to each herb. As one reviewer pointed out, much of the information can be obtained on the internet for free.

5 comments about Herbs (RD Home Handbooks).

1. This book is one of the very best field guides to medicinal herbs. A must have for serious herbalists of all levels. The photos are absolutely spectacular! The one flaw: the book is not easy to use as an identifier unless you are pretty sure of what the plants name is already, because the book is organized by name mainly. But, if you know the name of the plant you are looking for then there is no better book. Email the publisher telling them to reorganize this book so that it is more versatile as a field guide. The planet needs this book. I'm serious, it's that good.



2. If you are curious about growing herbs, or already grow herbs and are interested in expanding your garden or your knowledge about these plants, this is the ONE book to buy. Gorgeous color photographs identify each herb (dozens upon dozens are listed) in its seed, flowering, and leafy stages -- popular varieties of herbs are included as well. Herbs are also listed accourding to use -- culinary, cosmetic, medicinal, decorative. Also included are step-by-step instructions for infusions, decoctions, and other herbal recipes. This book may not show you how to landscape your garden (try American Horticultural's Herb Gardens book) but aside from this, this will be your herb Bible.



3. This well-produced book has lots of small illustrations reminiscent of a field guide. It includes lots of varieties for each herb type - 17 kinds of thyme, for instance. Not very much detail on medicinal uses, and you won't find really exotic species like gotu kola. It is a small book, and packs in lots of information for its size. Information on cultivation is condensed but adequate.



4. I am very interested in medicinal herbs, and I wanted to know more about them. I know from experience that DK and Eyewitness handbooks are wonderful, so I checked this book out from the library, and it was so good that I ended up buying it.
   The pictures are very clear, and aren't too small, as with some guide books. The text is detailed enough to tell you how to use the plant, but concise enough not to limit the number of plant species included. If you want to know more about herbs, whether for cooking or medicine, this book is essential!



5. Do not hestitate to buy this book. This is a great treatment of more than 700 herbs from around the world. The indexing and helps are excellent and the picture/plates are also the best.

   DK Publishing has another superb title with this one and this establishes their guidebooks as A-1 in my book always.

5 comments about The Herb Society of America's Essential Guide to Growing and Cooking With Herbs.

1. This is truly a guide, not a master reference work. The Herb Society is a fine organization whose roots, as it were, lie in my college town, Washington, D.C. Home to the National Arboretum as well, Washington does so much good for the country once you get out of the Capitol Mall area. Think of it as the Smithsonian for herbs.
   
   Originally a women's organization, without whom it would never have survived or flowered, it now commands part of our national heritage and a working site for continued research and activity. This book is theirs and has all you need to know about them and why and how to visit.
   
   As for the rest of the book, it succeeds where recent books have not, for the gardener and the cook both. Nicely organized, it discusses the herbs in an intelligent manner in one section. In the other, you are presented with recipes tagged to their local units and authors.
   
   Please note this book is limited in scope to only those herbs growing in the National Herb Garden. There are plenty here, but this book does not pretend to be exhaustive. I must note that others with grander insinuations fall short of what you get here. The information is good and useful on both the gardening and cooking fronts. Also not this is not a cookbook, so recipes are simple rather than explanatory. They come from many contributors and therefore cannot have a single or detailed voice. Nor is it a book of detailed horticulture; they tell you the basics to grow these herbs.



2. Here is a long overdue book combining BOTH growing information and delicious tested herb recipes. Detailed enough for both the novice herb gardener and the experienced one. The layout is easy to read and provides access for identifying recipes utilizing a specific herb.
   In this way, gardeners can readily use the "excess" dill, fennel, basil, etc. from their kitchen herb gardens in a number of creative recipes.



3. Outstanding and delightful! This book offers readers tried and true recipes with herbs but also provides informative herb gardening information. A wonderful gift and must-have for anyone interested in learning more about the cultivation and culinary uses of herbs!



4. I expectated plenty of good evidence-based information on growing herbs from the Herb Society of America. What I got was 100 pages of general info on every herb out there and then 150 pages of unproven recipes. I have better herb information from most other sources. I would never have bought this book off the shelf. I felt like I was reading a church fundraising cookbook What a disappointment. I expected better from the Herb Society of America.



5. The book is a great source of information about incorporating fresh herbs into your every day cooking. After looking for some time, I finally found a comprehensive cookbook for cooking with herbs.