Linda Gray’s book, Complete Guide to Growing and Cultivating Herbs & Spices, is a comprehensive look at cultivating and utilizing a wide variety of plants that provide flavorful additions to food. The author provides a blend of basic gardening information and culinary applications for over 40 herbs and spices. Her emphasis is on selecting plants that will thrive in the unique space and climatic conditions of an individual’s garden whether it is a window sill or field.
After a brief introduction to planning an herb garden, the author gives detailed information on each plant including historical background, soil, light, and water requirements, propagation, suitability for containers, harvesting and storing, medicinal uses, and recipe ideas. The herbs discussed may be popular ones like basil, oregano and mint, or more unusual ones like burdock, lovage, and dog rose. The nine spices included range from garlic, horseradish and chili peppers, to poppies, fenugreek and saffron. Full color photographs of key plant parts aid in identification as well as add to the over all attractiveness of the presentation.
The recipes are an especially nice feature of the book. Some of the more exotic ones are Aloe Vera Juice, Sorrel Soup, Parsley Pie, Lemon Balm Pesto, Dandelion Jam, and Yarrow Omelet. Each recipe includes a list of the ingredients, serving size, step by step directions, and a photograph of the finished dish. Flavor pairings and ways to incorporate the ingredients into everyday meals are also given.
The scope of the book is so large that it offers something to readers with many different levels of experience and interest. Whether the reader is a gardener, a cook, or just interested in tasty food, there is something in the text to satisfy the mind and entice the palette. Although the book nicely bridges the gap between garden and table, some of the information on cultivation is so generalized it may not be useful to the average gardener.
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